Slowly and evenly she pulls from the corner of the waxy paper, admiring the golden letters left firmly attached to the window pane. She stands back and admires the tiny out-of-place storefront nestled between two towering brownstones deep in the heart of the Downtown area. The store itself was small, but perfect for her needs; a small chocolatessen and getaway for overindulgent cocoa and coffee lovers like herself.

Inside, she places a handpainted chalkboard OPEN sign in the window, the hours listed below. Closed only on Sundays, a standard fare for the other shops on Monroe.

Next to this sign she posts another:

If you've looked all over for that special gift and come up empty handed, let our creative artisans devise the perfect custom present for anyone in your life. Surprise loved ones, family, friends, coworkers, and bosses, or arrive with the perfect gift for any occasion! Holidays, showers, birthdays, anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvahs or just out of the blue. You'll never have to worry about the perfect gift again. Let us take care of every detail!

Nodding, as everything comes into place, she turns around and takes in her shop.

Three long glass cases, forming a ëUí shape take up nearly all the space in the shop, but the dazzling contents make up for the lack of room. Each shelf of every case filled with hand made confections; a veritable chocolate lover's dream. Five shelves and countless rows of chocolate creations and confections serve delight the eye and arouse every tastebud. The standard flavors are present and accounted for; chocolate covered cherries, dipped pretzels, black forest truffles, and decadent caramels stand in structured elements like candied soldiers on a red velvet battlefield. But no matter the flavor, or the artful design of the chocolates, the centerpiece is what captures the eyes. On the middle shelf, in prominent view stand a lone chocolate camel, handpainted with flavored and colored white chocolate in painstaking detail. It is more than a decoration, or an example of her craftsmanship. It is her inspiration, and serves as a reminder that all great endeavors come from the most outrageous of ideas and far reaching dreams. 

Together, the three cases are the resultant trifecta of months of hard work and dedication. Far beyond any gifts she could ever create, the tiny boutique in the heart of the Downtown Arts district is her greatest achievement and her ultimate chocolate covered dream come true.

Via placed the final touches on her latest creation and cut the dusty rose colored ribbon trails from the pale blue box. She'd have to hand deliver this one today, due to the contents. Alcohol was a common ingredient in many of her chocolates but normally liqueurs in melted chocolate, or rum in cream fillings. It was the first time she'd worked with beer in her confections but after sampling a tester, she was wholly convinced to start a new line. Hopefully the recipient would feel the same way after receiving it. 

Hova was in Detroit, his home city, when he ran an old friend who was a Madam that ran a prostitution ring. She spoke of local business that had wonderful chocolates. Hova went to the business district to check things out. The smell of chocolate was profound. He goes into The Chocolate Menagerie with his coat in hand. He requests a taste testing before purchasing anything. It was spectacular. He buys an assortment box and asks for it to be delivered to his condo promptly .

Of course, sir!

Via smiles as she takes the credit slip and the delivery address for the assortment of truffles ordered. The gentleman certainly had varied and excellent tastes. The selections were almost exclusively from imported European chocolates, East Asian spices and flavorings, and a handful with exotic ingredients, the nature of which she held as a closely guarded secret. 

I'll have a courier drop these by tonight. Thank you!

Nefer looks all thoses imported chocolates wonder which one tasty better. hmm so many flavors.

Please miss Via_Parile can you prepare to me a box with various flavors and add a card with thoses words:

Dear Lucrezia

Those chocolates are a sincere demonstration of my respect and affection by what you are doing for Corktown.

Hope this flavous can turn your day sweeter.

Respect

Nefer

Nefer slips a certain amount and smiling wish a good day for Miss Via_Parile.

Miss_Niki had not been in Detroit for a while when she noticed the chocolate shop. Such an exquisite building! She tasted one of the samples laid out. As she bit down into the luscious morsel, she knew she had to have a box of those! 

She points to the sample as she spoke to the clerk.. "Three dozen of THOSE chocolates, please.."

The shop was busier than ever and she worked diligently to fill orders, both those from walk in customers and those which came in by the mail; a majority of her business. Today, she spent her time in the back room kitchens with a large brick of chocolate and her carving tools. An idea had hit her for a thank you gift owed to one of her crew, and she hoped it turned out perfectly. Via brushed away a wisp of her hair using the back of her hair, leaving a smudge of chocolate on her face, and set to work.

MsContent was snapped out of her daydreams by the sweet aroma of her favorite food. Her heels stopped clicking on the sidewalk, her whole body entranced. Soon she found herself at the counter, checking her appearance in her gold compact, just to make sure she wasn't drooling in public. The woman working behind the counter was busy carving and creating chocolate masterpieces. Each little gem in the display case was decorated and placed as if it was a jewel fit for a queen.

Twinged by guilt, MsContent remembered she had eaten all of the chocolate bunnies yesterday, a whole day ahead of Easter. She had planned on giving them to her crew, but Reason had flipped the tables and made a mess of the headquarters. She let her temper flare, and the bunnies disappeared in the process. Maybe this wonderful artisan can help her give the crew a chocolaty Easter after all! Dayz loves eggs, so maybe they might last a little longer without adorable ears to bite off.

"Miss Via_Parile, I do hope you can help me! These dark chocolate eggs with gold luster and beautiful foil wraps, could I bother you for a few...hundred?" 

Better to be over-prepared when it comes to dessert.

MsContent furrowed her brow, knowing how fast those beauties will disappear, but came up with a plan to bring Sunshine to the entire crew. 

"That sounds great! I will send SammyEric over to pick them up. But for now, you can box up everything in the case, I can use these and start making my Easter baskets."

