Trent the Teenage Troll

RP blog for Trent LeMarr, Dusk Courtier

[cloysterbell]

Food is life. [insp]

[sovietpostcards]

“Conservation” by Valery Mozok (USSR, 1982)

[plaguedoctormemes]

I’ve really been thinking of making my own first aid kit and putting the supplies in some kind of chest or case fitting the aesthetic!

[doktor-fleam]

I highly recommend the following first-aid:

- Bactine or wound spray instead of alcohol or hydro peroxide (hydro peroxide actually causes worse scars bc it kinda eats at the edges of the wound a bit. It’s very harsh!). Bactine has a mild numbing agent, and wound spray is really useful for messy things that sting like a motherfucker (it’s also safe for open wounds, in a way that other first-aid cleaner liquids are usually not). Skintegrity by medline is the wound spray I use; it’s hospital-grade stuff. Tempting as it is to transfer this into a fancy glass bottle, I don’t recommend it as that might tamper with the sterility of it.

- Nexcare clear waterproof bandaids. These shits are not even in the vicinity of fucking around. You can wash your hands with them on. They stay on for DAYS. I’m serious. I used to use them for working retail and I washed my hands a lot. They stay on. Even on your feet.

- Some kineseo tape in case of sprains. You can youtube how to put it on for almost any kind of muscle or joint type of issue. It’s amazing stuff, way better than typical bandage roll.

- Something for burns. Take your pick, everyone’s different. There’s burn treatments that have milder cousins to novocaine nowadays, or there’s going traditional with aloe gel. It’s up to you, the main thing with a burn is to keep it moist and hydrated and not to mess with the blister.

- Antibacterial wipes. These help with everything from acne/cysts/styes to keeping wounds clean to sponge baths when you’re too poorly to take a full shower. They’re hard to find nowadays but I got a bulk pack of the kleenex brand in January and they’re great for when you have depression hygiene, or shaving cuts, or cysts, or any number of small things that get kinda unpleasant if they get infected. They’re also usually benign enough to use on babies.

- Salt for mouth injuries. Mix as much salt as you can stand into warm water and swish! This was officially recc’d me by surgeons etc (and I’ve had a lot of mouth surgeries and braces-related injuries in there), and it’s a lot cheaper (and hurts less) than buying the peroxyl stuff.

- Itch cream of some sort, for bug bites and such. Corticosteroids like hydrocortisone cream can be a good option here, and it works on more than itching--it also works on skin irritation like chafing.

And the following medicines:

- Naproxen. This is a good powerful analgesic that works on neuropathic pain like migraines and sciatica. Comes generic. Costco very cheaply has HUGE bottles of it.

- Brioschi. I prefer this to tums or alka seltzer. It tastes better (idk about you but tums make me gag). Brand. Have to mail-order from amazon unless you live in NYC. Cheap bc it’s mostly baking soda. You can also just keep baking soda around if you can stand the taste, but Brioschi has a lil glucose and lemon flavour in it to go down easier. Also it fizzes.

- First-line allergy med like Diphenhydramine. And remember it helps with ALL allergic reactions, not just nose stuff. Comes generic. I use this shit on my reaction to bug bites more often than for sneezing.

- Dextromethorphan for cough suppressing.

- Guaifenesin for mucus expectorant. This is what’s in mucinex.

- Pseudoephedrine for sinus pressure. This is still the best option for this problem.

- Candied ginger or strong ginger tea for nausea (proper chai that burns also works bc there’s ginger and a lot of other good stuffs in it). Ginger root doesn’t keep and I’m assuming you want this to keep. However, fresh ginger root works fastest, if you can tolerate just eating a sliver of pure burning. I find ginger works better than any other medicine, even the rx ones (and I’ve had those prescribed me before--all they do is knock you out); the only med that works better for me is the weird sticker they give you after major surgeries and those are very very very Rx-only stickers.

- I know lavender and mint are the popular herbs for calmdown, but there’s also valerian if you’re like me and can’t stand lavender and are tired of mint. Be careful, it makes cats batshit in a slightly different flavour than catnip.

- Probiotic something or other, this is a speciality item you should get yourself if you are ever on antibiotics. I’ve used yoghurt and kombucha in the past, mostly because probiotic pills were too expensive. It helps repopulate your gut, which is very important.

Hope this helps, ymmv of course! But I’ve had to do my own home care for everything from papercuts to chronic conditions to top surgery recovery so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned.

