The man grabbed the modest orange and held it in his large hands, appraising the fine skin and smooth texture. He then began to dig the nail of his thumb in to the bottom allowing it to give purchase to the underneath of the skin of the fruit. He pulled decisively and methodically at the peel of the orange and then masterfully, without tearing once, finished; leaving a fine coil of peel and one naked orange. The man then tossed the peel overboard of the ship and took a hearty bite from it, the juice spilling down his lips and cheek as he chewed. The flavour was sweet and succulent with a small bitter citrus aftertaste, just as he liked.
His snack was however interrupted when a gruff voice from just behind him called out "That'd be your skin going overboard, John, if we weren't so close to shore. I've had it up to here with you wasting our oranges, it's a miracle we all made it fore' dying of scurvy." John then finished his mouthful and turned elegantly, his silken cape fluttering its purple reflection in the daylight and smooth wind. Leaning his hand out with the orange contained in his grasp John offered the fruit with juice still leaking from its cavity to the man. "Go ahead, captain, since it's so crucial to our survival surely you wont mind that I've ensured my own health is taken care of first." Captain MacQueen would normally respond to such cheek with a swift blow to the stomach and a fierce stomp to the knee. However the months at sea had been training his patience with John and the vast wealth he provided gave enough incentive to stay his hand, and his foot. "And please do hurry, for your own sake-" continued John, "I fear I already see your gums leaking blood, It would be most troublesome if I'd choke from laughter hearing you bark orders without teeth." The captain stared bullets into John, not that John cared however, he maintained his smug smile and still extended arm out to the captain. Captain MacQueen exhaled an angry mumble under his breath and swatted the orange out of John's hand sending it flying towards the ocean and then turned to leave.
In a lightning flash John reached for his rapier, slashing to the side and piercing into the damaged fruit with the tip of his blade stopping its course to the briny waves. Such an action would've warranted a gasp, whistle, or perhaps even cheer from some of the crew but alas none were to be heard. It had been nigh ten months since John had dragged the sorry crew of this ship out to sea in search of his prize and though the riches he had traded for their company was great the pounding waves of his egotistical flaunting had worn down the morale of his allies. "Finally," John thought to himself. "Years of study, practice, determination and a little, no - a lot of talent brought me to where I am today and I will finally have what I deserve." Captain MacQueen huffed over to the primary mast of the ship, leaning on it out of earshot of John to ease his headache, yet such a luxury was not granted this day. "Sir?" called up a cracked voice from MacQueens waist. The captain opened his eyes and looked down to the cabin boy who stood at slightly over half of MacQueens height. Not that the young man could be blamed, the captain was a hulking man and his stature alone was enough to keep the crew in check. "We're set to arrive tomorrow, are we not?" Squeaked the lad.
The captain smiled at him and kneeled down to match his height. "Aye, boy. You've done well to live through the turmoil we've faced til now, it takes more than a simple man to brave these waters and an even greater man to come out the other end." The cabin boy smiled mutely at captain MacQueen as he looked over to the figurehead of the ship where John still stood proudly looking out to the ocean. "you know," said the cabin boy. "At first I hated him. I hated his guts, I hated his gloating and I hated his stories, how could a man who stayed locked in a mansion his entire life have so many words to spill." The captain, now joining in looking towards John nodded at the boy's sentiment. "But to see a man brave so many dangers and still smile, laugh, and banter. He must truly be brave, no?" Asked the boy. Captain MacQueen retorted "You'd be surprised of the fearlessness of a fool, I don't see a brave man, I see a clown who would kill us all dead to get his way. Whether he intended to or not."
It was true, while John had an albeit abrasive charisma and knew his way around his blade he had never left the confines of his mansion until this voyage, now he has a determination. "I'm going to lay a demon" John said, out loud, to himself. The captain, the cabin boy and the rest of the crew paused their work for a moment and looked at him tiredly, this was not out of the ordinary in regards to Johns varied sputterings but the captain could not help but feel a chunk of his sanity scrape off like a barnacle from his ship each time he uttered such things. "Go to bed, get your rest for tomorrow" smiled MacQueen to John. John bowed extravagantly to the captain and made his way below deck to his chambers as the rest of the crew sighed a breath of relief. The captain waited a good moment before he whistled to the rest of his crew, beckoning them to him.
