Cherubplay

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"Sure, sure, thanks. I was tryin' t'be quick lest my kismesis gets too concerned for 'is own good," She tried to smile to assure Karkat that she was better than she looked or what the problem was, "Is this where you all are going to be stationed from here on out? S'ppose it got a might frightenin' out in Starnette."

Next came the pregnant parents or ones with small wrigglers, who all seemed a little bit wary. Rightfully so, since most hadn't been able to get to the clinic in weeks and getting some kind of medical attention in the middle of a grassy lawn was not exactly ideal. But they hadn't much room to complain or many other options to choose from, so they stood in a line, mothers and fathers holding hands or wrapping arms around each other in support. The first in line was a pregnant man and his seadwelling matesprit, both not much older than Gamzee but seeming to be rather mature or perhaps hardened by their experiences. " 'Scuse us," Came the voice of the pregnant individual, his cerulean eyes, formerly thin and tired, looking rejuvenated and enthusiastic, "You're part a' Alice's group, yeah? You handlin' pediatrics now, too?"

2015-03-08 21:01:06
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"For a little while, we're going to be traveling as soon as our companions return. We have to really get learning before we can do much of anything to change the way things are. Rial is probably the best place we've been so far, though. I don't have a lot of room to talk, but that's what I've heard from the rest of them. And Starnette was pretty bad. Besides for the cops picking on everyone in the streets, and house arrest, and getting shot at, worrying about getting forced into prison again... yeah. Not the most fun place," Karkat rambled as he looked over her neck and tried to clean up any stray pieces of glass, putting on ointment and fresh bandages after he was pretty sure there was nothing left.

Gamzee didn't think it was all that ideal either. He was pretty confident with kids and adults, but wrigglers and pregnant trolls were a bit different. There was so much more to be careful with. But he supposed it was better than nothing. "I guess a little, I'm just doin' what I can, ya know? Ain't got much Alice business to attend to, right now. I don't know jack about pregnancy though, but tomorrow I can bring my Gran since it's her day off. She tell me she did a lot of field medic stuff when she was travelin' 'round before, 'specially with the birthings and all that. She knows how to check to make sure it's okay. But for now I can handle any exterior injuries you got on ya." He thought it was more important to be honest about that then do something wrong.

2015-03-08 21:26:29
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She flinched occasionally when glass was pulled, but she did her best to simply listen to what was being told, "Starnette sounds just as bad as what I thought. This Queen's a trainwreck, and the whole country's fallen apart. This ain't what the first Alice wanted at all, tell ya that much." As the bandages were wrapped onto her neck, she thanked Karkat kindly and spoke more about the history, "The First Alice actually liked our religion, fancy that! Her whole goal was t'fix what was broken and improve what needed a lil' push in the right direction. Separate trolls so they could prosper individually but come t'gether 'gainst other threats, like cherubs. Instead, we've got this hemospectrum bullshit and a Queen with 'er head so far up her ass she can't tell a grub from a grape."

He laughed some, nodding as he gestured for his seadwelling partner to step forward and show the gash on his leg, " 'Preciate the honesty. Y'know, I feel kinda bad for you 'nd Alice. If there'd been diff'rent circumstances, you 'nd him coulda started your own family."

"As if," Grouched his partner, who flicked his fins a couple times, "Your pregnant self's a pain."

He laughed again, gleeful, "You just don't wanna appease my cravin's, you ass."

2015-03-08 21:38:31
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Karkat was pretty amused by her 'grub from a grape' comparison and the rest of her chatter. "The best laid plans of squeakbeasts and trolls often go awry. I'm going to hope our Alice fairs a bit better in helping things. At least there's some initial frame work, and people who are willing to help. That will make it much easier eventually, hopefully." He wasn't all that sure what separation had really achieved besides for a mess, but at least the previous Alice had seemed to have her heart in the right place based on the accounts of her.

