Information

Liliadeae
Legacy Name: Liliadeae

The

Sweetheart Devonti
Owner:

Dreadful

Age: 7 years, 6 months, 1 week

Born: December 6th, 2016

Adopted: 7 years, 6 months, 1 week ago

Adopted: December 6th, 2016

Statistics

Level: 101
Strength: 173
Defense: 41
Speed: 11
Health: 21
HP: 10/21
Intelligence: 353
Books Read: 350
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Hotel Chain Owner

Lily had never really intended to move to the First Circle or open the shop. She had died quite young, the victim of an unfortunate bicycling accident, when the local milk delivery boy was momentarily distracted by the sound of one of the crates shifting in the back of the truck. She had been whisked off to heaven before she knew what had happened. Lily was an eternal optimist, so of course she had tried to make the best of her new living situation, but she quickly began to tire of the surroundings. Heaven seemed so stuffy compared to her small home town. There was little to do, because everything was done for you. Most of the people Lily ran into had gone through their lives concentrating so hard on following a path straight and narrow that they had forgotten to actually live along the way. She was bored and lonely. She missed the small-town feel of her countryside home where everyone knew everyone and wouldn't pass up a chance to stop by and say hello if they were in the area. She missed the smell of fresh cookies in her kitchen and the friendly neighborhood cat the always visited her windowsill to beg for a scratch. She missed visiting the library in the afternoons and chatting with the librarians as she helped reshelve books. She missed weeding her garden and the way the late afternoon sun struck the dirty windowpanes. The one upside Lily saw of going to Heaven was that no one tried to keep you there. And so, after one particularly boring day, Lily decided to visit Hell. As she marched down to the train station, she tried to push the rumors to the back of her mind. Was it really all fire and brimstone? Was it full of demons and monsters? Did the shrieks of tortured souls fill the air, making all thought impossible? She shook her head to rattle out the nagging thoughts. There was only one way to find out for sure, and at the very least, it had to be more interesting than it was here. As the train pulled into the First Circle station, Lily was struck by how much it was like the living world. People strolled arm in arm, chatting about the weather and the changing autumn leaves as they passed the small shops that lined the streets. As the evening sky began to dim, the brightly-lit shop windows caught Lily’s eye and reminded her of home. She stopped by a colorful cookware display, enraptured as the gleam of the copper pans put the sunset to shame. She was lost in thought, remembering her own kitchen, when a voice shocked her out of her trance. “If you like those, you should really visit The Tin Pail a few blocks down.”“Pardon?” asked Lily, as she turned to the stranger. “The Tin Pail. Just a few looks down the road from here. I’d bet my life on their pans. If I still had one,” chuckled the stranger, taking off his cap and offering a paw, “I’m Avi. I couldn’t help but notice your interest in the cookware. I’m always looking for fellow cooking enthusiasts. Bit of a rarity these days.”“Lily. Pleased to meet you. I’m afraid I was just a bit…homesick, and got a little distracted…” she said, glancing back at the window.“Homesick? You’re out of town then?”“Ah yes, I’m not from here. I was just visiting for the day to get a change of scenery. It seems I should have stopped by earlier to give myself a little more time to enjoy the shops though! I really hadn’t thought I’d be staying so long.”“Well if you have time to catch a bite to eat before you go, you really should swing over to some of the restaurants! They have some of the best food in Hell, in my humble damned opinion.”“It has been some time since I’ve had a decent meal,” said Lily, thinking of the barren streets of Heaven, where people had long ago decided that the simple pleasures of food were not “necessary”.“I’m heading to The Devil’s Fork to meet with an old friend right now. You’re welcome to join us if you don’t mind being seen with a ruffian such as myself,” said Avi, with a lopsided grin.“That sounds quite lovely, actually,” said Lily, taking his arm, “It’s been a rather long time since I’ve had another cook to talk to.”And that was how it had started. Lily had introduced her to Rushnie, a former painter and present food fanatic. Over dinner, they had joked about starting up their own little shop for anyone who might appreciate a taste of something homemade, and had promised to meet up again for a good meal. Over the next few dinners, the joke took on a new life, and few weeks later, Lily found herself laughing with Avi and Rushnie as they sorted through boxes of cookware and packing peanuts and the sun streamed in through the dusty windows of their new storefront. ~~~~~Lily smiled and breathed in the warm gusts that billowed from the kitchen. The Scorched Scone was about to open for the first time and already, a crowd was forming at the front doors, drawn by the sweet smells that crept out under their front door. Wiping her floury paws on her apron, so looked around and let out a contented sigh. She finally felt at home.