Custom tailor your medicine cabinet for what usually ails you, of course. I tried to include all the basics that come up.

[plaguedoctormemes]

Wow, thanks! The bit about ginger for nausea and valerian especially, my partner is horribly allergic to any and all forms of menthol so its good to know of some alternatives. I’ll be saving this post for myself in the future!

[meangirlnurse]

this feels like a good reference (and if possible, from personal experience, i’d recommend packing ahead of time if you can…your panicked brain is not as effective as you think it is)

[ieropun]

Image description: a text list of suggested items to acquire in the event of an emergency.  The full transcription of the lists are under the read more. The lists are separated into time segments and suggested items needed. There are blank entries in ‘number of vehicles’ and at the end of each list where you may add additional relevant information.

Keep reading

[cassandrasroguelevels]

#even at 15 min warning birth certificate / passport/ citizenship docs#anything that proves that you exist and have citizenship / permanent residency where you live#its very much possible to become stateless after a diaster#keep your important shit to hand#especially if you are likely to be a target for deportation by the government 

[cremsie]

A changeling is a creature found in folklore and folk religion. A changeling child was believed to be a fairy child that had been left in place of a human child stolen by the fairies. A silly little comic I wanted to do in my spare time about a changeling child dropped off but the fairies forgot to do the actual swapping part.  My Patreon

[aniseandspearmint]

This is ADORABLE

[catchymemes]

[theskabouncer]

We got another one

[adulthoodisokay]

sourdough really do be like that

[adventurecore-suggestions]

a skill can carry you farther toward independence than any possession. there’s so much knowledge free for the taking. as you learn about edible plants, you need to carry less food. as you learn about first aid, you need fewer medical supplies. as you learn about sewing, you can make and mend clothes instead of buying and replacing. fill your mind like you fill a backpack before heading out on your next journey.

[charminglyantiquated]

wanderlust and what you could become

(they’re pen pals for the rest of the traveler’s life)

[trentches]

@emily-martingale-rp

[trentches]

“Easily, and if you want to buy in bulk, I can give you a good discount. Love a good sauerkraut. I haven’t done kimchi, though–one of my classmates has a parental figure who’s Korean though, so I might pester him to get her family’s recipe to me. And what were women in your family doing that the men weren’t? That’s such a weird way to divide tasks…but I got biases about that, given things.”

[dunderback]

“Well, if this lamb comes out decent, you might have yourself a customer.” The shop smelled richly of fat and herbs. Dunderback always felt a constant low-level hunger. It had started when he worked for the gentry, so he took it to be part of his mien now. He had learned to coped with it like any of the other strange changes to his body. The smell was aggravating his hunger, though. “I wasn’t keeping track of time, but it should be ready soon, huh?”

[trentches]

“About a minute and a half left and then rest it for five, for a perfect medium rare.” Trent nods, his grin a bit too broad for his face--it’s a little comic, how flexible the clay that comprises him is.

[trentches]

“Easily, and if you want to buy in bulk, I can give you a good discount. Love a good sauerkraut. I haven’t done kimchi, though--one of my classmates has a parental figure who’s Korean though, so I might pester him to get her family’s recipe to me. And what were women in your family doing that the men weren’t? That’s such a weird way to divide tasks...but I got biases about that, given things.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second–he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[dunderback]

“Don’t get snot all over the glass, kid. Whaddya you looking for?” Dunderback asked as he walked over to the doughy, underbaked boy. “That there’s short ribs, prime rib, rib eye… then all the poultry’s in the other case. There’s pop in the cooler if you wanna get one. Someone send you here, you got a list or something?” After a few years among other Changelings, it took a lot to phase Dunderback.

[trentches]

“I was hoping to find some good organ meats on sale. Hearts, maybe kidneys. Also, some chicken thighs–bone in, don’t give me that pre-boned crap, and maybe some pork ribs, I think. And no, no one sent me. I’m shopping on behalf of myself here.” He seems entirely serious in all he’s asking for, glancing up at Dunderback with the grin dimming. “I take care of myself, and have for years.”

[dunderback]

Okay, this kid knows what he was talking about. Plenty of Lost had unusual tastes. Besides, if he came in to mess with him, he would have asked for eyeballs or brains or “prairie oysters”. Dunderback knows because he used to be that kind of kid. (He still chortles at the phrase “pork butts”.)