Gamzee blushed a little as he cleaned up the gash on the seadweller. "Well, we done some looking into all that for after all this hootenanny business, but it'll be a while if it comes. Wouldn't all up and be starting something right now anyways even if there weren't the whole political debacle goin' on. We'd like some downtime and real gettin' to know each other without all the chaos and that going down, and just nice adventurin' while we're younger, I guess. And I still gotta do some growing without havin' to worry about bein' culled any second. Rial's a nice goddamn place; I'm still gettin' used to bein' able to walk through the street without gettin' harassed none."

2015-03-08 22:07:39
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She shrugged, "That's all we can do now, I'm guessing. Hopin' and prayin' and hopin' some more. I just hope our next ruler ain't so incompetent." Holding her chin, she wondered aloud, "Is Princess Aradia actually going to do it? Under the right type a' guidance, maybe? All of this political business seems like hogwash to me, but I got younger siblin's and my older brother's got two kids a' his own that'll be dealin' with those repercussions, y'know? If things are gonna change, there won't be any such time for do-overs, likely gotta get it right the first time or not at all."

"Well sure! Rial's a haven, sure as sugar." He smiled widely at Gamzee, hoping he could help assuage any of his worries as he absentmindedly rubbed at his stomach, "If y'got any questions about it, don't be 'fraid to ask. Lots a' pregnancies 'round here, and parents or planning parents. Sometimes it can be real scary, what with mornin' sickness-"

His partner cut in, "More like all day sickness."

He rolled his eyes, kissing his cheek after a playful poke to it, "And your hormones? Forget about it! Those lil' fuckers are all over the place! Up with this thing, down with this one, your whole personality can change in a blink of an eye. Some a' us got lucky and weren't too much diff'rent, but his sister was pregnant a couple sweeps ago and she was a monster!"

2015-03-08 22:20:05
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"Well, we did actually talk to her. Or Gamzee and Tavros did. She's been kept in the dark by the Queen, and is pretty unhappy sounding about the whole thing. So I think she'll help for sure. Also she totally used her magic to help us escape Starnette by taking this bracelet of Sollux. So she's on the level. We were actually thinking it wouldn't be a monarchy afterwards. Instead it would be a bunch of different people and hopefully that would keep it more even and fair."

These two were so adorable with each other. "Oi, I hope Tav doesn't get all aggro on me," he laughed a bit. Tavros seemed to be the one who wanted to more, not that Gamzee would really complain either way. "I think I can deal with the cravin's though... as for worries, I dunno. The actual birth part is pretty nerve-wrackin' to think about. And what's it like every day? You got a lot of nausea..." he dug in his bag next to him and handed the pregnant troll some candied ginger, "but what about other stuff? Does it hurt, is moving around okay, what about workin' and walking and ...everything, I guess." Gamzee might have been overly worried about the whole thing.

Assuming the gash on the seadweller wasn't too bad, he had it quickly cleaned, salved, and bandaged up again before handing him a bit of Heal fungus and a bite of frosting. He'd just gotten in the zone of sweetness after medicine with the kids, he supposed.

2015-03-08 22:53:30
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"Hmm...perhaps there's hope after all! If she's got a good bone in her body she's already forty steps ahead a' her ancestor." The woman laughed, looking to be in much better spirits now that she was properly bandaged and got to understand more about the entire Alice mission, "Thank you for all you've done, and all you and your friends are gonna do. I can't wait to see what Wonderland's gonna be like a sweep or two." She gave a little wave and was off then to find her kismesis.

