Hallowed Ground

‘Beautiful things grow to a certain height, then fall and fade away. Breathing out memories, quiet, as they decay.’

[zerohallows]

“The constant abrasion and decay of our lives makes the soil of our future growth.” Henry David Thoreau

Zero Alder Hallows Nicknames: Ze (Riley calls him this sometimes) Magic Status: Pixie (Decay Talent) Nationality: European Pixie Ethnicity: Irish/German   Accent: Hints of Irish and German both at times Height: 5′6" Build: Slender Complexion: Fair/definitely has the Irish freckles Eye Color: Dark brown Hair Color/Length/Style: Curly and dark brown, nearly always in his eyes, short. Tattoos: Black moth tattoo on his chest, directly below his top surgery scars. Abstract black  smoke lines on his forearms. Abstract black smoke line from his upper left shoulder down his back. Piercings: Both earlobes pierced and stretched to 0g. Daily Jewelry: Cycles through various stone, metal and glass plugs or eyelets in his ears, depending, but always wears something in them. Enchanted necklace with four snake vertebrae on a simple chain. 

What would you find if you Googled them?  Basically nothing, possibly his Twitter handle but very little beyond that currently. He does post his art at times on his Insta but that's not easy to track down either. 

What natives would know about them? He’s a Pixie and he doesn’t really both to obscure it. He’s attending Pride U for studio art and is a moderately well known artist around town, does commissions and such on occasion, and his style tends to lean towards gothic stylized themes and bold lines, darker colors. 

Otherwise he’s pretty quiet, not unfriendly, just more prone to observing than speaking. He does enjoy scaring people though, it’s a sort of a vice for him, so he might lurk around Enchantra playing the occasional trick on people wandering around. 

Around town he’s very often spotted with his dog in tow, a scruffy little Jack Russell Terrier named Edgar. He doesn’t really live in the Hollow anymore though, technically he does still have a home there, but he lives with his boyfriend Greg, the guy who owns Rough to Fluff, and is often either in class, there, or at his job as a clerk at Swynlake Rock Shoppe. 

Other:  Most people who run across him at night get a scare from it when he's in his smaller form; his wings and light reflective/glowy eyes are a bit ghostly.

English is his third language so there are random scatterings of German in conversation when he can't remember the English word for something.

[Extended Bio] [Decay Magic Info]

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[thepirateprince]

Antonio loved giving gift to the ones he loved, even if most of them were stolen from strangers and whatever he could get his hands on. Unfortunately for Antonio, that was no longer an option.

So today’s mission was to find something nice for Suta, even if it ment coughing up some money.

There was only one problem, he wasn’t sure what the hell to get him. As he paced the streets an answer finally dawned upon him, The Rock Shoppe. It was perfect, it was unique and hopefully gave Suta an excuse to talk about him.

As he entered, he noticed the cashier was trying his best to stay awake. Karnage gave off a sympathetic head shake before approaching them. Antonio didn’t bother to introduce himself, instead he decided to cut to the chase. “ I want something grand…” He spoke rather firmly, “ Something that would make everyone look at Mon Amore and give him an excuse to talk about me…”

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

The man that walked in certainly had...a sense of presence, didn't he? It seemed to arrive before he did; a rush of motion and intention that infringed on Zero's quiet immediately but since he was working that wasn't anything to complain about.

The request wasn't an odd one; people came in all the time looking for something unique, something sparkling or eccentric, something one of a kind when they were shopping. He hadn't ever really heard it framed as something to make people talk about the giver but, okay, sure; it really wasn't his business what that relationship was like.

The tourists tended to stray towards the trinkets and carved gemstone figures but sometimes the locals wanted something more personal.

"Well, are they the type who wears jewelry? We have a few unique bracelets and necklaces, rings too," although the latter were usually more for engagements and the like but not always; the value and meaning to things was something people assigned to themselves. He couldn't argue that given the ring on his own finger.

"Or if they're not interested in that type of thing we have a lot of unique crystals that make for some interesting conversation pieces."