“Ah, an independent young man who knows what he wants, that’s what I like. Usually I’m the only one eating offal around here. I tell ya, people don’t know what they’re missing. But you’re in luck, because some local guys with Scotch blood decided that they want to experience authentic haggis this Saturday. Something to do with some Scotch poet, I’m not really a man of letters so,” he shrugs. “I’ve got sheep’s heart and stomach in the back, and I had to order in quantity so I’ve got more than I need. Here, lemme go grab it. Take a look at the cases and see if there’s a cut you like while I’m in back.” Dunderback turned away with a grin.

[trentches]

“My hero. Sheep stomach’s something I haven’t had a chance to work with yet, but I figure I can make something of it. Stew, if nothing else, treat it like a menudo, yeah?” He looks at the cases. “The pork chops up front here fresh? I might do those instead of ribs, cook them for my girlfriend and me.”

[dunderback]

“Are the chops fresh, you’re funny. But what’s the girlfriend like? Is she, ah, like us? Good teeth?” Dunderback clicks his terrible teeth.

[trentches]

“Good teeth, but she’s not like us. Pretty cool all the same, though. Quiet as a ghost, sharp as a tack. She’s wild, and I don’t never forget it.” Trent can’t help but grin. “We both go to the same school, Liddell.”

[dunderback]

“Shoulder chops have more flavor, but also more fat and gristle.” Dunderback gestures to one cut of meat, then another. “Rib chops are more tender but you don’t get the rich flavor. If it were up to me, I’d go for the shoulder cut, but…” he trails off. “Young love,” he mutters, sadly, as if he weren’t young himself. “Ah, but either way, don’t cook them too hot. Nothing worse than a dry chop. So there’s that, the sheep offal, and you still want the chicken thighs?”

[trentches]

“The shoulder chops, and yeah I still want the thighs. And the way you’re talking, I’m tempted to bring in one of the chops once I’ve cooked it to show you I know what I’m doing with it. Seriously, man, I’m not some baby chef on Hello Fresh training wheels.”

[dunderback]

Dunderback breaks out laughing. “What are you going to do, bring it on the bus? Walk here with it? Better hope you don’t cross paths with a stray dog on the way. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got time to kill. Show me what you’ve got. Take your pick,” he gestures towards the meat case, “on me. Stove’s over there. Utensils are next to it. Anything you can’t find here I can grab from upstairs. I am at your service.” He bows, and his broad apron billows out a bit. 

[trentches]

Trent gives Dunderback a broad grin, laying claim to a rack of lamb. “Dijon mustard, garlic, breadcrumbs, rosemary. Got those on hand?”

And what follows is a cooking montage (because Trent’s player isn’t actually all that good at cooking)--Trent gets the lamb chops crusted and cooked, and partway through decides to do pan-roasted potatoes as a side. It’s clear he’s comfortable in a kitchen, knows what he’s doing, and respects his ingredients. It’s very clear this is a passion of his.

“I got started because I was something of a disaster prepper, fresh from the Thorns. Started putting together a pantry with preserves and pickles, things that’d last if I had to go to ground. But somewhere along the way, I got the idea to sell my jams and pickles, and...things evolved from there.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second–he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[dunderback]

“Don’t get snot all over the glass, kid. Whaddya you looking for?” Dunderback asked as he walked over to the doughy, underbaked boy. “That there’s short ribs, prime rib, rib eye… then all the poultry’s in the other case. There’s pop in the cooler if you wanna get one. Someone send you here, you got a list or something?” After a few years among other Changelings, it took a lot to phase Dunderback.

[trentches]

“I was hoping to find some good organ meats on sale. Hearts, maybe kidneys. Also, some chicken thighs–bone in, don’t give me that pre-boned crap, and maybe some pork ribs, I think. And no, no one sent me. I’m shopping on behalf of myself here.” He seems entirely serious in all he’s asking for, glancing up at Dunderback with the grin dimming. “I take care of myself, and have for years.”

[dunderback]

Okay, this kid knows what he was talking about. Plenty of Lost had unusual tastes. Besides, if he came in to mess with him, he would have asked for eyeballs or brains or “prairie oysters”. Dunderback knows because he used to be that kind of kid. (He still chortles at the phrase “pork butts”.)

“Ah, an independent young man who knows what he wants, that’s what I like. Usually I’m the only one eating offal around here. I tell ya, people don’t know what they’re missing. But you’re in luck, because some local guys with Scotch blood decided that they want to experience authentic haggis this Saturday. Something to do with some Scotch poet, I’m not really a man of letters so,” he shrugs. “I’ve got sheep’s heart and stomach in the back, and I had to order in quantity so I’ve got more than I need. Here, lemme go grab it. Take a look at the cases and see if there’s a cut you like while I’m in back.” Dunderback turned away with a grin.