"Ah, so it sounds like the Alice is the bearin' party. He's a might small, ain't he?" The pregnant of the two rubbed his hands in thought, letting out a long 'hm,' "I'd bulk up, if I was he. Grubs take a lotta nutrients from ya, and it might not seem like much until y'look in the mirror and say, 'aye, aye! who's the skeleton?' " He gave a pat to Gamzee's shoulder comfortingly as he bandaged up his matesprit, "He's gonna hafta take a lesson from honeybeasts and fatten up. And sure, it hurts," As he took the ginger candy, he thanked him kindly and pocketed it, "A ton of extra weight. Your knees and ankles are always sore and swellin', can't sleep all too well some nights, sometimes I get migraines somethin' hellish." Realizing that he didn't sound all too encouraging, he patted him again before clasping his hands behind his back, "But I get around just fine. 'M a might slower than I used t'be, much more careful, especially since that due date is comin' soon. But I ain't immobile or nothin'. I was still doing some light gardenin' behind our hive, and I still walked to the market to pick up some items every day. But if your boy's clumsy, might be all too good to keep 'im tucked away at home. A recuperacoon's better on the baby's sleepin', too, I heard. Better than a bed, 'nd plenty more space for the parent."

2015-03-08 23:13:06
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Tavros was so small, and Gamzee worried about that too. He was taking mental notes about all of the tips and concerns he was being given. So: feed Tavros lots of good yummy food, massage his legs and feet and make him sit around if he could manage, keep ginger and safe pain killers on hand for nausea and headaches, Tavros could still garden and so some things but watch for clumsiness, and one of those recuperacoon things. "What's a recuperacoon? Tavros says their common in his Alternia, but I never seen one before that I can remember." He wondered how difficult they would be to get. Otherwise it didn't seem like too much extra to do to him, but he kind of had some urges to pamper the hell out of Tavros all the time. In fact, he was planning some nice shit from when he got back from Starnette.

Returning from tending that troll, Karkat hovered around the cart and looked for other people to assist.

2015-03-09 00:06:38
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He paused, thinking of how to explain it before trying to use some gesticulation in his specifics, "It is, like. This giant container filled with goo - sopor - 'nd it's got this lil' opening for you to slide into and go to sleep in. The Mother Grub uses one and it's heaven, lemme tell ya. The sopor slime's so light but somehow kinda firm? It's like sleepin' inside a cloud. You can buy little ones for just the pregnant parent, I think. Most like gettin' the big ones so's the couple can cuddle. I'm sure gonna miss ours," He stretched then, rubbing at his back, "My spine's been givin' me hell on Wonderland since we started sleepin' on mattresses. Better than the wood of a ship though."

2015-03-09 00:31:06
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"Huh, weird." Sleeping in slime seemed a bit messy and bizarre, but Tavros would probably like it if they had one just normally. "Thanks, I guess I'll look into it for later. Y'all keep well now." He waved them goodbye once they were taken care of and moved on to the next people. All that stuff was good to know, but he had a lot to think about concerning Tavros. He loved the dickens out of his copper-eyed matesprit, but sometimes he had doubts about himself. Probably he was just worried for no reason, but he wondered if he wasn't really good enough. He didn't want Tavros to just be settling for him because he was the first person he'd met, or because he was pathetic and pitiable. But! He couldn't let himself get down right then, so he put on a happy face and kept helping people. It made him feel better to help others, at least.

2015-03-09 00:53:13
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They had only been out on the ship for a day, and Tavros was already sick and tired of it. He felt confined, and he did not swim too well in deep waters, so being surrounded by something relatively dangerous did not do well for his anxiety. He felt himself become jumpier, a bit more antsy, and he knew that it was going to do well for himself if he was like this constantly. Both Kanaya and Vriska had tried calming him down, though Kanaya's method was much less harsh and violent.

Vriska opted for teaching Tavros how to effectively use a sword (which was, for the record, too heavy for him to swing well) while Kanaya utilized a calming method of emergency moirail pets and kisses. Sollux tried to contain his jealousy but the yellow flushing of his face was evident.

At the current moment, he stationed himself on the top deck, as the weather was becoming milder and he felt less claustrophobic with the sky in sight. Vriska was manning the ship, albeit lazily with her prowess making such a task so easy, and he questioned, "How much longer until we reach Fouville?"