The crew gathered round the captain as he looked down at them all and softly, yet sternly whispered: "I speak for most of us when I say I don't much care for this man but we can't afford to kill him lest we lose any more crew. If anything is to go awry tomorrow, his fault or not, you aren't to risk your life for this jester." The crew stared in agreement intently at the captain while some smiled in the twilight "we've got our money. The sooner this man gets himself killed the better for all of us." stated MacQueen. The cabin boy protested: "Don't you think it a bit harsh to sentence a man to death over his, er, 'big' personality?" The rest of the crew sneered towards the cabin boy and the captain spoke once again. "I won't have anyone else die for this creatures insane ramblings. The man insists on witchcraft and if it weren't for his coin I would've shot 'im square in the throat when he asked me for assistance. Is it really us sentencing his death if I turn my cheek when he walks head first into a peelfly nest?" The cabin boy looked away timidly and unsure as the captain dismissed the crew.
John layed on his bed staring at the ceiling of his quarters smiling in excitement as he impatiently tapped his leg. This was it, the culmination of the beginning. Since he first started reading the endless encyclopedias of forgotten lore from his ancestors library he has dreamed of meeting the creatures he's read of. Learning to think like them, teach them of his bountiful knowledge and eventually share the pleasures of flesh with them. He knows It may seem a shallow or inane goal to some people but he was not 'some people.' He had ambition, skill, knowledge, and a dashing cape bearing the best colour in the world. And tonight would be the last night he spent on this claustrophobic vessel, he barely even had enough space to practice fencing in his room since Captain MacQueen had barred him from dueling with unsuspecting crew on the deck. But John couldn't possibly hold a grudge on such a lowly man, he will never know the true pleasures of life like he would tomorrow. John's great grandmothers outpost was the next stop and inside it, the key to his goal; to summon a demonic entity and charm it to his will, easy.
"Get up" spoke a familiar gruff voice. John sighed, turning around in his bed without opening his eyes and mumbled "give me a moment captain while I'm certain you're content fueling yourself with rage and the tears of orphans us humans much prefer to sleep." The captain quite happy with his fill of Johns wit swiftly and easily kicked out one of the legs of Johns bed letting him slide to the damp floor. "What on earth could you possibly want from me captain? It's much too early for you to practice kicking puppies." The captain stated in a fervorous voice "It's nearly noon. Come with me I've something I need you to see, dress yourself and if you care about charming another damned thing in your life with that soft face of yours I'd better see you on the deck in five minutes." The captain stormed out of Johns quarters and slammed the door behind him causing a bolt from one of its hinges to come loose and fall to the floor. John sighed knowing that whatever put the captain in a sour mood would certainly ruin what's left of his morning.
"So captain, what may I regale to you? Perhaps the tale of how the Dwarven society ceased to be?" "No" stated the captain clearly. "I see" replied John. A small pause ensued and as the captain just opened his mouth to talk John interrupted to begin his story "Well you see, it all began four thousand, no, five thousand years ago-" The captain ,now frankly sick of anything John had to say, yelled a blood curdling cry at him while a crew member hurled his breakfast into the ocean at the prospect of another story. MacQueen pushed his fist straight into Johns chest but before colliding with him in full force and potentially sending the man hurdling into a wall. He instead opened his colossal fist to reveal a spyglass and gestured with his other hand a direction in which to look. John exasperatedly plucked the instrument from the captains hand and peered through the glass to see a rarity: Land.
"My dear captain, what could you possibly have to be so bitter for, is land not what you've been searching for this whole time? Come, this should be a time to celebrate. Cabin boy! Grab me a cup of something expensive!"
"You'll do no such thing, clown, look again and tell me is this not the exact co-ordinates you directed us to? So why is it the outpost you talked to highly of is nothing but rubble, we might as well be stepping into the boiling hells itself on that shore." Slightly confused and perturbed John peered, once again, into the spyglass to look upon what he originally thought an unusual rock formation. John now realising that his families outpost in the new lands was destroyed spoke out. "Captain, I assure you, there will be supplies for a return trip you needn't lose your temper and with a bit of luck what I require may still be within the ruins."
"You think me daft, John? I've enough supplies to bring the rest of the crew back even with your frivolous wasting habits. It's not the food I'm worried for, it's the safety. I've seen these lands before and each time I wish I hadn't. You wont make it ten paces before something from your nightmares tries to eat you alive."