@thepirateprince

[notmuchofatail]

Gregory shrugged easily. Sure, he had to sleep at some point and he was sure he would, but it wasn't as if he would fall apart if he spent one night spending more time with Zero than sleeping. It was worthwhile. "I can catch up again when you're out for a late night.. I can survive one night of staying up late, I'm not that old yet." He teased with a shake of his head.

Though he was much older than he ever planned to be, honestly. It wasn't like he was complaining these days though. Especially when he had people around him to support him, things to look forward to, futures to plan for.

"...Well, how about I make sure we have everything we need so we don't have to go anywhere then." Greg suggested easily, leaning back forward to steal another kiss as he let his hand fall to Zero's, toying lightly with the ring on his finger. "...I'll get something ordered in, make sure there's drinks and snacks. Comfy blankets. All the essentials for a quiet night in the flat for you to relax."

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"You're so old," Zero countered, teasing; Greg was older than himself but he'd never seen much difference in their years at all. Maybe at times when he remembered spending his teens in clubs all night with Cece, navigating his own identity under the flashing lights until what felt like a second skin had finally begun to feel like himself; but those days didn't really happen anymore. And he didn't need them as much. He still enjoyed the late nights among the music and lights but it wasn't quite the flame it used to be because his friends, yes, were still often living in that frame, but Greg wasn't.

And it wasn't something Zero felt he was missing out because of that; it just meant things had changed, he had probably changed a little as well. And there wasn't much point in trying to run back to the past when he had plenty to be worth staying right there in the present for.

"Sounds good," he agreed, turning his head to meet that kiss and the certainty that the late nights and loud music had shaped a part of him but so had that town and the people in it. Life was never stagnant even when it wasn't moving forward in a rush.

So much of his life already felt like it was stumbling ahead of him as it was and it wouldn't slow down.

"I probably need a night away from the Hollow anyway; everything feels like it's running me down lately and between that and classes I can't do it all at once right now," he confessed. Classes had to come first because he was right there at the end point and he didn't want all that time trying to reach it when it hadn't been easy for him to adjust to uni, to study or catch up on information found in textbooks he'd had to read along the way that most people had already read earlier in their education to end up being a lot of work just to fall short at the end.

He needed a break from all of that and thankfully it wasn't very far at all; as close as home and Greg.

@notmuchofatail

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[roasty-toasty-morake]

Minor spells and charms... sure. That at least seemed to have some practical aspects to it. Even if Nuka would rather drop dead than buy something like that. Magic was... well there were always strange effects from it. Nuka didn't want to be unduly influenced by it in any shape or form. Not if he could help it.

"Ahh. I see," Nuka replied after a moment. "Good to have the experts on that section then." And to know exactly where to avoid. Really the whole store would be on the large part nothing for him. But it was good for Nuka to get to know the businesses around town in general anyway.

"Thanks for the information," he said then. "Now I know a bit more about one of the stores around this place."

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

Sorcerers and fairies didn't exactly have the best history when it came to getting along, so it was an unconventional choice to work in a shoppe so involved with sorcery, sure; but so was going to uni and planning for a career in the human world. Zero got along fine with most sorcerers and he couldn't hinge too much on a past that was before his time.

Although he did keep a careful eye on the actual sorcerer charms and items that came into the shoppe; if there was anything that came from old practices that actually involved fairies he reclaimed those items immediately to return to the Hollow for a proper spot in his Mourning Garden. Martin never questioned it.

But he could tell by the guy's face that he was weighing the sorcery idea; some people were uncomfortable with it but that was an odd choice coming to a Magick-friendly town.

"Mostly the locals are what the actual magic is geared towards; you don't run out of customers in a town that's mostly Magicks." He reasoned; because it was true, and he wondered if the guy had an aversion to that sort of thing.

But he couldn't press it too much so he left it at that and nodded. "The sooner you get to know things the easier it is to avoid the streets sending you in circles, the town likes doing that one to new people until they get settled in."