"If we don't stop travelling, then a day and a half," Vriska shrugged, "Fouville's a relatively decent village with a nice port, fellow pirates, y'know. Better keep the sugary sweetness to a minimum if you want to fit in."

2015-03-17 22:51:47
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Where Tavros felt confined on the ship, the two shades of purple and the cherry red found they enjoyed the sea. Obviously Eridan spent quite a bit of time in the actual water when Vriska didn't need his help with the ship. It was pretty obvious he was having a grand time in his element along side them.

As for Karkat anything that was outside of a cell where he could see far and wide seemed "pretty fucking great" to him. The fresh smell was great, too, and as long as they were going pretty quickly he didn't get sea sick at all. And all the seafood he was learning to cook and making with Gamzee was a lot of fun and delicious. He was beginning to hope that when they all settled he could be somewhere next to the sea so he could eat like that all the time. Karkat hadn't been with them the first time they had had crab, and he decided his corresponding deity was delicious, strange as that might have been.

And the chef was happy in the ship's kitchen when cooking, and otherwise fine with the ocean. When he wasn't cooking or relaxing with the others he had a propensity to nap with the rocking of the ship. Unfortunately he couldn't swim well either, having never been able to practice, but he wanted to. Of course there was no time to right now while they were traveling.

Gamzee found himself trying to distract Tavros while they were on the boat, and hoped being somewhat romantic might distract him enough from his boat sickness. Since there wasn't really any need or point in being concerned about politics right now, either, he hoped it wouldn't be seen as a waste of time that could be used for planning. He came up behind Tavros lazily and rested hands on his shoulders. After placing a small kiss on the back of his head, he looked up at Vriska. "Does that all up and mean I can't be bakin' nothin'?" he grinned, hoping she'd be amused by the joke.

2015-03-17 23:17:20
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"Absolutely not!" She grinned with a flip of her hair, "One hint of cinnamon tones or a glance of chocolate will send those pirates into a craze. Better not to tantalize their wildness, lads."

Tavros kept his arms crossed for a few seconds before placing a hand upon one of Gamzee's on his shoulders. He had tried not to jump when he felt someone touch him, but it just seemed so difficult to relax. He felt too closed in when he was in his room, but seeing the constant motion of the ocean whilst simultaneously moving upset his stomach some. "Are they really so ferocious in Fouville?"

Vriska snorted, "Any dock with mostly pirates is dangerous, Alice. Not sure how many are stationed in Fouville at the present, but if there's even just one pirate, it's trouble to some degree. No frets, though. I'm sure they'll keep to themselves when they see me or Marchie."

2015-03-17 23:29:26
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"Aww, I was gonna all up and woo 'em into niceness with sweet rolls, too," Gamzee fake pouted. "But if those motherfuckers are gonna get all up in our grills for sweets then I guess I'll keep it to savory tones in the kitchen... I ain't sure about your pirates bein' all that ferocious though, you and Eribro are pretty chill." Gamzee smirked at her and rubbed Tavros' shoulders with his thumbs in little circles. Even through the dress he wore there would be some nice massaging from that. Maybe he could calm him some by pampering him in between meals?

"Tavbrother," the indigo bent and spoke into the copper's ear. "You all up and wanna try relaxing with me some, hun? I got something I think you'll like for snacking purposes, and somethin' to calm your tum iffin you're all up and queasy."

2015-03-17 23:44:17
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Rolling her eyes, Vriska readjusted her hat, "Only on the basis of attempting not to scare off those feeble-hearted. 'Tis all." And with that, she turned the gigantic wooden wheel for the ship.

"Ah..." Alice tilted his head some to peer up at his matesprit, then smiled weakly, "Oh! Yes, sure, what is it that you have in mind, darling?" Prior to that moment, he had hoped that his mild sickness and claustrophobic tendencies had not been so blatant, but he figured that he had not been concealing them very well.

2015-03-17 23:53:34
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Well, anyone on the ship turning green that /wasn't/ Kanaya was probably not feeling that great. And Gamzee also wanted more time with Tavros because he wanted to be romantic, besides for the bronze's unease aboard the ship.

