#custom printed electronics packaging boxes

[doubleedgemode]

The ~Guilty Gear XX #RELOAD Custom~ Fighter Pad

Sources for the pictures: Box and Controller (I do recommend checking them if you're curious about the rest of the pad and its box's printing!)

I couldn't find much about the controller itself, except there is a bit of a possibility it was copied from another brand.. Read more under the cut!

This controller is compatible with Playstation, PSONE and Playstation 2, though there are third party adapters and dedicated fans that make them usable for other platforms. You can give it a whirl if you're in need for a rabbit hole, but first allow me to show you the main rabbit hole about this pad:

As you might now, Guilty Gear XX (the first version, the Midnight Carnival one) was published by Sammy Studios. For a bit of context, they're one of the most important pachinko companies in Japan, and nowadays belong to Sega and are called SegaSammy Holdings.

Anyways, they made a fighting stick for Guilty Gear XX that might get talked about in this blog someday, but today we will see its peculiar younger brother, made for #Reload. (Note: Sammy only published those two versions of the XX games, from Slash onwards they weren't there)

While we are used to GG media and merch sporting iconic fiery reds, this device is mainly white and blue. My first hunch was it was themed around the Reload logo, but with the yellow shoulder buttons and the package..

It's a Ky reference!

Both Ky and Robo-Ky adorn the box.

Now, I haven't been able to find reviews of the controller, but something perhaps equally as interesting.. It looks strangely similar to this:

Meet the ASCII pad FT2.

Comprehensive info about it in the link, but in short. It was made by ASCII/Asciiware, a company NOT affiliated with Sammy, as far as I know. They made various models of the pad ft/2 for Capcom, SN K.. Fun fact, they did the dreamcast controller with a mic that let you talk to Seaman.

I haven't been able to find the dates, but we can do some guessing. ASCII stopped working with electronics March 2002, and Reload was released May 23 of that year.. This makes yours truly believe that folks at Sammy might've copied ASCII's homework, if you know what I mean.. Now, joking aside, I do not claim nor believe for sure Sammy plagiarized the design, it is just my guess, but perhaps they bought the blueprints, or it was always free real state legally.. We don't know for sure, only speculate.

Whatever the case may be, the resemblance is uncanny. Here's a side by side. They look identical to me salve the Reload pad having a broader "wire" adapter and a small r2 button in the face.

What do you think? I hope you enjoyed this deep dive as much as I did.

[snusbandxknifewife]

Not me seeing this post:

And starting an entirely new Jurdan AU based on it lmao. Rated E for “Excessive Mentioning Of Sex Toys”

~~~

Dun dun.

Jude looks up as the front door of her father’s business, Lawn & Order, opens. The bell, added by her eldest sister in an effort to annoy their father, has been going off all day. Work is piling up on the receptionist desk and she curses to herself, knowing that more paperwork means less time outside.

A USPS delivery man walks in, hauling a hand truck nearly overflowing with boxes. Sweat drips down his face, pooling at his collar as Jude decides that maybe a little time in the AC isn’t too bad on a day as hot as this one.

“Sign here,” the obviously exhausted man says as he turns a clipboard towards her.

Funny, Madoc didn’t tell her they’d be getting a delivery today.

Still, she shrugs and absentmindedly signs the clipboard as the man unloads the hand truck with a dramatic groan. She should get up and help him, and, on any other day, she probably would. But today is for licking wounds and pouting.

The clock ticks quietly as Jude considers how she has to file papers and phone customers and clean the shop, just to go home for family dinner where her sister will undoubtedly be moaning about her cheating ass of an ex.

Not sure why she’s surprised, considering he cheated on JUDE with HER.

Taryn and Locke had been a thing officially for only three months, but they’d been sleeping together behind Jude’s back for much longer than that. The very idea makes her skin crawl and she would much rather spend her valuable time cutting someone’s lawn with nail clippers instead of playing nice with her poor heartbroken witch of a twin.

“Have a good one!” Jude clocks back into reality as the USPS man walks out the door, taking his hand truck with him and leaving her to the quiet of the AC unit and the court room tv playing in the corner.

Sighing, she gets up from her leather stool and walks around the counter to pick up the boxes. They look innocent enough, simple white USPS priority mail boxes that she expects to contain samples of seeds or maybe replacement weed whacking string trimmers. She could use some of those, the weed whacker she takes in her truck hasn’t been working as well as usual and Mrs. Mitsgunmins is kind of an asshole about precision.

She lets out a groan as she picks up the top two. The boxes are a lot heavier than she thought they’d be. Puzzled, she sets the two boxes on the counter, leaving behind the other two as she goes on a hunt for some scissors. Making it almost to her father’s office, she cusses audibly as she remembers the hunting knife she keeps in her boot.

It’s been a long fucking day.

Jude hums along to a commercial as she walks back to the counter, pulling out her knife along the way and slicing the tape of the top box. With a whistle, she opens the box and frowns at finding a bunch of little cardboard boxes stuffed inside. What the hell did Madoc order?

Her whistling stops in horror as she picks up one of the packages and spins it around, only to find bold neon print plastered along the front: XXX RECHARGEABLE NIPPLE CLAMPS

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Jude screeches at the top of her lungs as she drops the box and jumps back. Why the hell does her father need some hundred-or-so sets of rechargeable nipple clamps? Why do nipple clamps even need to be charged in the first place?

Taking a moment to steel herself, Jude moves towards the second box—staying as far away from the nipple clamps as possible—and reads the label for an explanation.

Ohhhh, these are for next door. The delivery man must’ve mixed up the addresses.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she pushes the nipple clamps back into their box and closes the lid, checking the other labels and seeing that all four boxes are meant for next door and thanking her lucky stars that Madoc didn’t suddenly decide to get his kink on.

Looking out across the driveway to the innocuous white building beside Lawn & Order, she rolls her eyes. The Sinful Serpent—complete with its shimmering golden apple sign—has been the bane of her father’s existence since it opened a year ago. Every day she has to hear about how he hates sharing space with some gross sex shop. While adult stores aren’t really Jude’s thing, she hasn’t cared too much because she hasn’t had to interact with the store or owner.

Until, she supposes, today.

She stacks the boxes back up and picks them all up with a grunt, thankful for the workout routine that her work provides as she curses the delivery man for taking his hand truck with him.

Only one car is in the parking lot of the sex shop and she celebrates the fact that nobody will see her going into the store. The last thing she needs is people recognizing her workplace on her shirt and bothering her or her dad. It’s already bad enough listening to old men ogle her when she goes to do landscaping work.

The front door is hooked up to an electronic bell that sounds like the twinkle of magic. As she pushes her way into the Sinful Serpent, she lets out a sound of surprise. Whatever she expected a sex shop to look like, this certainly isn’t it.

The entire store is decorated to look like a forest at twilight, with displays cut into bookshelves that look like giant trees and murals depicting faeries dancing through delicate nature landscapes wrapping around the walls. The lighting is low, except for where spotlights illuminate the wares. Over along one wall, by where the lingerie and exotic dancing costumes are, is a stage with a pole, the whole area bathed in blue light and covered in decor like coral. Between the entrance and exit door, the area for the registers resembles a castle.

“Give me a moment,” a voice calls out from within the castle. “I’ve got to check your ID.”

Jude panics, the very suggestion that she might be a customer in a store like this sending her brain into red alert. “I’m not here to shop!”

“The hell you here for then? Last I checked we didn’t have a gloryhole.”

She all but screams, short circuiting at being faced with a worse option than shopping at a store like this. As she tries to think of what to say, a young man pops up from behind the counter and surveys her, his kohl-lined eyes narrowed as he tries to figure out what her deal is.

He’s dressed in all black, his button up shirt undone halfway down his chest, exposing edges of tattoos that she doesn’t study enough to identify. His bottom lip and septum are pierced, as are his ears—which appear to have been elfed, because they end in sharp points. When he crosses his arms in front of his chest, his fingers are covered in glittering rings.

And he’s grinning at her.

“I uh, um,” she shakes her head, and then remembers the heavy boxes she’s hauled all the way over. “I work next door and, uh, the mailman,” she trails off again, her cheeks flaming as she lowers her voice and mutters, “I think he mixed up our addresses.”

His smile widens and his eyes look dangerous as he tilts his head. “And why would you think that?”

She glares at him and he chuckles lowly.

“We didn’t order these.”

“Can you be sure?” He asks, raising one painted nail to tap thoughtfully against his chin. “A landscaping company and adult entertainment store must have some overlap. Ropes and chains come to mind.”

“We don’t need rechargeable nipple clamps!”

“Everybody needs rechargeable nipple clamps,” he counters, his smirk replaced by reverent intensity.

She lets out a frustrated noise and slams the boxes on the counter, her back cracking in protest. “I don’t!”

“Woah! Stow the seriosity, Sunshine,” he lifts his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just playing with you.”

Grinding her teeth and digging her nails into her palms, she does her very best to keep from choking him out as he leans across the counter, his falling shirt collar exposing a necklace with a snake pendant hanging at his sternum.

She goes to spin on her heel and leave, but stops when a door—hidden behind a painting of a faun and nymph doing unspeakable things—opens, revealing a pretty young woman with blue hair pulled up into a messy bun.

“Cardan I can’t find the damn nipple clamps. I thought they were supposed to be delivered today?”

“Don’t worry, Nic,” the young man calls back with a smile. “Sunshine here brought them over.”

Jude, bristling at the title, misses how the woman momentarily blanches when she lays eyes on her. Quickly recovering and putting on a stony face, she walks over to the castle counter and inspects the opened box.

“You look familiar,” she observes and Jude zeroes in on her carefully cool tone. “Don’t you work at that coffee shop downtown? Bean There, Done That?”

“You’re thinking of my twin, Taryn.” Jude bites her tongue, doing her beat to avoid sounding annoyed at being confused with that backstabbing little—

“Sunshine here is our neighbor, Nicasia,” Cardan cheerfully announces. “She got our order and was kind enough to haul it over.”

“My name is Jude,” she grumbles.

He ignores her, leaning in conspiratorially and stage whispering in Nicasia’s ear. “She has insisted that she doesn’t need rechargeable nipple clamps, so surely they must belong to us.”

“Everyone needs rechargeable nipple clamps,” Nicasia whispers back.

“That’s what I said!”

Jude, rooted in place from the pure horror of listening to this conversation, watches as Cardan picks up a pair of scissors and opens a second box; pulling out a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs and grinning when he notices her watching him. Nicasia raises a perfectly groomed brow at the situation before grabbing the box of nipple clamps and heading to restock the shelves.

Once again, he leans forward, fingers spinning the handcuffs around as he smirks at her. “Now that the packages are handled, what can I do you for?”

Jude frowns, sure that he misspoke. It’s then that her phone goes off and she celebrates any excuse to get the fuck out.

Emergency situation at Dr. Wullworth’s. Need you to take over cutting at the Collethes. -Madoc

“I’m good, I’ve got a lawn to trim,” she says, turning off her phone and tucking it back into her pocket.

“Awe, Sunshine, you ain’t gotta clean up for me.”

She tilts her head in confusion before shrugging and turning to leave.

“Gotta go out the other door, Sunshine,” he sighs, almost like he’s disappointed. Weird.

Jude still tries the door, but it won’t open from this side, so she grabs ahold of her pride and walks around the castle counter, moving as quickly as she can and keeping her head down to avoid getting any further education.

“Bye,” she waves her hand awkwardly as she hits the exit door.

“Bye, Sunshine.”

~~~~~

Mostly setup for the AU. Yes all the last names are keysmashes. Yes I did go on early 2 bed’s website and choose random buttons until I found a sex toy that seemed a little odd. (The nipple clamps are rechargeable because they vibrate.) Big thanks to the discord server for helping me with ideas!

Tag list: @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @hizqueen4life @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @thewickedkings @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @cheekycheekycheeks @queen-of-glass @b00kworm @doingmyrainbow @andromeddea @jurdanhell @thesirenwashere @illyrianwitchling @courtofjurdan @clockworkgraystairs @st00pid231 @booksandlewks @fateandluminary

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

[trans-advice]

We offer natural looking breast forms and accessories for the cross dressing and transgender community. For flattering forms at low prices, click to shop!

How to Order

There are many ways for you to place your order with The Breast Form Store! For your convenience, you can order by e-mailing us at [email protected], or you can phone us toll-free at 1.877.634.7495. You can talk to us between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM PST Monday to Friday. This is the best way to place your order if you have questions or require assistance in selecting the best product ofr you. We're here to help you make an informed choice.

Ordering Online

Your personal information is safe when you shop with us. We offer secure online ordering using SSL encryption. SSL encrypts all of your information, including your credit card numer, name, address, and phone number, before it travels over the Internet. This makes doing business over the Internet as secure as purchasing by telephone or using your credit card at the gas station.

Ordering by Mail or by Fax

Another very secure way to place your order is to fax us! Our fax number is 1.604.241.2002. All you have to do is print out one of our order forms, fill out your information, and send it to us!

Our order forms are in .PDF format (Portable Document Format). Your computer may require Adobe Acrobat Reader, if not already installed. Click here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader

American Order Form Canadian Order Form International (including Europe) Order Form

Need the Ultimate in Security?

Order by Mail!

Many of our clients prefer to order by mail. There is no electronic trail, no credit card statements, etc. It may be a littler slower, but guarantees your privacy.

You can have your order shipped to any name and address you wish. We recommend providing a phone number or an e-mail order so that we can let you know about shipping or confirm sizing, but it is your decision to provide that information. If you are shipping to a UPS Store or a simmilar location, please note that they may require photo ID for you to receive your package. (Please note that interational orders require a phone number or an e-mail address for Customs purposes).

When ordering by mail, please send a money order. This can be obtained from your post office or bank, usually for less than one dollar. Money orders are also insured and you can any sending name you wish to you use. We are unable to accept cheques of any type.