[trentches]

“My hero. Sheep stomach’s something I haven’t had a chance to work with yet, but I figure I can make something of it. Stew, if nothing else, treat it like a menudo, yeah?” He looks at the cases. “The pork chops up front here fresh? I might do those instead of ribs, cook them for my girlfriend and me.”

[dunderback]

“Are the chops fresh, you’re funny. But what’s the girlfriend like? Is she, ah, like us? Good teeth?” Dunderback clicks his terrible teeth.

[trentches]

“Good teeth, but she’s not like us. Pretty cool all the same, though. Quiet as a ghost, sharp as a tack. She’s wild, and I don’t never forget it.” Trent can’t help but grin. “We both go to the same school, Liddell.”

[dunderback]

“Shoulder chops have more flavor, but also more fat and gristle.” Dunderback gestures to one cut of meat, then another. “Rib chops are more tender but you don’t get the rich flavor. If it were up to me, I’d go for the shoulder cut, but…” he trails off. “Young love,” he mutters, sadly, as if he weren’t young himself. “Ah, but either way, don’t cook them too hot. Nothing worse than a dry chop. So there’s that, the sheep offal, and you still want the chicken thighs?”

[trentches]

“The shoulder chops, and yeah I still want the thighs. And the way you’re talking, I’m tempted to bring in one of the chops once I’ve cooked it to show you I know what I’m doing with it. Seriously, man, I’m not some baby chef on Hello Fresh training wheels.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second–he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[dunderback]

“Don’t get snot all over the glass, kid. Whaddya you looking for?” Dunderback asked as he walked over to the doughy, underbaked boy. “That there’s short ribs, prime rib, rib eye… then all the poultry’s in the other case. There’s pop in the cooler if you wanna get one. Someone send you here, you got a list or something?” After a few years among other Changelings, it took a lot to phase Dunderback.

[trentches]

“I was hoping to find some good organ meats on sale. Hearts, maybe kidneys. Also, some chicken thighs–bone in, don’t give me that pre-boned crap, and maybe some pork ribs, I think. And no, no one sent me. I’m shopping on behalf of myself here.” He seems entirely serious in all he’s asking for, glancing up at Dunderback with the grin dimming. “I take care of myself, and have for years.”

[dunderback]

Okay, this kid knows what he was talking about. Plenty of Lost had unusual tastes. Besides, if he came in to mess with him, he would have asked for eyeballs or brains or “prairie oysters”. Dunderback knows because he used to be that kind of kid. (He still chortles at the phrase “pork butts”.)

“Ah, an independent young man who knows what he wants, that’s what I like. Usually I’m the only one eating offal around here. I tell ya, people don’t know what they’re missing. But you’re in luck, because some local guys with Scotch blood decided that they want to experience authentic haggis this Saturday. Something to do with some Scotch poet, I’m not really a man of letters so,” he shrugs. “I’ve got sheep’s heart and stomach in the back, and I had to order in quantity so I’ve got more than I need. Here, lemme go grab it. Take a look at the cases and see if there’s a cut you like while I’m in back.” Dunderback turned away with a grin.

[trentches]

“My hero. Sheep stomach’s something I haven’t had a chance to work with yet, but I figure I can make something of it. Stew, if nothing else, treat it like a menudo, yeah?” He looks at the cases. “The pork chops up front here fresh? I might do those instead of ribs, cook them for my girlfriend and me.”

[dunderback]

“Are the chops fresh, you’re funny. But what’s the girlfriend like? Is she, ah, like us? Good teeth?” Dunderback clicks his terrible teeth.

[trentches]

“Good teeth, but she’s not like us. Pretty cool all the same, though. Quiet as a ghost, sharp as a tack. She’s wild, and I don’t never forget it.” Trent can’t help but grin. “We both go to the same school, Liddell.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second–he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[dunderback]

“Don’t get snot all over the glass, kid. Whaddya you looking for?” Dunderback asked as he walked over to the doughy, underbaked boy. “That there’s short ribs, prime rib, rib eye… then all the poultry’s in the other case. There’s pop in the cooler if you wanna get one. Someone send you here, you got a list or something?” After a few years among other Changelings, it took a lot to phase Dunderback.