"Oh captain" chuckled John "you can't expect me to believe such a story, even for my standards that's tall. Come now, we'll dock at the ruins and have a little adventure, unless you're afraid?" he said with a slight pout and furrowed eyebrows. MacQueen thought to himself for a moment and then agreed, it was decided, to shore they would go.
"Sir?" whispered the Cabin boy "Why are we going to shore? Surely the beaches of Verdance will kill us you can't possibly let him do this!"
"Calm yourself, child." snapped Captain MacQueen "did you pay no attention last night? We go to shore, let him proudly march forwards on his lonesome then heave the anchor and we're relieved of our burden." The conflicted young cabin boy kept quiet as he looked towards John who was, once again, at the figurehead of the ship taking his usual pose. The cabin boy waited for MacQueen to leave to direct the ship closer to land and quietly paced up to John tapping onto his shoulder. "Mr Stonefeather, sir?"
"Please, just call me John"
"Okay then, mr John sir, could I ask to join you on the voyage to shore? I may not look it but I promise I can be just as brave as you if you'd give me the chance." John smiled at the young man and pat him on the shoulder. "Of course, I'd respect anyone regardless of how they appear who dares to challenge the face of death."
After sneaking into a crate on the rowboat to shore the cabin boy felt the vibrations from John's loud humming permeate through the boat as it was lowered to the water. As the small vessel landed onto the soft waves John began to row, his humming now drowned by the acoustics of the waves inside the crate. The cabin boy was now sure he was a fair distance from the ship and popped the crate open peeking his head out, John gave a warm smile and wink to him as the cabin boy looked back to the ship triumphantly as he saw the whole crew staring at John and now him. Surely now seeing that he was with John and knowing they could spare to lose no more crew the captain would now send more rowboats to retrieve him and John. But all he could hear was the sounds of distant yelling and a malaise he only felt when the captain stared at him angrily. The yelling went on for a few more seconds before it stopped and the captain ceased peering over the edge of the ship.
"I don't understand, they should be coming for us" whispered the cabin boy to himself. "Nonsense! They've yet to receive my signal, once I get to shore and assert that the coast is clear I'll be notifying them via a single gunshot and then they'll all scurry along after us like the cowards they are." boasted John. The cabin boy now more anxious than usual believed John and kept his eyes on the ship scanning for any change but it simply remained still in the distance getting smaller as they rowed away. The trip to the shore was peaceful as John entertained himself his humming until a sharp jolt had hit the hull of the vessel, caught up in his own daydream John had driven the rowboat into a small rock on the shore punching a hole into it. "Oh well," stated John. "I'm sure the captain wont mind" he joked, jumping out of the now leaky boat with the cabin boy following suit. The duo looked upon the broken outpost on the beach, by the looks of it, it was once a moderately sized outpost, possibly housing fourty to fifty people. The outpost had no walls for it was built into a concave cliff side with the various housings connected by rope bridges up off of the ground, however most bridges by now had collapsed were covered in vines. In fact the entire outpost was now more of a grotto than anything resembling a bastion bar the enormous stone watchtower which had now crumbled into a rocky spire.
"It's exciting to think about what exactly happened here, is it not, cabin boy?" exclaimed John as he stood proudly on the sandy beach with his hands on his hips looking up to his families ruins. "I wish only that I could've seen what did this to them."
"the ship, its getting smaller" said the cabin boy who was now panicked. "Fire the pistol and call them it's safe here, right? The coast is clear? Right?" John began to laugh and taunted the young man "and you spoke to me of courage! How quickly the facade falls in the face of danger." he remarked. "No I think I'll keep my munitions to myself, frankly. I overheard the captains plan last night and I won't give him the satisfaction of my image in his mind of me being some kind of fool." The Cabin boys eyes widened as he yelled "You mean to tell me that you set sail to the shores of this land knowing you'd be stranded and alone-" John interrupted the young man, "Incorrect! I have you to accompany me, your logic is flawed and you've become undone. Please, calm yourself and follow suit." John then turned on his heels letting his cape flutter on the sandy wind of the beach as the mortified cabin boy stood in shock.