Please print out one of our ordering forms (above) and mail it to us, along with your money order at: [go to the main link of this post - mods]

United States of America

Canada

I'm located overseas. Can I still order from you?

Yes, you can. We can ship almost anywhere in the world!

For the fastest delivery times and lowest prices, please select the associated country flag for your geographic area (if your geographic area is not located, choose the closest option or click on the United States flag to order from our head office location):

Australia

Canada

Europe

France

Germany

Japan

New Zealand

Poland

United Kingdom

United States

Any customs charges, taxes, or duties are the responsibility of the customer. We have no control over these charges, as they are issued by your country, and will often be collected by the mail courier at the time of delivery.

Products that do not ship from our Point Roberts, WA location will need to be ordered in to our location, which typically takes between 5 and 10 business days, beore we will be able to ship your order.

All international orders ship via USPS International services, which are Priority International and Global Express (depending on the method of shipping you choose). If you are interested in using a carrier such as UPS or FedEx, please let us know and we can get a quote for you for the freight. Please keep in mind that carriers like UPS and FedEx can be very expensive when shipping internationally. A single pair of breast forms can easily cost $300 or more to ship using regular (not express) service.

Some international orders may be required to pay by bank transfer or money order, in order to protect your order from potential fraud.

What will the customs/duties charges be? What will the customs documents say is in the box?

Unfortunately, we do not know what your country will charge in regards to customs, taxes or duties, as that every country is different. All of our packages that ship overseas have the contents of the package listed as Clothing Accessories on the customs documentation, along with our legal company name (as is required by law).

Please note that in order to ship international orders, we are required by law to include in an envelope on the outside of the box:

Our legal company name as the sender of the package

Customs declaration, showing "Clothing Accessories"

Copy of your invoice, showing the product purchased

Your invoice is for customs purposes, and there is no way to ship a package without this documentation. This invoice is to be removed from the package by customs. However, customs agents may or may not remove this invoice, and may remain in the envelope. Although we do our best to ensure your privacy with this paperwork, we have no control over what the customs agents do with this invoice.

If your privacy is of the utmost importance, we strongly recommend having your order shipped to a PO box or other holding facility.

---

SHIPPING RATES https://www.thebreastformstore.com/shipping.aspx

RETURNS & EXCHANGES: https://www.thebreastformstore.com/returns-exchanges.aspx

[novanaelites-blog]

Pure copper ingots, wire and cathodes for sale

copper ingots and Copper cathode 99.99% copper content

copper ingots exportation

copper ingots shipments

copper ingots for sale

copper ingots cathode

copper ingots and copper cathodes available 4N5 COPPER INGOT ANALYSIS RESULTS Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Metallic Impurity(ppm) Ag ≤6.0 Mn ≤0.05 Al ≤0.50 Mo ≤0.10 As ≤2.0 Na ≤0.20 Au ≤0.30 Nb ≤0.02 B ≤0.10 Ni ≤1.0 Ba ≤0.10 P ≤0.05 Bi ≤0.30 Pb ≤0.50 Ca ≤0.05 Sb ≤1.0 Cd ≤0.05 Si ≤0.30 Co ≤1.0 Sn ≤0.10 Cr ≤0.50 Th ≤0.001 Fe ≤1.0 Ti ≤0.10 Ga ≤0.05 U ≤0.001 Ge ≤0.20 V ≤0.05 K ≤0.20 W ≤0.05 Li ≤0.10 Zn ≤0.10 Mg ≤0.05 Zr ≤0.10 S.O.M                                 ≤50ppm Gas Elements C ≤30 N ≤10 O ≤50 H ≤10 S ≤30 Cl ≤10     5N COPPER INGOT ANALYSIS RESULTS Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Metallic Impurity(ppm) Ag ≤1.0 Mn ≤0.05 Al ≤0.20 Mo ≤0.05 As ≤0.50 Na ≤0.10 Au ≤0.10 Nb ≤0.02 B ≤0.05 Ni ≤0.50 Ba ≤0.05 P ≤0.03 Bi ≤0.20 Pb ≤0.10 Ca ≤0.05 Sb ≤0.02 Cd ≤0.05 Si ≤0.30 Co ≤0.50 Sn ≤0.10 Cr ≤0.10 Th ≤0.001 Fe ≤0.50 Ti ≤0.10 Ga ≤0.03 U ≤0.001 Ge ≤0.10 V ≤0.01 K ≤0.10 W ≤0.01 Li ≤0.05 Zn ≤0.10 Mg ≤0.05 Zr ≤0.10 S.O.M                                 ≤10ppm Gas Elements C ≤10 N ≤5 O ≤30 H ≤5 S ≤1 Cl ≤1     6N COPPER INGOT ANALYSIS RESULTS Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Impurity Elements Spec(ppm) Metallic Impurity(ppm) Ag ≤0.50 Mn ≤0.03 Al ≤0.05 Mo ≤0.05 As ≤0.05 Na ≤0.03 Au ≤0.01 Nb ≤0.02 B ≤0.05 Ni ≤0.20 Ba ≤0.05 P ≤0.03 Bi ≤0.02 Pb ≤0.05 Ca ≤0.05 Sb ≤0.02 Cd ≤0.05 Si ≤0.10 Co ≤0.20 Sn ≤0.10 Cr ≤0.05 Th ≤0.0005 Fe ≤0.30 Ti ≤0.05 Ga ≤0.03 U ≤0.0005 Ge ≤0.05 V ≤0.005 K ≤0.03 W ≤0.005 Li ≤0.02 Zn ≤0.10 Mg ≤0.05 Zr ≤0.10 S.O.M                                 ≤1ppm Gas Elements C ≤5 N ≤2 O ≤20 H ≤2 S ≤0.5 Cl ≤0.5   Our Services  The Reason for you to choose  EASCHEM: 1,Among TOP 100 Chemical Marketing Enterprises 2,Wholly owned production plants for Rare Earth, Plant Extract and Electronic Chemicals 3,Sales to more than 80 countries 4,more than 500 products with competitive price 5,Good Quality products, complying with Industry Standard. 6,50Grams to 1KGs sample,1--5mt LCL, FCL, Long Contract, Year Contract 7, ISO 9001-9002 certified 8,Up to 90 Days' Credit Payment. 9,Attractive OR(Order Rebates) Policy(1%-5%) FAQ What's your payment terms? T/T AD, wire transfers. 2. What's your delivery time? Usually we will arrange the shipment within 7 to 15 days. 3. How about the packing? Usually we provide the packing as 50 kg Iron Drum or Paper Drum,if you have special requirements on them, we will according to you. 4. How about the validity of the products? According to the products you ordered. 5. What documents you provide?  Usually, we provide Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of loading, COA , and Origin certificate. If your markets have any special requirements, let us know. 1 oz copper ingots ancient copper ingots bdo copper ingot recipe buy copper ingots australia buy copper ingots canada buy copper ingots for sale buy copper ingots uk buy copper ingots usa copper alloy ingots copper and tin ingots copper bar ingot copper cathode ingot copper double ingot copper ingot 7 days to die copper ingot altis life copper ingot black desert recipe copper ingot buy copper ingot casting copper ingot casting machine copper ingot chemical composition copper ingot china copper ingot code skyrim copper ingot cost copper ingot definition copper ingot dimensions copper ingot ffxi copper ingot ffxiv copper ingot ftb copper ingot galacticraft copper ingot godswar copper ingot guild wars 2 copper ingot hexxit copper ingot junk jack copper ingot kit copper ingot knowledge black desert copper ingot life copper ingot life is feudal copper ingot lme copper ingot lme price copper ingot mabinogi copper ingot manufacturers in gujarat copper ingot minecraft wiki copper ingot minetest copper ingot premium copper ingot price for sale copper ingot price in delhi copper ingot price in india copper ingot price per pound copper ingot prices uk copper ingot production copper ingot ragnarok 2 copper ingot ragnarok online 2 copper ingot railcraft copper ingot scrap price copper ingot size copper ingot skyrim copper ingot skyrim id copper ingot specification copper ingot stardew valley copper ingot suppliers india copper ingot survival craft copper ingot tekkit copper ingot terrafirmacraft copper ingot terraria copper ingot therian saga copper ingot usage copper ingot uses copper ingot weight copper ingot wow copper ingot перевод copper phosphorus ingot copper range ingot crafting copper ingot black desert diy copper ingots ffxiv copper ingot ffxiv copper ingot recipe how to get copper ingots in blockheads how to get copper ingots on blockheads how to make copper ingots in black desert how to make copper ingots in black desert online how to make copper ingots in junk jack industrial copper ingot ingots of copper large copper ingot making copper ingot at home making copper ingots black desert making copper ingots from pennies making copper ingots from scrap melting copper into ingots minecraft copper ingot ne işe yarar minecraft copper ingot recipes natural copper ingot old copper ingot pewabic copper ingot for sale pictures of copper ingot price of copper ingot recycle copper ingot remelted copper ingot uluburun copper ingot uses of copper ingot value of copper ingot

