Jiminy & Melissa. I enjoy surprises, which is probably why I’ve never advertised the inclusion of Founders Coffee in Tamiko and the Two Janitors. That way, my longtime readers would enjoy stumbling across the elements I borrowed from one of my fanfics (Froth, Mir/San AU). Mostly setting & the fact that Founders is run by brothers/owners.
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“You’re packing crystals. Can I have a peek?”
He crossed a line by slipping his fingers under the cloth, questing upward. A moment later, she had the offending hand twisted and pinned to cold stone. The angle forced him down, and she reinforced her objection by pushing his head until his cheek met marble.
“Ow.”
Melissa’s face flushed, and she checked to see if anyone had noticed her manhandling the barista. Both Mom and Magda had been thorough and creative in teaching her ways to dissuade unwanted masculine attention.
The other barista stepped up. “I do beg your pardon, miss. Did his antics unsettle you?” Pressing one large hand to the back of Jiminy’s head, his voice deepened to a growl. “He knows better.”
Tamiko and the Two Janitors (Amaranthine Saga, #3)
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Founders Coffee | art by FoxOfTwilight
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Details, Details: Melissa is the biological daughter of Christopher Armstrong, the “Kith handler” who visits Kimiko’s classroom back in Book 2. Chris was raised by the Nightspangle pack, which is why Hanoo, Yoota, and Ploom all knew him (and his partner Cove).
FORTHRIGHT 
Sweet! “Raised by wolves,” indeed! Thanks for sharing ~
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I still think it’s interesting that even though we get the name of Melissa’s mom’s partner, we never get her birth mother’s name. XDD Do you have one for canon, Forthy? I started working on a family tree while I was studying “Tamiko” and I was like “aksdjfh No name halp.” LOL
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Oh! Huh. I guess her name never did come up. Yes, I can establish canon for you. Melissa’s mother is Mirrim.
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oAo That’s super cute?! I like how their names are kin, too. //dead
(no srsly I scoured the book for the name, but nope. XDDD)
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Authors always know more than they tell. ::wink::
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It’s so painfully true. TTvTT This is why we pray for lots of side stories on series like yours. We still want to know all the things. QvQ
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I was going through and deleting open tabs on my phone (so many…!) and read that you’re making a tree! Would you be willing to share?? I thought of doing the same, but if you’ve already done so…? 😬❤️
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Will definitely share once I get it cleaned up. QvQ I’ve done some fanart for Forthy in the not-so-distant past, so like those, I’ll probably upload it to my Patreon and link everyone in. <33 (it'll be a bit though. Cleaning up projects and starting my new semester as we speak. Online school doesn't rest for COVID. TTvTT)
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Due to a complete and utter lack of reading comprehension, I could have sworn that Melissa was a brunette. I do love her eyes with the blonde hair though.
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I have a peeve against characters who describe themselves in books, so the first time readers get a fuller assessment of Melissa’s looks (other than her resemblance to the Reaverson menfolk) is when Jiminy sizes her up. And that’s way along in Chapter 15:
Her blonde hair had been hacked short, fanning out around her head in disobedient waves. He had to wonder how her hair found the courage to appear in her mirror in such an unruly state. Did she disapprove of its carefree nature as much as she disapproved of him?
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… it’s not like I actually expect readers to remember what Chris Armstrong looked like back in Bk2, but she has his coloring. ::twinkle::
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Oh they are just beautiful! I love her eyes and the hair! Unruly! Darn, I missed the whole thing about her father in the second book! 🙄
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