"I'm going to die here. The boy thought to himself, I'm going to die all because of this idiot and his delusions, I'm going to die because I wanted to do the right thing and I'm going to die because I've been betrayed. What god have I displeased to be wronged so?" John looked at his last friend and once more put his hand on the boys shoulder and comforted him. "fear not, boy, there's little that can stand against me and I know this place like I know how to peel an orange. Stay close and You'll be just fine." The still mortified boy with little choice waddled after John through the beach towards the outpost as his sea legs adjusted to the ground. The duo now stood below the multitude of balconies jutting out the cliff side at varying heights. John rubbed his chin lightly twirling his small beard while hovering a finger from his other hand through the air at the selection of structures. "There" John stated confidently pointing towards a structure roughly ten meters off the ground with a rope bridge dangling from its maw. "That's where we've got to be, we can climb up the remains of that old bridge as a ladder."
"Will there be food? Shelter?" stammered the the boy. John hesitated for a moment stopping his aggressive striding and looked back very slightly. "Perhaps, I expect." He said at a normal tone. Something felt wrong in the young mans head, the cabin boy felt many levels of 'wrong' currently but this specific wrong felt the strongest. At no point did John ever simply state things normally, they were always bombastic or drawn out or some kind of infuriating quip. But alas, he had no choice but to follow for surely the surrounding jungles would mean his death. If the tales weren't sufficient the ominous howling and squawking accompanied by the uncomfortably large claw marks dug several inches into the chalk cliffside were warning enough. For better or worse the only safety was in John and his abandoned caves.
"Come, boy, ladders don't have a notoriety for climbing themselves." John hauled himself up the collapsed rope bridge like a ladder in an uncomfortably elegant manner. As if the only experience he had climbing ladders was a book written by a noble on 'how to climb an improvised ladder like a gentleman' the cabin boy thought to himself. Though the boy was likely correct they scaled up the side of the cliff with little issue and dragged themselves onto the artificial rocky outcrop into the unlit pitch cave. Immediately the smell was overwhelming, rot and miasma flooded their senses causing the cabin boy to faint for a moment, falling backwards towards the likely lethal drop down for a mere second before John grabbed him by the shirt, preventing his demise. "There's still use for you yet, boy." Said John, pulling him closer with a more familiar smile. "Let's see what we have here." he spoke to himself with a casual manner more befitting a man who's reeling a caught a fish on a line as opposed to a man exploring a rotting cave stranded on a hostile land alone. John unclipped the oil lamp from his belt and lit it with a spark produced from his flintlock pistol.
The smell was only the beginning. The cave was filled with corpses, rotting corpses, at least six people had been slain in this cave once. The walls were smeared with blood and the floor was coated in it. The ceiling which stood at least a meter taller than both the men was also coated with several splatters of blood. The cabin boy fainted again though directly onto the floor of the cave instead. John looked at the boy with a blank face and stepped forwards to inspect the pile of bodies. "Something must have flown in here and killed them, recently too. The blood here isn't entirely black, I suspect that these men must've been alive no longer than three days ago."
"That's impossible!" Stammered the cabin boy "you saw the state of the ruins; this place has been abandoned for months at least, likely years!"
"While it may seem that way my boy, the continent of Verdance is one for its namesake. I suspect in a week there will be no trace of this place at all and the flora will have taken back the entirety of the outpost. We arrived just in time." John stepped decisively forwards, his blasé humming melodising with the buzzing of swarms of flies. He began to rummage through the pile of corpses, the blood caking them together in an amalgamation of sinew and flesh before dislodging a small box from a man whose head has been uncleanly removed. The cabin boy looked up at John, terrified, as he set his oil lamp onto the floor where the boy still lay too frightened to stand "what business do we have here? What business did your family have here?" he mustered. "they were doing something useful" John promised.
John breathed deeply and slowly as he gently pulled a key from his blazer and moved it towards the small box, the key pushed deep into its lock and the finely crafted box clicked as he gently turned it. The pins accepted the key and with a small final satisfying click the gold plated back of the box reeled backwards as John looked down at the contents. Inside the box was a velvet cushion filling the entirety bar for one object, a small pearl no bigger than an eye. It let out a faint light and the inside swirled with an outlandish mist. "Wonderful," said John, giddily. While snapping the box shut again and attaching it to his belt "Lets get out of here, shall we? I've got to say I would've expected smelling sailors for ten months might've hardened my resistance to such stench but apparently not."