"Well, I wanted you to try this thing what's called 'Chocolate Lava Souffle' I all up and found in my dad's cookbook." Gamzee looked a bit awed by the fancy name before he focused on Tavros again. "Also I just all up and wanna spend time with you 'cause you're my Tavbro," he smiled and dropped his hands from Tavros' shoulders and one of them took one of Tavros' loosely. "What do ya think about that?"

2015-03-18 00:00:51
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His brows furrowed somewhat at his explanation, though it was not the entirety of it; Tavros had stopped at 'lava' in the title, as he was not completely sure what lava was. Perhaps it was some new food? A dessert native to just Wonderland? He realized that there was a vast amount of culture he was unaware to, but he figured that it may have even been incredibly common and he was just uneducated.

"I think that is a lovely idea," He grinned, feeling better already, "You know I, love nothing more than to spend some free time with my sweetheart." Tavros gave a gentle squeeze to his hand, using his other to give the gesture of 'lead the way!'

2015-03-18 00:05:31
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Oh gosh, Tavros just done called him his sweetheart! That had Gamzee grinning widely. He hummed happily as he led Tavros into the kitchen area, since honking joyfully looked weird or something. "Alright, brown-sugar, you all up and sit right here," he sat Tavros down at a small table that had a fancier table cloth and a lit candle set aesthetically off-center, pulling the chair out for him and everything, "and I'll all up and get this shit to you lickety-split!"

He bustled about the kitchen for a little while, garnishing and taking the warm dessert out of the oven, before bringing over the souffle dish and a spoon. Gamzee had dusted the top of it with powdered sugar like the recipe had called for since the chocolate was rich and dark. "Alright, Tav, the center is supposed to be made of melted chocolate stuff. But it's kinda warm, probably, so don't burn yourself none."

2015-03-18 00:17:19
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Brown-sugar? That was a new one, or perhaps rarely used, but Tavros liked it plenty and sat delicately in the seat pulled out for him. "This is fancier than I had anticipated. I have reason to believe that this has been whirring about your thinkpan for quite some time, 'Zee," Tavros tapped his chin in mock-contemplation, "I may even go, uh, as far as to claim that you /enjoy/ pampering me! How incredible."

With an amused laugh, Tavros smoothed out some of the wrinkles in his dress and watched as Gamzee took the dessert out to the table. "So that is what you meant by lava," He commented offhandedly, holding the spoon in one hand as he inspected the new dish in front of him. "Looks yummy! I am sure it tastes just as delectable as it looks," The brownblood beamed up at him before questioning, "With something so special, let's share a first bite, yeah? Grab a spoon, my sweetest violet! Let's indulge a bit together."

2015-03-18 00:28:18
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"Yeah! 'Cause lava is all hot and liquidy I guess. I've never seen any, though," Gamzee got up and retrieved a second spoon while he spoke. "And it's pretty easy to think of ways to pamper you, sweetest. And I wouldn't all up and go so short as /enjoy/, darlin', more like I love to." Gamzee grinned and sat across from Tavros once he returned with his utensil. He had been trying to romance Tavros a little extra in their down times just by doing sweet things, like the fancy bath time in Rial when he and Kanaya had gotten back from Starnette.

He dug in the middle for a bite along side Tavros, pulling out some fluffy cake with just a bit of the inner filling dripping from it and steaming with remaining heat. Gamzee, suddenly having some added inspiration, held the spoonful in front of Tavros' mouth to let him blow it a bit cooler before feeding it to him sweetly.

2015-03-18 00:38:40
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"Me either," Tavros admitted with a good natured laugh, starting to forget all about his sickness now that he had something else to focus on. "But I very much like this affectionate side of you. Well," He poked at the dessert slightly with his spoon before pulling a piece apart with the chocolate on it, "This extra affectionate side. "

At the bite hovering in front of his mouth, Tavros took it with enthusiasm, soon returning the favor with the cake on his own spoon. He grinned in delight, chewing slowly to savor it before swallowing and remarking, "That is delicious! Gosh," He beamed,, "It is times like these that I wish I could give you more in terms of sweetness."