@roasty-toasty-morake

[zerohallows]

"I might survive the day," he speculated, since the caffeine would help, potentially. But moreso the company was enough to stir him out of his lethargic state. "Enjoying the weather while I'm trapped inside," he noted, as though lamenting the fact.

This was untrue, actually, given how he rather enjoyed all those human conveniences like climate control in homes, electricity and running water; nature was wonderful but Zero had never seen the full appeal of living in the hollow without any of those things.

"Few more hours," which were bound to feel like a long few but he'd survived it before. Greg mentioned a valid point though; he wouldn't be coming home after either. "Yeah, not all night though; I don't want to be out until dawn again."

He didn't mind so much because he was more awake at night, and that time of year demanded a lot in the forest, but he also didn't like seeing Greg for only those short periods between late evening and early mornings. It usually wasn't that bad except certain times of year, but bothersome during those.

"Shouldn't be out there at night for a few nights after today though; seasonal fairies have some things to do and then I just get to clean up."

@notmuchofatail

[notmuchofatail]

"At least it's not too nice out." Gregory tried to reassure - though the sun peaking in from the store-front windows probably made it a little hard to convey given any day it wasn't raining in the spring? That was a good day.

His frown returned a bit though at the answer, his head shifting in a slight nod even if he wasn't surprised to hear that Zero did indeed have duties he had to attend to. That was simply a given in this part of the year, but it still worried him. That kind of schedule was rough...

"So you have some time off then, that's good to know." Gregory huffed, leaning to cross his arms over the counter in order to give his back a break (cost of being tall, unfortunately) as he shrugged his shoulders all the same. He would take a few free nights spent with Zero. He took anything he could get whenever he could, if he were honest. "...I'll stay up for you?" Gregory offered then with a tilt of his head, his lips pursing slightly. "If it's not gonna be all night... - I don't mind."

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"You do have to sleep at some point," Zero reminded him; it was probably the most challenging part of the relationship was the difference in schedules. It was less of a problem when he wasn't as busy in the Hollow or he didn't have early morning classes where he could just sleep until the start of the afternoon and be up the rest of the day. But it wouldn't be too long before graduation and one more thing to put behind him, once summer came along in full force he wouldn't be quite as busy in the forest either.

And honestly he needed a break, it always felt like the end of the school year was when he struggled the most to get through the days and that year had been even worse so close to graduation. He was still a little surprised himself that he was going to make it through the end of it.

"But yeah, think I'm heading out early tonight. Me missing part of the night isn't going to make the forest fall apart." It had functioned perfectly fine before he had moved to town, the Royal Talents had seen to the things that needed to be done, but it was functioning better now that there was someone there to cater specifically to the chores that went along with his talent.

Sometimes it still felt strange how he had picked that up so much easier than he thought he would have, he might not have felt much pull to to live in the Hollow but it had very easily become almost reflex to look after the things he was supposed to there, like his mourning garden.

"The weather here is still better than the freezing cold," he mused; recalling Germany where most of his early childhood had been spent, and not all together without a pleasant nostalgia. "But I'm not leaving the flat once I get back, I don't care how warm it is."

And he doubted Greg would argue that, most nights were quiet in that comfortable sort of way where Greg would likely play his games and Zero would laze on the couch with him and his sketchpad.

@notmuchofatail

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[roasty-toasty-morake]

This kid seemed good at trying to sell anyway. If Nuka were the type to get duped by that sort of talk it might be more effective. But in his mind, the whole store was a joke. Or an excellent way to scam people. Either way, it was nothing for him.

But now he knew one of the weirder places in town. So that was something.

"So what do the enchanted ones there do then?" Nuka asked, more curious about those than useless rocks. He didn't much like that anything enchanted was available to the masses. But he didn't really like anyone using magic to be above anyone else.

