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 Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2025 9:44 pm
Winter Apples (10) : Whereas most trees have already lost their leaves and stand barren in the winter months, these trees are still a lively green and don't seem affected at all. The most interesting thing about these trees isn't their color--it's the sudden fruit that has appeared on them. A few days after the first snowfall, little apples began to grow--small, bright red. They range in size from berries to plums--but taste like the sweetest apple you've ever sampled. They're all over the city, and the harvest is bountiful; more appear after every snowfall. There's just one catch--eat too many, or eat the wrong one--and you're out cold. Every apple risks drowsiness, fatigue, and even unconsciousness that can last for a few hours up to a day. If you're looking for a sweet treat and a good nap, you've come to the right place. Just make sure you're somewhere comfortable first.
First thing's first: trying out some old and new fall favorites. She bought a bunch of apples and spent the remainder of her day yesterday prepping or making what she could, and most of that morning making the rest. She set off for the precinct with her basketful of treats by mid-afternoon.
Turning into the breakroom, she spied two familiar, friendly faces and beamed at them both. "Hey! I was just about to go looking for you two. I brought some snacks!" Mel heaved the loaded basket onto the table nearest her, then opened it for them to get a good look inside.
"I hope you guys like apple desserts."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:48 am
Jeremy tilted his head to the side as soon as desserts was mentioned. He didn't often have an affinity for sweets--at least, not the generic, store-bought kind. Something about Mel's presentation immediately indicated that this was not mass-produced garbage. She was a talented baker, that much wasn't a secret. But it was different to be told than it was to experience it.
After a long day in the precinct, he thought the smell of old, mediocre coffee--like the kind he was presently brewing--was the best he'd get.
And then Mel showed up.
As he leaned against the counter, his eyes closed and he savored the aroma. Somehow, Mel had single-handled dispersed the stale, plastic, stress-saturated stink of the breakroom.
He nodded approvingly, and then his stomach agreed by vocalizing loudly. Eyes opening, he raised a brow and looked down at it like he was confused, too. He wasn't even hungry before she stepped in.
"Huh," he said, and then pushed himself away from the counter. The coffee still had a few minutes to go. He rolled his shoulders, tight from spending too many uninterrupted hours hunched over his desk to work on paperwork he'd spent all week neglecting. Technically, there was only another hour and a half to his s**t, but it was already looking unlikely that he'd leave on time if he wanted to clear out his backlog.
It'd probably snow tonight but he was still deciding if it was worth it to leave himself a stack of work for tomorrow or to just power through for a while longer so he wouldn't be surprised by whatever unexpected delight landed on his desk between now and then.
"Mel, you're a sight for sore eyes. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing you around here. What did you bring?"
Jeremy leaned forward, peering into the basket. Everything looked as good as it smelled so he side-eyed her. "You made all this?" he asked, but already knew the answer. "Why do you want to work here if you can make things like this? If I could do something like this, I'd quit." He wouldn't, of course. He'd had plenty of chances to get out, and despite everything, here he was.
Besides, Myles was the creative in the family. Someone had to have a stable job.
Shifting where he stood, it was hard not to just want to sample everything all at once. He had to show a modicum of restraint.
The coffee machine buzzed, a noise as unappealing as the sludge it brewed, but Jeremy turned back to it. "You want a cup? I'd have made something better if I'd known you'd be by. You should be celebrating right now, yeah? You're finished with school?" he prompted, but then half-turned to look at her with a scrutinizing look, and then the basket. "This isn't because you're going to be leaving us or anything, right?"
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