"What's in the box?" Called out the cabin boy, who had yet to see the contents. John rolled his eyes and looked at the boy, "something useful, trust me." he said, before walking towards the makeshift ladder once more. The boy and him made their way down to the beach, it was now early evening and cabin boy began to question John further. "What are we to do for tonight? What if we freeze to death?" These were not concerns to John however, he had bigger plans than mere survival.
The beach was getting cold as the sun began to set John glared at the sandy floor beneath his feet quizzically. "Yes I suppose this will do" he muttered as he took out his Rapier and began to precisely slash and drag at the sand forming a series of shapes and runes into the soil. The boy now utterly confused asked "what is it you're making? How is this supposed to help us. We're going to freeze to death if you don't pull yourself together quickly!" John continued to swipe at the ground forming further runes and circles into the sand, he did not even turn to the boy but spoke in a monotone voice not to break his concentration "this is something useful, trust me" he lied. After nearly ten minutes of intricate and decisive shaping John stopped. "Don't give up hope, boy, you've yet to see what's to come." Said John excitedly. he reached for the still lit oil lamp on his belt and began to chant wordlessly. The young man watched terrified as he saw Johns mouth move in ways he's seen no human mouth move before, his jaw sunk lower than should be possible and he could swear that at points Johns tongue split in two. While the cabin boy could not hear a sound coming from John he could feel the words deep in his soul. John began to march gently around his circle over to the boy, with his gaze now set upon him before stopping beside him. John stopped moving his mouth and took the oil lamp from his belt, holding it out between him and the cabin boy before tossing it straight in the center of his runes.
The small fire vanished as the lamp shattered on the sand. "No!" Called out the cabin boy, frightened by the loss of the only fire they had." Then from the runes the fire gleamed once more, the indents in the sand began to grow hot as small flames were radiating magically from the shapes in the sand. "Come, boy" John said. taking out the box and opening it once again. John clicked the key and the top flew backwards once more revealing the pearl nestled in the velvet of the box. "Is that what I... what..." stuttered the boy "Yes" replied John. plucking the sphere delicately with his thumb and index finger while tossing the box to the side. "Witchcraft, you mean to heat us with witchcraft? It'l be dark any minute, this wont be enough to-" John interrupted the meaningless stammering of the boy and tossed the pearl into the runes. Before it could hit the ground a torrent of flame roared out of the centerpiece of the markings, devouring the pearl before the flames calmed once again.
"Don't worry, boy, It's perfectly safe," John said to comfort him, placing his hand upon his shoulder again. The cabin boy looked down, terrified, at the burning runes and felt the same malaise he had from the captain before and knew it. Something was watching him. "What now," said the cabin boy John slowly moved his mouth towards his ear and whispered to him "Now I get what I want." The boy turned his head towards John and got only a glimpse of the intent in his eyes before he was shoved into the runes from his shoulders. The markings on the sand being dashed as the young man staggered to get his footing, but the runes of flame stood unphased. The cabin boy stood at the center of the markings and looked desperately at John as he returned a familiar smile and watched as another pillar of flame engulfed the boy. The roaring fire didn't perfectly drown out the screams of pain as he stood burning alive. But after a few seconds the torrent subsided and what was left was a pile charred and melted flesh, bones and teeth.
John looked remorselessly the remains of the boy as they now began to writhe and shift in the sands. His skull cracked into dust and his charred organs squirmed, feigning life. The fiery runes hungrily leaning towards the pile of scorched offal like a daffodil leaning towards the sun. The squirming then subsided and the pile began to fall beneath the earth and as it then sunk. Burrowing underneath the ground, out of view, the flaming marks then suddenly sizzled out. Only darkness now remained. "Well?" demanded John as the ground began to bubble and sear, an obelisk slim and dark pierced through the sand slowly and onto the remains of the runes with scorching heat. The details of the obelisk was hard to discern in the twilight though John could make out that it stood a head of taller than him by now. The obelisk then lay still; rising no more, its scorching entrance left fragments of the ground shimmering bright with smelted sand when suddenly a soft wet popping could be heard.