These sorts of things would definitely help someone try to act superior.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Mostly minor spells; good luck charms and things like that," Zero still thought that sort of thing appealed more to the tourists because they were the sort of harmless little things that had a trace of magic to them but not much. They were also well in the realms of sorcery and not his area of expertise of course, the type of magic he knew didn't fit into that.

"The things that are more than just magic trinkets usually interest the locals sorcerers more, but that's a different area of the shop and I don't really do much with that, so couldn't tell you a lot." He shrugged; it wasn't that it was against the rules of the place but he couldn't do sorcery himself. "Wrong type of Magick; I couldn't tell you one type of spell or magic book from another around here."

But Martin and Mim could; that was the whole deal with their family being such important figures in the sorcerer community. But he didn't think the guy was really that interested in the idea enough to try tracking one of them down early to answer his questions.

@roasty-toasty-morake

[notmuchofatail]

Gregory hummed softly, a clear amusement painted across his features because he did know how that usually ended. In a way he was quite certain he might've gotten to fully witness if there weren't so many chimes on the door to come in. That smile only grew wider at the kiss, though it softened into something much fonder as Greg shrugged his shoulders absently.

"..'course. Y'seemed like you needed it this morning so. Figured a mid-day boost might help." Gregory said easily, clasping his hands together against the counter as he glanced over the walls of the Rock Shoppe. It had been a while since he'd stopped in, and while stock had shifted, it was still the same.

Well, except for the lack of other people. Perhaps it was strange that neither of the Ambrosius siblings were present, but in this town, who knew what was going on at all times. "...The weather's finally gotten nice. Everyone's probably out enjoying it. Had a ton of dogs in the outdoor yards earlier." Which was nice, given sometimes it felt so strange over the winter not to hear all the happy barks and yips of people's dogs enjoying the play space.

"...when do you work until...? You still have duties tonight?" Gregory asked after a moment, his brow dipping a bit in slight concern. He knew the spring was brutal for Zero.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"I might survive the day," he speculated, since the caffeine would help, potentially. But moreso the company was enough to stir him out of his lethargic state. "Enjoying the weather while I'm trapped inside," he noted, as though lamenting the fact.

This was untrue, actually, given how he rather enjoyed all those human conveniences like climate control in homes, electricity and running water; nature was wonderful but Zero had never seen the full appeal of living in the hollow without any of those things.

"Few more hours," which were bound to feel like a long few but he'd survived it before. Greg mentioned a valid point though; he wouldn't be coming home after either. "Yeah, not all night though; I don't want to be out until dawn again."

He didn't mind so much because he was more awake at night, and that time of year demanded a lot in the forest, but he also didn't like seeing Greg for only those short periods between late evening and early mornings. It usually wasn't that bad except certain times of year, but bothersome during those.

"Shouldn't be out there at night for a few nights after today though; seasonal fairies have some things to do and then I just get to clean up."

@notmuchofatail

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[thepirateprince]

Antonio loved giving gift to the ones he loved, even if most of them were stolen from strangers and whatever he could get his hands on. Unfortunately for Antonio, that was no longer an option.

So today’s mission was to find something nice for Suta, even if it ment coughing up some money.

There was only one problem, he wasn’t sure what the hell to get him. As he paced the streets an answer finally dawned upon him, The Rock Shoppe. It was perfect, it was unique and hopefully gave Suta an excuse to talk about him.

As he entered, he noticed the cashier was trying his best to stay awake. Karnage gave off a sympathetic head shake before approaching them. Antonio didn’t bother to introduce himself, instead he decided to cut to the chase. “ I want something grand…” He spoke rather firmly, “ Something that would make everyone look at Mon Amore and give him an excuse to talk about me…”

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

Okay, this sort of thing was usually more Mim's department but he could manage; people came in all the time looking for gifts and there were plenty of interesting things around the place. But he was going to have to narrow it down a little bit more than just the information the man had given him so far.

Zero shook off some of the lingering tug of sleep and turned his attention to the stranger, someone that he vaguely recalled singing around town now and then so not a tourist most likely, which meant he probably wasn't going to be as interested in the sort of eccentric trinkets that appealed to them.

