China is organizing books.

He is quite pleased with this lot. There's much to be said of the value of acquiring things peacefully, especially considering that bloodshed has the potential to exponentially decrease the legibility of a work, but there is just something wonderful about gaining things by force, especially things so precious as these. China is, after all, rather possessive, and has never claimed to be otherwise.

"How is the most beautiful man in the world faring, then?" The skeleton with the firetruck red wig and the twenties-style dress that hangs slightly pathetically off her bones has walked up to China. China sighs and finishes up with his stack of books before looking up to smile.

"However do you think?" he asks, arch and lovely as he can be. There is a small, rather inky blotch of shadowlike shape near Skulduggery's back. It would appear to be a human with exceptionally fierce eyes that soften as they meet China's. "Who is your follower?"

"Gordon's nephew," Skulduggery says after a moment. "Desdemona's son."

"Does he have a name?" China asks, delighted at this distraction from his books.

"No," says the child, and China suppresses a grin. What a sweet voice.

A/N: Obviously not the most unique of ideas, but I enjoyed the details.

These won't necessarily be in order, always have the correct name-translations or make sense. They might also be posted at the wrong times or be unintentionally profane. All the same, I hope you will enjoy them.

(Also, if I should get my hands on Kingdom of the Wicked before the month is up, there may be spoilers. It's not impossible.)

~Mademise Morte, September 1, 2012.