Two appendages from the sides of the thin obelisk split from its body, revealing its true nature. A figure, a person. The silhouette of its arms stretched outwards from its thighs to its head, the figure setting its hands atop its addax horns. It stroked them sensually from the thin tips to the slightly thicker base letting out a gentle breath in the process filling the air with soft embers. The figures horns began to glow a faint red, illuminating the runes they bore and as the glowing began to grow soon its face was now in vision. The face of a gorgeous woman with skin smooth as silk and lips red as blood. A face with a button nose but eyes of pure black. The woman tilted her head towards John softly and blinked her eyes slowly down and then up, revealing their new purple irises. John was taken aback entirely, though he had planned for this moment it compared to nothing in his until recently sheltered life. He made is best effort to compose himself and spoke.
"I am John Featherstone, I have summoned you here for -"
"I know who you are, and I know what you desire. For what we desire is one in the same; a taste."
The woman spoke with a voice soft as cushion and passion hotter than fire. She lifted her elegant hand and placed it upon Johns shoulder warming him to his core. She then began to glow brighter revealing her entire figure in full. A figure of red, a figure devoid of any cover, a figure of imhumanely perfect proportion. John gazed at her tender neck and thin shoulders before trailing his vision down to her perky endowment and tight midriff. "I-" stammered John before he was interrupted once again by the woman "save your words, boy, for you no longer need them" she assured him with a suggestive grin. John then heard a soft thud as he looked down to the ground and saw his rapier in the sand, his garments were being climbed by gentle cinders leaving him unharmed but burning his clothes away. The woman then placed her other hand upon Johns other shoulder and assertively guided him to his knees. She ran her hands through Johns scalp grabbing firmly onto his hair and pulling him towards her. John was now trapped in her passion in both mind and body. As his face neared her delicacy he opened his mouth forbearingly.
John made contact with her flesh and was met with a nigh unbearable heat as he forced his tongue to explore her crotch. The woman arched her neck backwards in pleasure lightly moaning out plumes of smoke as John clumsily brushed his lip past one of her clitorises causing her to tighten her grip on his head. Like a hungry flame as she fed she grew hungrier and hotter, her secretions now scorching Johns tongue causing him to reflexively pull away from her. "S-sorry" he whispered bashfully as the woman moved her neck back into place, cooing subtly as she lustfully smiled down at her prey. Quietly she then snaked down to her knees too, without breaking eye contact, the warmth of her core radiating off of her chest onto Johns body. She got onto her hands and knees and slowly circled John like a panther as he lay paralyzed in fear and excitement. He could feel her warmth behind him as she edged closer and then surrounded him with her legs. He could now feel her burning breasts press against his shoulder blades. She let the fingers from her left hand gently glide down the side of Johns face, her claws shaving the stubble of his sideburns clean off. She pulled her hand back and moved her head forwards onto his shoulder, her smell intoxicating his senses as he became overwhelmed with lust. Her chin sat on him for a moment before she placed her lips upon his neck kissing his vital artery. Johns breathing quickened as she let her long black tongue worm all the way to the other side of his neck and then back again as began to suck upon his skin. John was now slick with sweat from the sweltering heat the woman produced but she was not done yet. She placed her hands onto Johns waist and trailed her fingers down past to his stomach with the back of her nails, leaving fine trails of slight dryness on his drenched body.
The sensation of the woman's soft hands approaching him made John shudder involuntarily as he began to pant wildly from the heat and arousal. But just as her hands reached his belly button she ceased. "What now?" said John. The woman released her lips from Johns jugular and moved to his ear. "Now? Now I get what I want" she growled as she crossed her legs, trapping John in place as she dug her claws straight into his stomach, shredding his skin and piercing his gut. John let out a howl of agony as he struggled violently to break free from her grasp, but alas her strength was too great and she had him all to herself. She let out moans louder than before with greater plumes of smoke in the wake of Johns thrashing and screaming. He could feel the base of his spine grow wet and tortuously hot from the woman as she dug her claws deeper into his helpless flesh.
The woman grabbed the modest man and held him in her soft hands. Appraising his fine skin and smooth voice echoing throughout the empty beach. She then began to dig the claw of her thumb into his belly button of allowing her to give purchase to the underneath of his skin. She pulled decisively and methodically at the skin of the man and then masterfully, without tearing him any further, finished; leaving a fine stretch of raw hide and one naked stomach. The demon then tore and tossed the skin away. Pulling a chunk of his stomach flesh with her bare hands she then took a hearty bite from it. The blood spilling down her lips and cheek as she chewed. The flavour was sweet and succulent with a slight bitter aftertaste. Just as she liked.