copper ingot price for sale,buy copper ingot online,copper ingots for sale,copper ingot specification

SEND US AN E-MAIL VIA: [email protected]

Red grouper fish for sale

Frozen chicken wings, drum sticks, breasts, paws and whole chicken for sale

HALAL chicken feet, paws, legs, breast, drum sticks and other chicken parts

Grade A Frozen Pork Ears, Hind and forefeet, tail and other parts

Frozen pork tail with bones, frozen pork ears for bulk export

Copper Wire Scrap 99.99% purity / Red Scrap Copper Wire / millberry copper wire/Cu.Millberry

Research chemicals for sale

buy pure Gold Dust 99.9% purity gold from nuggets

buy Gold Bullion Bar. Pure Gold Bars

buy high quality silver bars 99.9% pure silver

buy high quality Nickel Sulphate

purchase Caustic Soda Flakes online

Wowwee Fingerlings Baby Monkey Interactive Pet finger toy monkey

OEM Customized Mobile Phone Case for iPhone 8 Case with Shockproof TPU Edge,for iPhone 8 Cover Case

used tires used tyres from Germany 3/4/5/6/7mm A Grade+++

Square Gift Cardboard Box White Packing Box With Ribbon For Jewelry Packaging Wholesale

pvc insulated electric wire copper wire

2017 China quality copper wire price per foot wholesale

Pure Millberry Copper,Copper Scraps,Copper Wire Scrap 99.9%

buy Copper Sulphate online

Baby diapers for exportation

electrolyte copper cathode 99.99% copper content

Aluminum wire scrap,Alloy wheel scrap,Alluminium Engine scrap , aluminum sheets scrap

Aluminum Scrap UBC, Wheel scrap and Wire scrap available

high purity 99.9% copper wire scrap for bulk export

Pure copper ingots, wire and cathodes for sale

long burning time hardwood Sawdust briquette charcoal for bbq

Top quality DIN white beech wood pellets for bulk supply

puchase Sodium Hydroxide Pearls/flakes 99% Caustic Soda Price

A4 snow white Copy paper

HDPE Granulates for bulk supply

A4 80gsm White Copier/ Printer Office Copy Paper 2500 Sheets 5 Reams Box

Office Depot A4 White 80-100 gsm Colour Business copy copier paper 5 reams Box

Double A A4 copy and printing paper

Adult Diapers

SEND US AN E-MAIL VIA: [email protected]

Read the full article

[comiccrusaders]

IREM classic Holy Diver to Make American and European Cartridge Debut with Collector’s Edition from Retro-Bit® Publishing

Nearly three decades after it was first released in Japan, IREM’s cult classic Holy Diver will be making its North American and European cartridge debut in August 2018 with a limited edition collector’s package from Retro-Bit®’s newest publishing arm, Retro-Bit® Publishing, distributed exclusively by Innex Inc®.

https://www.comiccrusaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Holy-Diver-Trailer.mp4

One of the most sought-after 8-bit titles of all time, Holy Diver is the inventive mix of fast-paced action and adventure that Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine called “A fantastic game loaded with hidden surprises” (issue #3, September 1989). It stars a magic-wielding warrior who is in search of the Royal Coat of the Arms of the Crimson in order to defeat The Black Slayer. Players will need to fight their way through six incredible stages, each with its own unique theme and challenging boss to overcome.

Holy Diver, along with R-Type III & Super R-Type Collector’s Edition, will be among the first Collector’s Edition games published under the brand new imprint Retro-Bit® Publishing. The exclusive hard embossed collector’s box will include an 8-bit cartridge with a protective dust cover, a full-color instruction manual, exclusive sticker collection, original art prints, Holy Diver branded hardcover notebook and an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. Retro-Bit has also collaborated withFiGPiN® to create a limited edition Holy Diver pin set.

The production will be limited to only 2,900 units in North America and 2,800 in Europe, and the first one-thousand in each region will come with an exclusive white cartridge. Holy Diver will retail for $59.99 when it begins shipping in late August 2018 and will play on the Nintendo Entertainment System and select Retro-Bit consoles.

“We’re excited to bring one of the greatest 8-bit cult classics to the United States and Europe for the first time ever in cartridge form,” said Ron Pang, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Innex Inc. “Holy Diver gives us an opportunity to raise the bar for retro releases by offering fans of old school games an incredible collection of exclusive and high-quality content, all at an affordable price. Holy Diver and R-Type III & Super R-Type Collector’s Edition are just the first of many possible exclusive releases for Retro-Bit Publishing.”

Holy Diver is currently available for pre-order. More information can be found at Retro-Bit.com/holy-diver.

PRE-ORDER NOW: http://bit.ly/rbholydiver LEARN MORE: http://retro-bit.com/holy-diver VIEW PRESS KIT: http://bit.ly/holydiverpress READ R-TYPE PRESS RELEASE: http://retro-bit.com/r-type-given-new-life

©IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INC.