2015-03-18 01:10:24
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The indigo grinned at the taste and Tavros' appreciation of his efforts romantically as well as in the kitchen. "Hm, well, I think you all up and give me plenty with your natural sweetness, hun. Though maybe some extra smooches after our snack wouldn't hurt?" his ears flicked up as he blushed a little, turning his face away slightly. Gamzee wasn't sure if that was an appropriate thing to ask, and though he wanted some Tavros kisses dearly, he didn't want to impose. It made his chest flutter affectionately to think of such nice things as kisses, too.

Sometimes he worried he was too innocent for Tavros to handle, and hoped he wasn't boring. "So... you think I should make this one more often?" Maybe a slight change in topic, Gamzee thought, though it was a half-hearted effort at best.

2015-03-18 01:33:23
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The brownblood found himself giggling, stopping himself mid-bite to effectively chew and swallow before he giggled again, "I will be more than happy to deliver any kisses that you will gladly receive," Tavros leaned across the table to plant a chocolatey kiss to the lips of his dearest lover before plopping back in his seat with a playful grin, "And you needn't request kisses, 'Zee. Or, uh, anything else of that vein, for that matter."

On the contrary, Tavros thought Gamzee to be rather adorable with his innocence; he actually thought, to some mild extent, that it was amusing that the more innocent looking of the two of them was actually more versed in all things carnal desire. He wouldn't consider himself an expert, but it was nice to be able to help Gamzee into something slightly more physical. "Yes, I think so," He said after a few seconds of contemplation, "You should investigate colder desserts, too. Like these little, uh, ice cream sandwiches that all the highblooded children snacked on during the summer."

2015-03-19 21:11:25
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It took him a little moment to wrap his head around what Tavros meant by 'highblood', especially after that very nice kiss that made him purr quietly for a few moments. "You mean back in Alternia? I wonder if they all up and do here, too. Never got far enough in the city to see if they ate anything special during summertime. Maybe I can find a recipe for somethin' like that... don't suppose you ever got your taste on one of them?" It might make it easier to replicate if Tavros knew what they were like.

"And uh... I guess if kissin' is a go, then I might push the motherfucking envelope and start on some snuggles after our dessert is all finished up." Gamzee smiled bashfully and fed Tavros another bite. Those two could lead to other activities, and while he wasn't averse to anything with Tavros, he wasn't all that sure the ship was a good place for full-blown shenanigans. Then again there hadn't really seemed to be a good time for it at all except for a couple instances where there had been circumstances, like time, preventing love-making. His copper-eyed love would know that better, though. He was so smart with that social stuff, Gamzee knew.

2015-03-20 01:24:25
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"Oh, only once. When I was very little," Tavros gave a small hum, enjoying going back and forth with all the bites of food, "I had saved up a lot of my money at the time to get one. There was this, um...cake sort of item constituting the sandwich part." He paused, trying to both pull forth the memory with accuracy and describe it, "I bought one that was flavored with vanilla, and the cream is so fresh and cold! I remember that it was one of the hottest days of the summer season, and there was a vendor selling the different types. There was the kind that I got; it was the cheapest one, and the cream was unflavored so it was basically sweet frozen milk but it was still delectable!" He grinned with a slight laugh, "But I do vaguely recall seeing chocolate ice cream or cake sandwich pieces, and strawberry cream and this particularly bright red that was cherry. I once tried the vendor's darkberry cream drinks. It is like..."

He took another pause in his recollection, then continued, "Well, drinkable ice cream. With fruit in it. I think they, uh, call them milkshakes here but they called them creamers in Alternia. I also think darkberries are called blackberries here, heheh."

2015-03-20 03:41:56