"Well; if they like jewelry we have a few crystal settings and things like necklaces and bracelets that are a little more higher and than just what we have out in the shoppe," he started with that suggestion and a nod to the counter itself since it was glass and held several displays within it behind the locked glass. "Those are usually the sort of things to get noticed pretty easily."

That was also the multitude of various magical charms that sometimes appealed to people, but in a town where most people have magic to begin with it wasn't quite as flashy.

"Do they have a favorite color or type of stone? We also have things like crystal carvings or even raw crystals and some of those are pretty big and make good statement pieces decorating and things like that."

The definition of impressive was wildly different from person to person; and Zero just had to figure out what the definition it was he was working with right then.

@thepirateprince

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[zerohallows]

"Yeah; mostly kids and people in dorms," Zero blinked back the tired feeling and turned his attention to the person who had wandered in. Not someone he recognized, which usually meant tourists or, less common, new to town.

Their expression was more curious than impressed but it was one of those places that thrived on being a bit eccentric. "You'd be surprised. Not as popular as the carved crystals and things like that," especially the character ones because the Pokemon carvings were always on rotation, "but we sell a lot of accessories for the pet rocks too."

Zero never questioned it much, Martin knew what he was doing, and he couldn't argue the logic anyway given Greg's collection of figurines from the shoppe.

@roasty-toasty-morake

[roasty-toasty-morake]

Kids and university brats. Sure. That tracked he supposed. Nuka couldn't see who else would be so dumb as to pay for something that they could easily get by simply going outside.

Carved crystals were another waste of money if one were to ask Nuka, but Nuka didn't really buy a lot of useless crap. He still had such a good memory of what it was like to have nothing. He only really wanted to buy something that would be helpful or really good for him.

"You sell....accessories for rocks?" Nuka repeated, the disbelief and judgement in his tone inescapable. But seriously? "Impressive way to rip people off, I'll give you that." His mother would probably hate that she didn't think of such a ridiculous way to snag people's money.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Yeah, people buy things for their pets, they buy things for pet rocks too." Zero could tell the concept came off as strange to the man and, sure, maybe it was a little outside the norm but Martin had all sorts of eccentric things for sale in the short. That was part of their interest in the place; things that couldn't be found elsewhere around town.

"Makes them happy," Zero countered, "that's not ripping anyone off."

After all, weren't most people looking for experiences? Things that made their day more interesting or memorable? Sometimes things that they attached memories to and for some, sure, it might have been a rock.

Zero didn't judge; the things that made people happy could come in practically any form and didn't always make sense to anyone but the person.

"People overcomplicate the idea too much sometimes; a rock isn't going to do anything special, or... actually some of them do in here," there were enchanted charms in the shoppe and crystals with real magic qualities of course, "but in most cases they're just there because somebody likes them, or it reminds them of something, or someone." Zero shrugged; it wasn't really about practicality. "Doesn't need to be a reason."

@roasty-toasty-morake

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[auntcass-hamada]

Cass wasn't normally a crystal person. She liked them, thought they were pretty enough, but she never remembered when she had them around as anything more than jewelry.

However, it was Monica's birthday, and she did love crystals of all kinds. She always had a few in her purse, changing them out each day depending on what the mood or the 'energy' that she wanted to attract was, and she would happily talk about it at any time. Cass wasn't sure exactly which ones she had, but a new one seemed like a nice easy gift.

Plus, it was a fun way to support one of her neighbors!

Walking in, Cass smiled at Zero behind the counter. "Oh, hello Zero! How are you doing today?"

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Hello Ms. Hamada," he tried to stifle the yawn but failed. It was Hiro's mom though she wasn't likely to take it too badly. "A little tired, but it's that time of day," he shrugged; easier to shrug off that dragging feeling when he had something to focus on.

He didn't see her there very often, more that he went to the Lucky Cat with Luca or Hiro, or sometimes when he could convince Greg to have lunch with him after classes, so he assumed she was there for a reason.