About Retro-Bit® A leader in the retro-gaming community for more than a decade, Retro-Bit® brings new life to classic video game consoles with exciting accessories, controllers and games. From the Atari 2600® to the PlayStation 4® and almost everything in between, Retro-Bit offers the best new ways to play classic games. Retro-Bit can be found online at retro-bit.com, Facebook (@Retrobitgaming) and Twitter (@RetroBitGaming).

About Innex Inc. Innex Inc was founded in 2004 on the principles of innovation, fun, and a commitment to customer service. Over a decade later and they continue to offer the Innex Experience of offering customers a wide variety of video-game related toys and peripherals at a competitive price. Innex is an award-winning leader in global distribution offering multiple services and shipping plans. They partner with the most recognizable and trusted brands and licenses in the industry. More information can be found online at innexinc.com.

Holy Diver Resurrected with NEW Collector’s Edition Cartridge IREM classic Holy Diver to Make American and European Cartridge Debut with Collector's Edition from Retro-Bit® Publishing…

[losille2000]

Home, Chapter 13

TITLE: Home CHAPTER NUMBER: 13/? AUTHOR: Losille2000 WHICH TOM/CHARACTER: Actor!Tom GENRE: Romance/Drama FIC SUMMARY: Tom returns home grouchy and exhausted from a cramped flight after four months on the road for work. Unfortunately, there’s already someone sleeping in his bed. RATING: M (sex, language) WARNINGS:  None. AUTHORS NOTES: Longer chapter than normal, but I don’t think you’ll complain. Thank you all so, so much for your support! Enjoy!

Previous Chapter - Also available on Archive of Our Own! 

Chapter 13

 Marigold fell back into a nest of overstuffed pillows three days later, exhausted and ready for everyone to leave her newly decorated home so she could sleep for the next year. At least. But she knew that wasn’t likely to happen, as Jess continued flitting around the place snapping photos for her portfolio and nitpicking last minute decorating choices.

 Truthfully, Marigold was a little mystified at how quickly it had all come together after Olly offered to get her in touch with his uncle and with Jess; Uncle Kieran had whipped her contractors into shape, and Jess had enough connections that she’d ordered everything for the house within forty-eight hours.  And all Marigold had to do was deal with a whiny, egotistical brat named Tom Hiddleston.

 Honestly, she would have rather spent the time decorating than dealing with that mess. She did, however, find it easier to relax after a blissful three days passed and she had seen neither hide nor hair of him. Considering their record of coincidental meetings and purposeful phone-taking, that meant a lot to her. Maybe the time of their paths needing to cross had come to an end. Maybe she’d—no, they’d—fulfilled Fate’s plan to bring them together again. Maybe she needed the test to move on to the next level of enlightenment; maybe he needed someone to show him what a prat he was.

 Whatever the reason, she was just glad. Glad it was done. Life could return to normal. She could go to work like a normal human being. She could make friends with new people. And she could finally put down her roots and grow.

 Still, it itched right down into the dark, secret part of her soul to know that her future had somehow been intertwined with Tom since infancy, and no one thought to warn her about it.

 After looking through Aunt Violet’s journals the first time, Marigold found it more difficult to stay away from them and had started at the beginning, carefully poring over the brittle yellow pages—all the way back from the forties, when she’d started her grimoires as a teenager—looking for more information on how to be a witch. Well, how to survive as one when most everyone acted like Sir Bloaty Head about things they did not understand.

 Marigold wished she’d been more studious when Violet had tried to teach her the ways back when she was a child; hell, she wished she’d given her own mother more time instead of writing her off as one of those head-in-the-clouds spiritualists. Even though her mom was a head-in-the-cloud spiritualist. Still, she had reason to be.

 She wondered if she’d spent more time learning, maybe she’d have been able to pinpoint the issue with Tom more easily. Maybe if she knew everything about personal connection and Fate and all that stuff, she’d have her answers instead of a twisted stomach and terrible headaches. Oh, and, just recently, a few nightmares.

 Yeah, those would have been nice to go without.

 She shuddered, burying deeper into the pillowy couch, wanting to disappear. To sleep for years. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to the ambient noise. Jess’ footsteps lightly padded overhead. The television and internet technician worked in the kitchen fiddling with the phone line connection. He cursed under his breath at something; the electronics in the house hitched a moment, as if they were about to go out, and came back on. Clearly, he’d hit the wrong wire. Or, perhaps, the latent energy living in the walls had zapped him. Knowing what she did now about Violet, Marigold wouldn’t have been surprised if the old bat had cursed the house, too, so no one could change it. Or, at the very least, had a difficult time changing it.

 Which, in hindsight, explained a lot.

 Someone plopped onto the couch beside her without warning, jolting Marigold out of her thoughts. She blinked at Jess, who now sat beside her heaving a long, contented sigh.

 Jess grinned. “I think my work here is done.”

 “Thank god,” Marigold replied. “Not that I haven’t liked having you here, Jess, but I’ll be glad to sleep in a bed I can call my own tonight.”

 “Oh, no, I totally get it,” Jess replied.

 Marigold laughed. “I really can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

 Jess shrugged and jumped up again, setting her camera down on the table in front of them. “Wait here. I have a surprise. Well, two surprises, actually.”

 “I’m not fond of surprises,” Marigold replied.

 “Trust me, you’ll like them,” she yelled as she disappeared in the direction of the dining room and kitchen. Clinking glass followed, and then she reappeared carrying a dark green bottle of champagne and two flutes. A new label with the words “Welcome Home” printed on it covered the vintner’s gold foil labeling.  

 Marigold perked up. “Yes, I like that very much.”

 Jess set them down on the table. “You shouldn’t doubt me.”

 “You said you had two surprises,” she said. “It all depends on what the second one is.”

 “So, the story on the next one is that I was in Cambridge picking up the damask valances,” she said, “and I saw the new age shop you mentioned in passing.  I poked my head in to see if there was something they would recommend for a housewarming for a witch.”

 Every hair on Marigold’s body bristled uncomfortably. She hadn’t explicitly told Jess anything, even though there were enough opportunities while she worked in the cottage to find out that the past residents of the place had practiced some form of magic. Jess had never asked for clarification, either.

 Jess stepped over to one of her bags and withdrew a cloth-covered package, square in shape with quite a bit of weight to it. She set this down on the table as well. “They asked me what you practice and whether it was Wicca or something else and I had no clue. But I said you do a lot of gardening and use the plants, and that you told me you needed to replenish all your herbs because you couldn’t bring it through customs. So they recommended this.”

 Marigold unfolded the wrapping, revealing a simple wood box with a brass latch and a forest meadow scene carved onto the top, the depressions filled in with black lacquer to give the image depth. It looked old—not in the way that someone had purposely made it look shabby, but rather that it had withstood time. Age and touch had weathered the etchings, worn away some of the black and lightened the wood stain around the latch, but it was a gorgeous box. An expensive box. Antique.

 “This is gorgeous,” Marigold replied. “Thank you.”