Happily drooling, she popped a nearby candy into her mouth, and pulled out a wad of cash for the busy shop keeper that created such delicious ambrosia.

Will smiled as he entered the front door and saw Via's countless creations.  He could only shake his head and marvel at her intense talents.  On top of everything else she did, she created these confections too?  Via was busy so hadn't noticed his arrival.  He didn't announce himself either.  He simply took his time to peruse each case, pick out a few in his mind, then wait for Via to finish with other customers.  

And when she was done, he looked up and smiled. 

"Hello Via.  Nice to see a different side of you."  

He motioned toward all the cases and smiled.

"These all look quite delicious.  And beautifully made.  So...what do you have in dark chocolate?"

"Dark chocolate?" She smiled, putting away a tray of fruit truffles, and placing her hands on the counter, reaching for his and leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "What in the world would you want dark chocolate for? I thought the milk chocolate was more to your liking?"

A momentary flash of panic stopped her heart. Had she remembered incorrectly? She thought to the blue box sampler of new recipes she'd packaged not an hour before; all milk chocolates, and each one hand made by her with a new recipe that she wanted him to try before anyone else.

He smiled and nodded.  

"You're right.  Milk chocolate is more to my liking.  But the girl of my dreams, she prefers dark chocolate.  So, I thought I'd get her some.  Let her know I'm thinking of her."

He thought about it for a second, then continued.

"Um, but if you happen to have some milk chocolates to sample, maybe I could try one or two."

His smile grew wider and he laughed quietly.  

Via looked up and met his eyes; her right eyebrow twitched and raised slightly. 

"Prefers dark chocolate, you say?" The corner of her lip twitched as well, but she quelled that quickly. "Well then. I have a couple of ideas in mind."

She slipped her hands off Will's, and turned to a case of assorted truffles. She slid open the glass cabinet and pulled out a full rack of over 50 different chocolate orbs each with a different artistic topping. 

"If this dream girl likes dark chocolate, then this should tease her palate." Her eyes flicked up to Will's again, whose mouth was smiling but restrained at the same time, teasing her back.

"Coconut cream chocolate, cherry cordials in liqueur, and sea salt caramels in little round, bite sized morsels."

She placed the tray on the glass and turned to head into the back with the playful warning "I trust that MOST of them will be there when I come back."

The blue wrapped box with a cream colored ribbon sat on a prep table in the back. The note was already tucked away inside; he'd read it when he got back to the office. She returned from the back room, blue box in hand and made her way to the glass counter where Will leaned waiting, and only one truffle seemed to have disappeared. Via's lip twitched again.

"But since we're talking of gifts to let someone know that we're thinking of them, these are for you." She held out the box for Will to take. "Handcrafted by me. For you."

Eyebrow raised, he couldn't contain his smile.

"For me?  How very sweet of you, Via."  

He took the box from her hand, and set it down on the counter in front of him.

"Should I open it now?"

He glanced down at the box, then back up to Via.  

"I am touched."  

His hand still touchign the box, he glanced over to the tray of dark chocolates. 

"So, if you had to choose your favorites, which ones would you choose?"

"Open it back in your office. A treat for the late nights you've been pulling lately, sweetheart."

Her grin was lopsided and coy as she turned her attention to the dark chocolates. 

"Oh I'm pretty much a fan of most chocolates, but we can eliminate these," she gestured to a row of pecan, peanut, and walnut topped truffles. "Some people like the crunch. Me? I'm all about the sweet."

She pondered over the remaining, and shook her head. 

"Tough question, Will. But I have to go with my heart and my sweet tooth, so it's the dark chocolates and the sea salt caramels all the way. And I must say, they're a store favorite as well. So this girl of your dreams is likely to love them as well." 

Ciaran was eager to explore his new city and over the past few days his nervous fidgeting had given way to a slightly more comfortable mannerism. It was clear he was still out of place in many ways but he'd cleaned up nicely, bought himself a respectable wardrobe, and done his best to learn about his family and his city. He'd discovered Via owned a business and decided to drop by though he found himself completely unprepared as he opened the door and walked in. 

Immediately the heady smell of chocolate surrounded him and he had to remind himself to keep his mouth closed. It would be a surprise to no one were he to say that chocolate was something he had only had twice at a church picnic. His uncle, once a formidable gangster in in own right, had adopted a somewhat sparse living after a hasty departure and retirement. He'd settled down, purchased a small plot of farm land in Snyder County, PA, and taken Ciaran in as a toddler. They'd lived a simplistic life, gone to church every Sunday, and generally stayed away from the busy town unless they needed something specific. Ciaran didn't begrudge his uncle's way of living, but it was definitely a culture shock to find himself in a big city, surrounded by people, and more importantly the decadent chocolates that lay in the pristine cases before him. 

It was all too much, there were just too many things to choose but he knew that the place would be around for a bit so he'd just have to make it a habit of his to visit so that he could try everything. Today however, the truffles sounded like the thing to have and so he waited for his turn to be served and stepped up to the counter. 
 

"The chocolates look divine, I must confess I'm not a connoisseur by any means but I'd like to try the dark chocolate truffles if I might?"   

Myrddin didn't come to Detroit often since he moved to Philadelphia and when he did live in Detroit, he never really took a look at the businesses around town. Way too much take out procured by one of his men. He meant to rectify that mistake tonight and the first place he happened upon was The Chocolate Menagerie. Walking in, he was amazed at how nice the inside of the store looked. 

Hello, you have any chocolates with caramel inside them? Those are the best.