Hiro's mom did tend to get distracted, something that was seemingly a family trait, but her cheerful presence was a welcome break from the silence of the early afternoon.

"Looking for something? Or someone? I'm the only one here until later if you're trying to find Martin."

@auntcass-hamada

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[roasty-toasty-morake]

Nuka was trying to get a sense of this town. The streets really wanted to mess with his head. It was annoying. Especially when he was trying to get a better idea about the place and how it worked and why Kovu was struggling to do what he was supposed to do.

But as he was studying some of the shops, he spotted one that... well that couldn't be a real business. Could it?

He made his way over to the Rock Shoppe, squinting at the name and the objects on sale before he made his way inside. Surely it couldn't be a real profitable business selling rocks? He peered at the items on display. Jewelry and crystals made a little more sense at least.

"Do the pet rocks really sell? That can't make much profit can it?"

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Yeah; mostly kids and people in dorms," Zero blinked back the tired feeling and turned his attention to the person who had wandered in. Not someone he recognized, which usually meant tourists or, less common, new to town.

Their expression was more curious than impressed but it was one of those places that thrived on being a bit eccentric. "You'd be surprised. Not as popular as the carved crystals and things like that," especially the character ones because the Pokemon carvings were always on rotation, "but we sell a lot of accessories for the pet rocks too."

Zero never questioned it much, Martin knew what he was doing, and he couldn't argue the logic anyway given Greg's collection of figurines from the shoppe.

@roasty-toasty-morake

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[notmuchofatail]

"...You look cozy." Gregory voiced the second he walked into the rock Shoppe and saw Zero in a state he'd seen the other many times before. That was to say; sleepy. Like he had been seconds to falling asleep before the sound of him stepping into the store had woken him up.

The quiet of the shop was probably partially to blame for that though, he had to imagine. It was harder to keep one's mind occupied and keep from drifting off when there was nothing to focus on.... Plus, he'd thought that Zero had seemed a little tired this morning when Gregory had slipped out of bed to get started with his day, barely getting much more than a groggy morning kiss that the taller man had only laughed at before tossing the blanket back over his partner.

It was the reason for his visit now. He'd stopped by the market, greeted the Moons and then grabbed tea from Hatters; some brew that was earthy and natural, the way Zero seemed to prefer, so that he could deposit it onto the counter in front of him now.

"...rough day?" He teased softly, resting his elbows on the counter as he leaned over to steal a kiss from Zero's lips.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Boring one," Zero yawned, relaxing when he saw it was Greg rather than someone showing up looking for something in the shoppe. "Everyone abandoned me here by myself and you know how that usually ends."

That day could be helped, most days there were two people working at any given points, but with everyone else busy it was just him; and that struggle to stay awake after a morning of classes. But at least spring was finally tipping into summer and the forest was in full bloom rather than transition; his role in things was never completely stagnant but the garden talents pulled most of the heavy lifting when it came to the forest once the warmer weather was in full swing.

He took note of the cup and reached to pull it closer, soaking up both the heat with his hands and the pleasant aroma. He liked the faint bitterness of tea without any of the multitude of things people were often adding, it was true.

Zero leaned up and over the edge of the counter to press a kiss to Greg's jaw before settling back with his tea again. "Thanks; I might survive the day after all."

@notmuchofatail

[zerohallows]

On the Clock || Open

Afternoons at The Rock Shoppe were not very exciting. Most people would take that as a good thing, because it meant less to do at work, more time to relax, less customers to deal with.

These were, unfortunately, the things that actually got Zero through the day because otherwise? He tended to zone out. His shifts were always midday and that was exactly when his internal clock tried to inform him was the best time to sleep; the downside to being a nocturnal fairy.

Elbow propped on the counter, he found himself alone. Not typically the case for mostly for the whole...fall asleep issue. But Mim was busy and Martin hadn't shown up yet, even Cael was absent and that was often who ran around the place while Zero was working because it was impossible to nap when the fox was yapping.