 “You didn’t even open it!” Jess laughed, reaching for the latch. She lifted the lid, hinges creaking, to reveal a large assortment of herbs and oils, all packed and labeled. Envelopes of planting seeds neatly lined the top of the container. “They said this should be enough to start with.”

 Marigold picked up a few bottles and bags to examine them. She grinned. “This should definitely get me started. But you didn’t have to do all this… I didn’t—”

 Jess sat on the couch again and turned to her, setting a comforting hand on top of hers until Marigold met her eyes. “During the last week, you’ve hedged every time I brought up your past and the things I saw in the attic. I just want you to know that I don’t care and I think it’s beautiful.”

 Of course, Jess didn’t really know to what extent discoveries had been made in the attic, but a few books had fallen open and landed on pages with runes and other drawings when they were moving other furniture around. Normal books didn’t have those markings.

 Marigold didn’t know what to say to her. It was nice to have someone else to chat with—someone who was so open to other ways of thinking even though she might not believe it herself. Someone who clearly supported her, despite her kookiness. A friend. Asha had always accepted her because that was just what happened when two people grew up side by side. Jess was the first layperson who didn’t tell her magic was sinful or that she was an insane fraud—as Tom had the other day.

 Marigold felt the dampness on her cheeks before she realized tears had formed in her eyes. It was almost instantaneous. The relief in her shoulders, the feeling of acceptance. After the week she’d had, this moment with Jess made it better. Didn’t get rid of everything, but it made her feel lighter.

 She threw her arms around Jess’ neck and hugged her close. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means… to have someone know and not treat me like an idiot.”

 Jess pursed her lips as she moved away. “Who treated you like an idiot? Who do I have to kill?”

 Marigold shook her head. She didn’t want to ruin anything between Tom and Jess, especially as it might involve Olly. It wasn’t right.

 But Jess didn’t need any more information.

 “I’m gonna kill him,” Jess said. “Like, I’m going tie him up and filet little bits of flesh off a bit at a time. The arsehole!”

 “It’s fine, Jess,” Marigold replied. “He’s entitled to his opinions.”

 “Not when he treats people like that!”

 Marigold giggled nervously and reached for the bottle of champagne. “How’s about we have some of this and forget it?”

 Jess begrudgingly reached for the champagne flutes. “You don’t have to ask me twice. But only a glass; I still have to drive back to London tonight.”

 “I don’t know if you know this, but I have an extra bed now,” Marigold replied.

 “Touché, my friend,” she said, devolving into fits of laughter.

  On the second day after Tom’s explosive fight with Marigold, Jim refused to speak with him until apologies were made. On the third day, Jim returned to Scotland with nothing more than a handwritten note left on the kitchen table saying he was disappointed in Tom, and that he expected better of his son. Tom was more than a little upset—and said more than a few choice words to the empty rooms in his house.

 At least he’d gotten what he wanted all along: peace and quiet.

 What he didn’t expect to find, mixed in and surrounding the peace, was wretched soul-deep emptiness. He’d finally succeeded in his plans to be left alone, to regroup, and the only thing left to him happened to be a gaping, aching void, like he’d taken a scoop and dug out every little bit of who he was and forgot to replace it with something nourishing. He thought time alone would be enough to replenish his depleted energy. Rebuild him. Well, that’s what he hoped when he returned from the last publicity tour. After a crazy year, full of professional and personal struggles—that’s what he wanted. To be alone. To be himself. Somehow, he got it in his mind that was the only way to soul search. That being himself meant he had to be alone.

 God, he was so fucking wrong.

 He didn’t realize he needed something else to take the place of everything he purged; he thought starting with a clean slate was the answer. Instead, he soaked up every negative thing around him like a sponge. Now, no one wanted to talk to him, even when he wanted to talk. His father was peeved. Luke was too busy. His friends were all occupied with their families and children because they opened themselves up to human interaction. Even his personal assistant—the guy on his payroll, who should have appeared when he called—was too busy helping other people to care about him for one minute. But then, he asked himself, why would he only want people he paid around him? He wanted genuine, non-manufactured, friendship.

 For the first time in a long time, Tom understood how isolated he had become. It wasn’t being on the road, putting on a happy face for interviews or playing with fans that made him this way. It extended to his most private moments, as well.

 He was alone. He was lonely. He lost touch with his life, lost touch with himself. He wanted to blame poor decisions made while dealing with his fame, but he knew that wasn’t the whole truth. There was something else, something deep down within him; the tiny bit of reservation he held in his mind had bloomed as sure as the lilacs in his front garden had. He did this all to himself because he was afraid. Scared of being burned again, for the millionth time. Somewhere along the way, he’d simply stopped jumping in head-first.

 He pretty much stopped jumping altogether.

 Only now was he beginning to understand how rebuilding oneself was not a personal, singular task. He craved personal, genuine connection with someone. Anyone. And despite all the shit they argued about, he had to admit to finding something both personal and genuine with the one person he never expected.

 Marigold.

He still couldn’t believe her, not about what she or his father told him the other day. But there was no mistaking the fact, at least not now, that she wasn’t trying to take something from him—physical or mental. Others would have rolled over and accepted the way he acted just to stay in his good graces, to stay in the warm light of his friendship.

 Marigold did not. She fought back. She challenged him. She called him on his shit. Of course, he didn’t particularly like that, but who liked a mirror held up to themselves? Maybe they couldn’t stand to be around each other, but at least with her, he felt alive. He felt whole, somehow. Vital. It wasn’t healthy, the fighting and arguing. Still, it was what his soul craved; it craved the attachment. The stimulation. The intricate dance, the push and pull of their sparring. His soul required fire and passion to regrow, no matter the form it took.

 He’d been such a twat to her about the witch stuff. Who was he to say those things? It was a terrifying situation—nearly being killed by a speeding car does that to a man—and he flew off the handle in the heat of the moment. He let his fear get the better of him. And the tenuous truce they’d built earlier that day had eluded him. Shattered into pieces. He couldn’t leave it like that. How could he? Especially now that his father refused to speak to him, too?

 That’s why he thought it was a clever idea to pack a bag and jump in his car for a drive back up to Hatley. Why exactly it was a clever idea, he didn’t know. What did he think? She was just going to welcome him into her cottage with open arms? That he was going to stay there when she literally looked as though she wanted to slap him all the time? Maybe he’d stay in Hatley, at the inn. Then he’d keep dropping by to wear her down.

 He was nothing if not persistent.

 The fresh cut lilacs were a little much, though, and made his car stink of sweetness for the hour ride. He wanted them to be a peace offering. Maybe he didn’t believe her, but there might be a chance he could fool her enough along the way that she would at least talk to him for a few minutes. Give him the opportunity to apologize for what he said.

 Honestly, the best he could hope for now was that she didn’t slam the door in his face.