[trentches]

“I was hoping to find some good organ meats on sale. Hearts, maybe kidneys. Also, some chicken thighs–bone in, don’t give me that pre-boned crap, and maybe some pork ribs, I think. And no, no one sent me. I’m shopping on behalf of myself here.” He seems entirely serious in all he’s asking for, glancing up at Dunderback with the grin dimming. “I take care of myself, and have for years.”

[dunderback]

Okay, this kid knows what he was talking about. Plenty of Lost had unusual tastes. Besides, if he came in to mess with him, he would have asked for eyeballs or brains or “prairie oysters”. Dunderback knows because he used to be that kind of kid. (He still chortles at the phrase “pork butts”.)

“Ah, an independent young man who knows what he wants, that’s what I like. Usually I’m the only one eating offal around here. I tell ya, people don’t know what they’re missing. But you’re in luck, because some local guys with Scotch blood decided that they want to experience authentic haggis this Saturday. Something to do with some Scotch poet, I’m not really a man of letters so,” he shrugs. “I’ve got sheep’s heart and stomach in the back, and I had to order in quantity so I’ve got more than I need. Here, lemme go grab it. Take a look at the cases and see if there’s a cut you like while I’m in back.” Dunderback turned away with a grin.

[trentches]

“My hero. Sheep stomach’s something I haven’t had a chance to work with yet, but I figure I can make something of it. Stew, if nothing else, treat it like a menudo, yeah?” He looks at the cases. “The pork chops up front here fresh? I might do those instead of ribs, cook them for my girlfriend and me.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second–he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[dunderback]

“Don’t get snot all over the glass, kid. Whaddya you looking for?” Dunderback asked as he walked over to the doughy, underbaked boy. “That there’s short ribs, prime rib, rib eye… then all the poultry’s in the other case. There’s pop in the cooler if you wanna get one. Someone send you here, you got a list or something?” After a few years among other Changelings, it took a lot to phase Dunderback.

[trentches]

“I was hoping to find some good organ meats on sale. Hearts, maybe kidneys. Also, some chicken thighs--bone in, don’t give me that pre-boned crap, and maybe some pork ribs, I think. And no, no one sent me. I’m shopping on behalf of myself here.” He seems entirely serious in all he’s asking for, glancing up at Dunderback with the grin dimming. “I take care of myself, and have for years.”

[trentches]

It was a slow day at Dunderback’s shop. A quartet of grandmas had come in for roast beef on rye at lunch, but aside from that, zip. On most days it would make him anxious, but today he was glad for the break. Last night a vampire had come around in the middle of the night, looking new and desperate. Dunderback explained that this was a butcher’s shop, not a slaughterhouse, when he got the sides of beef or pork or whatever they were already drained of blood, and besides they were already dead and doesn’t your kind have to drink from living things? but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually Dunderback had to threaten to light him on fire and the mook fled. Dunderback shuffled back up the stairs to his apartment over the shop, but had trouble getting back to sleep. So now Dunderback let himself nod off, sitting at the cash register. He wasn’t sure how long it had been until he heard the door open, startling him awake.

~~~~

The changeling who enters is a teenage boy sculpted from red clay, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. His eyes are dark and beady, set deep in his roughly-shaped face, and there’s a general sense of him being incomplete, somehow. His attention isn’t on Dunderback for even a second--he heads straight for the meat case to examine what’s available this week, a wide grin (too wide, almost, in a muppety sort of way) on his face. “Lessee, lessee, what do we got here?”

[theprincessisadragon]

Trent shows up at the toy shop with a casserole dish in his hands. As he do. He's dressed up somewhat for this meeting, in a dark sweater over a dark purple button-down shirt and black jeans. His hair is as tame as it has ever been in this world.

Eva is sitting at the front desk when he arrives, frowning down at a messy notebook filled with scribbles. She’s scratching something out as he enters, the ding of the shop’s bell causing her to look up and smile.

“Trent,” She greets warmly, more maternal than regal. She stands to help him with the casserole, “Here, let’s take this to the back! I have some plates set up and can make us some drinks. Do you prefer tea or cocoa in this weather?”

[trentches]

“Cocoa, I think. I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth I don’t always let myself indulge.” His smile is crooked. “And the casserole doesn’t have to be now, if you don’t want. It’ll reheat if you refrigerate it for a bit. But, uh. I came to kinda-sorta talk business, if you have a moment for me.”