His eyelids kept trying to drop, attention jerked towards the door when he heard the chime of it opening, saving him from drifting off, barely.

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

To Win Friends & Influence People - Open

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

"Well, I definitely will have to specialise at some point," Henry agreed, "But I'm keeping my options for now." That was the answer that he knew from experience people liked to hear. It let him be anything they wanted to imagine - a human rights lawyer, an environmental campaigner, a tireless crusader for justice.

In reality? He was destined for corporate law. For the sort of law that made people a fortune, big enough to more than replace the paltry offerings that he had been left with after the government had confiscated most of the family wealth. That was what he wanted.

"That's good. I figure a lot of people have got all their partying done in first term, at least until the end of the year when they can all let loose again, right?"

Right?

There better be some fun at this damn place, or Henry would go stir crazy, and have to start making the fun himself. Or escaping as often as he could to go and see some friends who actually knew what they were doing.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"Yeah, I guess so." Zero wasn't going to judge; he was still trying to figure out if he was actually going to make a career for himself in art and step away from the Hollow or not. Big decisions were not always the easiest to make, especially at the very beginning.

"It gets pretty loud around prom and right before spring break, and the, yeah, the end of the year. Used to be more going on last year but a few people graduated and there haven't been too many yet to step back into throwing the parties."

Zero didn't go to many of them in the first place, but he did know there had been a distinct lull since Phineas and Ed were no longer in town; their legacy apparently.

Sooner or later someone would come along and make it their entire ambition to pick up that slack though, undoubtedly.

Maybe it would be Henry himself, he had no idea.

@ifonlysomeoneloved-henry

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

To Win Friends & Influence People - Open

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

"Ok," Henry said, relaxing a little at the explanation that came from Zero. He supposed ... well. It might be a little odd for someone to hang around with the younger years (he simply could not wrap his head around the fact not everyone in dorms was a first year), but it was less alarming than him just letting himself in for kicks....

Although where were any of those friends now? Wasn't there some rule about unattended guests? There should be, he thought quickly, mentally resolving to speak to the RA about it.

"Yeah, it's quite a small course," Henry said. Which was, of course, absurd. It was one of the most practical, vocational degrees you could do, but - he thought, derisively - what could one expect, here of all places?

"Makes sense," Henry nodded, spotting the way Zero said them. He felt that same tiny little leap in his chest he always did. He knew what that meant, alright ... a partner who wasn't someone that could be called a girlfriend openly and immediately and without any fear of- But he was being silly. It didn't matter. "I'm hoping it won't be too rowdy you know, but we'll see how it works out. Most of the people I've met yet don't seem like crazy party animals, so we'll see..."

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

Most fairies didn't concern themselves very much with things like politics and the laws that went on outside of the Hollow but Zero was curious about those sort of things. Maybe because he had more exposure to them than some, he had lived a fair amount of his life among humans after all, and he continued to live in that gray area anymore.

There was a fluidity and a flexibility to town life that felt closer to what he had known growing up, traveling, feeling unhindered by the pressing rules of fairy culture. Those rules that would have taken issue with several things about himself and certainly his relationship with Greg.

The gray area was about the only place Zero could live; he didn't like to dismiss fairy culture because it was important, but he also didn't fully fit into it.

"Does that mean you're going to go into practicing law in a specific area?" Humans seem to narrow down the different areas of law they studied into specifics, maybe because it was a very vast concept and could be broken down into things like Magick rights, or environmental issues, medical malpractice and probably the slew of other variations he didn't know existed.

"There are a few, I guess; this late in the year though you should be pretty safe because most people aren't trying too hard to do much but get through the rest of it."

To be fair his experience with parties lately have been a little more minimal, he still went to them with his friends, but not as often as he used to.

"I might be a little out of the loop though," he admitted. It felt very strange to think he had spent so much of his teens in clubs and bars and now in his twenties uni parties weren't quite as interesting.