  Marigold saw Jess and the cable guy off about an hour later and sat down on her couch, enjoying the silence. The house was done. Finally. There were still loads of things to move in—her shipping containers of personal artifacts, as well as the gardening and redoing the barn, but it was a livable space for now. She could relax and enjoy her inheritance; she could find some semblance of normalcy and routine. Hopefully, it would make her feel better after the uncomfortable events involving Tom.

 She pulled the box of herbs onto her lap to peruse them more closely. The people who owned the shop clearly knew what they were doing—this wasn’t a prepackaged novelty item. Each of the herbs had been hand selected, dried, bagged, and labeled with dates and special notes about what conditions and phase of the moon they were picked under, among other things. It was enough information to come to the conclusion that the new age shop wasn’t just a few pagan hippies who liked natural living. Whoever owned the place had a serious magical background. Perhaps not exactly like her own background, but Violet always said it takes one to know one. The person who put the package together was a witch.

 Marigold still needed to look around the shop herself and purchase a few other items, but she felt comfortable enough to make the trip, knowing that they would recognize her, too. Her family had never belonged to a coven—well, unless, she counted the blood family members who shared abilities as one—but Violet often had other magical friends over for feasts and solstices. Marigold wondered if it wasn’t one of them. Maybe they could give her some answers.

 With a yawn, she set everything back on the coffee table and reached for the empty bottle of champagne and the glasses to take them to the kitchen. As she passed by the front windows, she paused, shining headlights briefly illuminating her body. They swept past as the car turned onto her property and stopped.  She frowned, because she did not expect anyone this late. Asha was supposed to be doing something with her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Maybe Jess had forgotten something?

 Marigold left the stuff in her hands in the kitchen and came back to the door just as the interloper knocked. She wasn’t a very tall person—in fact, Violet had often called her a sprite or faery—so the peephole in the door was useless. Fortunately, she’d thought ahead and had them install the wide windows just beside it so she could look out.

 She gulped. Hiddleston. Her face fell and the hair on the back of her neck prickled with a mix of fury and nerves. Seriously? What the hell did he want, anyway?

 He caught a glimpse of her as she pulled away and pressed her back against the door. She didn’t want to deal with him. Not now. Not tonight. She wanted the first night in her new home to be calm and happy. Not fraught with arguing and an overblown ego.

 Tom inched over until he stood in the window, peering into the dim foyer through the glass. He seemed to take up the whole area, filling up the space with his height and casting a long shadow inside the house. “I know you’re in there, Ree.”

 “Go away!” she called.

 He huffed. “I drove all the way up here and you won’t even talk to me?”

 She rolled her eyes. Could he be any more aggravating? “I know you put my number in your phone. You could have called me. Saved you some gas, and I’m sure whatever horrible intentions you have.”

 “My intentions are pure,” he replied. “I swear. I wanted to apologize.”

 “This is the second time you planned to apologize, and you still haven’t done it,” she remarked. “I don’t think you’re capable of that kind of humility.”

 His laugh was a bit strangled. “Could you please let me in? It’s starting to rain again.”

 “No!”

 “Marigold…”

 “I said no.”

 “Listen,” he said, drawing in a long breath.  He blew it back out. “I’m sorry. Truly.”

 “For what?”

 “For… everything. I think.”

 Her shoulders fell. He thinks? What was that supposed to mean? Everything he’d done and said to her had been horrible. Not just about the witch stuff, but the way he’d treated her since they’d met. And she was just supposed to take that paltry excuse for an apology and move on?

 Not bloody likely.

 “Marigold?” he questioned, helplessness in his voice. “Ree?”

 “Go away,” she whispered.

 He seemed to hear it anyway. “It was wrong of me to call you a charlatan. I may not believe in it, but that gives me no right to say what I did. My emotions were running high after the car crash.”

 Marigold heard the earnestness, wanted to believe him, but he wasn’t an award-winning actor for nothing. “How do I know I’ll be safe letting you in? I’m not making that mistake again.”

 “I’m not the big bad wolf,” he replied. “I can control myself. I promise.”

 She groaned and pressed her forehead to the cool wooden door. Her hand hovered on the knob, debating it all over again. Opening the doors would be a mistake. Considering all the other times they’d shared the same space, there was no reason to think anything would change. They went together like oil and water. Even when things were going along decently, something always wedged between them, thanks to the spell Violet had used on him.

 “Don’t for one minute think I won’t throw you out,” she said. “And I’ll call your dad.”

 The sound he made shocked her. Derision. “If you can get him to talk to me again, then be my guest.”

 She pulled the door back. “What are you talking about?”

 A sad smile curved his lips. “After our argument, I went home and talked to him. He told me what he thinks your aunt and grandmother did for me when I was a child. I said I refused to apologize to you for my point of view.”

 “So what you’re saying is that you’re really only here because you want to be able to show Jim you made the effort?” she said. “You’re not really sorry.”

 His left arm shot out and held the door steady, as if knowing she was about to shut it in his face. The movement, however, revealed what he’d been holding in that hand: a bunch of lilac stems with huge healthy blooms on them. A strangled sound of aggravation rose in her throat.

 “You’re telling me that you’re standing on my front stoop, holding physical evidence of my abilities, and you’re still unwilling to believe me?” Marigold pointed at the flowers. “I didn’t think one person could be so willfully obstinate.”

 “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just can’t say—”

 “You got a lot of nerve to show up here like this.” Marigold shook her head vehemently and stepped away from the door, sweeping her hand inside to get him in out of the rain. She didn’t like him very much, but that was no reason for him to catch his death on her watch. Especially since she’d personally lost so much because of him, whether he’d known it or not. “You know what your problem is, Hiddleston?”

 He shook the rain off his coat and stamped his boots on the welcome mat before stepping inside. “What’s my problem?”

 “You have a fundamental lack of trust,” she replied. “I don’t know what the hell happened to you in life, but you trust nothing that you don’t do yourself. And you know what? That’s pretty damn sad.”

 “That’s not true.”

 “It is true.”

 He was silent. Contemplative.  Then he sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Listen, things haven’t been that great for me recently.”

 “I’m sure your piss poor attitude hasn’t helped.”

 “No, it probably hasn’t,” he said and thrust the flowers out in front of her. “Will you please take these? The smell is making me sick.”

 She sniffed. “It’s because lilac is meant to ward off evil and negativity. They’re doing their job.”

 “Or maybe I just don’t like strong perfumes,” he offered with a shrug.

 “You know that’s why the bush is in the front of your house, don’t you?” she said. “Purple lilac? It’s recommended that lilac goes in the front yard, to protect the house and its inhabitants from evil doers.”

 “Or a landscape designer who really liked lilac planted it there.”

 Marigold laughed. “Maybe so…”

 He pushed further into the house and closed the door behind him. She led him back to the kitchen to look for something to put the flower stems in; she didn’t know where anything was, but eventually found a tall glass to hold them.

 “You know, the Victorians also had symbolism for those things,” he said. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

 “Well, the symbolism for the Victorians was ‘old love’,” she replied. “But the purple—the real lilac color, not the other varieties, means ‘first love’. So, Tom, which meaning would you rather I focused on?”