@ifonlysomeoneloved-henry

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

To Win Friends & Influence People - Open

[ifonlysomeoneloved-henry]

"Wow, graduating soon huh?" Henry said, nodding along to show his interest. So there was a whole range of people who were staying in the dorms? That could potentially come in handy, he thought to himself, a few more experience people who knew the situation and not just brand new freshers living away from home for the first time. But then he heard Zero's next words, and looked a little puzzled.

"Oh, so you..." He gestured around the room with a hand. "You don't live here, then?" He asked.

In which case, what the hell was this guy doing, just coming and hanging around the dorms and all the younger students for some reason? Had someone invited him? If so, why weren't they there with him? Instantly he felt his back go up a little, wishing there was someone else there to make sure that the whole thing was alright-

"Law," he answered, a little more guardedly, his focus still entirely on what Zero was doing here if he didn't live here.

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"I have friends who still hang around here between classes," Zero explained, "and usually when parties and things like that happen the people that don't live on campus come to those too. Right now I was just stopping by to see someone."

Zero was rather unaffected by the scrutiny; truth be told he wasn't affected by a lot of things to begin with but the guy was probably just trying to navigate being in a new place so the questions were understandable.

"And I tend to fall asleep a lot and it's usually easier to crash here for a little while with someone I know than just be falling asleep all the time at work after classes," he shrugged.

Was it allowed? That was debatable. But he had never really run into any issues with it; he had a couple of professors, in fact, that would tell him to go sleep off any particularly sluggish morning in the dorm common room for a while.

"Oh, hmn; I Don't think I really know anyone who's studying that. Most of my friends seem to be busy with art or tech degrees." He was tempted to shrug but he didn't want it to come off as dismissive since the tense posture wasn't as subtle as the other man likely thought it to be.

"Living in the dorms was interesting, didn't have too many dull moments honestly." And in its own way he had enjoyed it, he wasn't the most talkative person but he did enjoy the company of others so long as it was mostly where he could listen and still have time to himself. "It just stopped working out once I was seeing someone and it made more sense to move in with them."

@ifonlysomeoneloved-henry

[uffdah-riley]

Riley stuck their tongue out at Zero playfully. "Someday I'll get you on the ice, man. I think you'd be more of a natural than you think. Those fae skills gotta extend somewhere, cuz." The fairies weren't the cousins to Riley in nearly the same way but they were related still.

"Minnesota is a state in the country Unites States of America," Riley answered patiently, offering their arms for Starling to jump into should she decide that climbing down from her perch on the snow mountain would serve a good purpose. "It's where I'm from. I didn't grow up in Swynlake, nor even in England at all."

And there was the dig from Zero again but Riley only laughed this time. "Maybe someday I'll feed you some Minnesota Salads, Starling. It's mostly desserts with whipped cream and jello." They weren't going to lie to the girl after all. "And it only snows six to nine months of the year, the summer months are beautiful and we would go to the lake every weekend to swim and fish."

@zerohallows

[zerohallows]

"I'm not a winter fairy," Zero countered; because it wasn't entirely wrong that he should have had a degree of natural balance but also that didn't mean that he did. He wasn't clumsy, but he wasn't going to trust the ice; he wasn't a fan of the rain because of the gross stickiness it left on his wings and the ice was only frozen rain.

The other side of the world felt like a very big idea and starling wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She heard so many stories about how her parents had traveled when Zero was small but though she was living in a Hollow and not seeing nearly as much of the world as he had gotten to by her age. Just wasn't fair.

"How do you get on the other side of the world? You don't have wings." Starling reasoned; if it was all the way over there and there was an ocean between how else did a person get across it but fly?

Jello was something else unfamiliar but she assumed it was some sort of sugary thing that people in Minnesota had invented like she was certain they had invented that game that Riley liked so much with the ice skates and the sticks.

She wasn't in any hurry to come down but it was starting to like she didn't have a whole lot of choice and being up there was beginning to get a little boring.

@uffdah-riley