 He stiffened uncomfortably. She contained her cackle. Of course, he didn’t want the second meaning, even though Marigold was beginning to suspect that was why their connection had been cursed as children.

 “I think you know too much about flowers,” he said gruffly. “Are all your family members named after them? Rose, Violet, Camelia, Marigold…”

 She did cackle at that. Way to pivot the subject. “Yes, it’s tradition. All the women—all the witches—in my family have floral names. Like my great-grandmother was Hyacinth. And she had two sisters, Poppy and Primrose. It goes back to the Normans when they came over, though names changed with the variation of language and linguistic changes.”

 “What’s Marigold mean, then?” he asked.

 “It means pain and grief,” she replied.

 He clapped his hands in delight. “I could have told you that.”

 She glared at him and grabbed a pair of scissors to trim up the flower stems. “Not like that. It’s pain and grief—an offering for the deceased. That’s why Mexicans use it to honor their ancestors on Día de los Muertos. Calendula marigold, the kind found here in Europe, can mean constancy in love. In the middle ages, it was thought to strip a witch of her will. I got the name as a joke. Both for that reason, and because my last name was Locke.”

 “You’re telling me your parents purposely named you Marigold because of Goldilocks?” he asked. “Seriously?”

 “Yes.”

 He frowned. “That’s harsh.”

 “My mom was high as a kite at the time,” Marigold said. “As she explains it, high on marigold and peyote in a sweat lodge in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert. So I’m glad I didn’t end up with the name Peyote. Then I’d be small and prickly.”

 His laughter was nice. Genuine, even. “Then I probably shouldn’t say you are also small and prickly.”

 “Um, no,” she replied, snapping the scissors at him. “You should be careful, I might turn you into a toad.”

 “If I don’t believe it—”

 Marigold shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you?”

 “Get what?”

She turned the faucet on and leaned over the sink. She quickly pruned the stems and filled the glass with water, setting it on the new butcher block countertop. They were beautiful flowers; how could he continue to refute the existence of her magic when the very bush that gave him these buds was all but dead a few days ago? She looked at him again and put her hands on her hips. “You may not believe it, but it believes in you. No amount of willful ignorance can save you when it comes for you.”

 “Is that a threat?”

 “It’s a promise.”

 She stared at him, willing him to poke harder. He stared back, but he was unreadable. He barely moved. The only sound to break through the tension was that of her stomach growling.

 “Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.

 She’d only been to the market that morning to pick up the very essentials—bread, milk, eggs. She certainly hadn’t planned on having to fill a man-sized stomach. But she could make something work. She was, after all, a witch.

 “Depends. Are you going to poison me?”

 She shrugged as she opened the fridge. “Haven’t decided yet.”

 “Well, then, I’m just going to sit right here,” he said, pointing to one of the chairs at the kitchen table, “and watch you.”

 “You’re not going to watch me. You’re going to be a pest.”

 “Will not.”

 Marigold rolled her eyes. “Bet me.”

 “Fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. “Name your terms.”

 “If you so much as make one more disparaging comment about being a witch, then I get to throw you out of the house, no questions asked,” she said.

 “But what if I say something that wasn’t meant to be disparaging, but sounds like it?” he asked.

 “Then you can try to explain yourself and you can make it up to me some other way.”

 “I’ll cook you dinner tomorrow.”

 Marigold froze and whipped around to face him. “Tomorrow? Nobody said anything about tomorrow. You’re leaving here after dinner—if you make it through dinner.”

 “I packed a bag,” he said. “Because it’s such a long drive.”

 “What the hell do you think this is, Hiddleston?” she asked. “Some sort of bed and breakfast?”

 “Well, no. I’ll stay at the inn by the pub if I have to, but I came up here to make things right, so I’m going to make things right.”

 Marigold scoffed. “Not by annoying me, you’re not.”

 “I thought I would pay my penance by helping you get settled around here,” he added.

 “Don’t you have a job? A life? Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of movie star?”

 Tom laughed and held out his hands in surrender, setting them on his thighs, palm up. “I have an extended break. I thought I was going to spend it at home, but I realized I was—”

 She watched him shrivel into himself, desperately trying to pull back the flood of words that had escaped him.  It was too late. “No, go on. I want to hear this.”

 He glowered at her. Silence.

 “I haven’t got all day, Tom.”

 Tom groaned, glancing down at the floor like a sheepish little boy. “I was lonely without someone there.”

 “Lonely?”

 “Yes.”

 “And whose fault is that?”

“Mine.”

 Marigold shook her head. The absolute gall of the man! For him to think he could use her as a buffer because he didn’t want to feel empty or lonely was mindboggling. “You’re damn right it’s your fault. You pushed everyone away and now you expect me, of all people, to just accept you as a guest in my house?”

“I’ll just stay at the inn tonight and go home, then,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

 “No,” said some sick, twisted part of her. It didn’t give her a chance think. She really didn’t want him to stay. She didn’t need the stress. But having him around so she could work on trying to dismantle whatever Violet had done would be a plus. At least she might be able to end their connection on a sweet note rather than a sour one. “Since you’re already here, you should stay. But you’re going to cook me dinner tomorrow night, anyway. As your payment for staying in my comfy new guest bedroom.”

 “Okay.”

 “And you’re going to help me move my moving boxes in, plus help me get the garden ready for planting,” she said. “Oh, and I want the Bolognese I read about. With pasta. What kind of troglodyte eats Bolognese without pasta, by the way?”

 His eyes closed and his head fell back, mouth open in mock boredom. “God save me.”

 “You’re going to need more than God to help you after I’m through with you, Hiddleston,” she warned. “You have a lot to atone for.”

 “I do. But at least there’s the possibility of making it out of Purgatory.”

 Marigold reached into the refrigerator to pull out the eggs. She turned around and smiled at him, hoping it looked arch enough. “Purgatory? This isn’t purgatory.”

 “Then what is it?”

 Her grin widened. “Welcome to Hell, buddy.”

And she meant it. He was going to work his soft, uncalloused hands to the bone helping around the cottage. Hopefully, it would give her enough time alone to focus on undoing Violet’s magic and freeing them both from the hell into which Violet had inadvertently placed them.

Hopefully.

[campbellwaltere]

Compliment Your Product with Exclusive Electronics Packaging

There are thousands of new electronics products from different brands present in the market in every single day. Yet, most of them have failed to be acceptable. The main reason is due to they are not able to convince those sensitive electronics consumers to choose their products. Well, you might have not realized that the well-designed Custom Printed Electronic Packaging Boxes can act as a silent yet influential salesman that compliments your products.

In the electronics market industry, your products need to show the finest quality as the consumers in this segment would surely search for the best quality products to buy. You could do this easily with the help of the exclusive custom electronic packaging boxes to present your products in the most stylish way. The boxes that could influence those consumers to choose your electronics will also get your products to be acceptable, and thus, get them sold highly! Plus, the durable and attractive boxes have their unique magical power to promote and highlight your brand in the tough market competition as well.