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 Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2023 1:21 pm
Things had been going well for Nick lately. The Bakery was thriving, Caius was thriving and Arias always seemed so contented with life.
Nick was too, he couldn’t deny that, but…he was a little bored. He hadn’t bothered to do much as Whisler lately other than visiting his wonder as often as was necessary…still, it wasn’t…anything more stressful than a few minutes visit, and maybe a soak in the hot springs when he felt like it.
The food supply up there was good for about a month, which…was always good to have. But…so far as entertainment…
Nick just needed something fun...and thus, he found himself in a hobby shop, staring at the seemingly endless wall of jigsaw puzzles and trying to figure out which of them he should buy…there were a lot that were honestly beautiful…but why did puzzles have to become so…expensive? There wasn’t much repeat factor on them either so it was kind of a one and done but…
There was no wifi or any electricity up on Whisler so doing puzzles on a computer wouldn't last more than an hour or two at best…
With a sigh he took a step to the side and bumped into another person who seemed to be in the same predicament as he was and for some reason, that made NIck chuckle. “Not used to seeing other people staring so intently at the puzzle wall. It’s nice to know that my dumb hobby doesn’t isolate me like I always feel that it does.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2023 5:34 pm
A new city, new people, new stores. A fresh start. That is what he wanted and while new experiences could be fun they were also a bit intimidating. He had settled his new home's location easily enough and found more than enough work. Things really were starting to look up!
Jasper had a little money left over and he would still be a few days without power so it was time to get to know his local town. He was able to find the local hobby shop easily enough. Off the bat he was impressed with the selection, more options than he was used to seeing back in his old city. It was a bit refreshing! He had become entranced with the idea of 3D puzzles he failed to notice another customer getting closer till they had knocked into each other. "Ah Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention either. Puzzles aren't dumb, they just take a lot of focus." Jasper chuckled back trying to mask his embarrassment of knocking into another person. "I'm not used to seeing so many options in a shop. I'm used to seeing 4 or 5 options but these 3D ones are cool looking. I've built lots of car models but this is a bit different. Sorry, I'm new to the area. Do you have any recommendations?" Jasper offered a smile.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2023 6:13 pm
“I never thought they were dumb, I love them they’re my guilty pleasure, just most people nowadays associate them with like. Super old people and a much more…simple time, at least that’s how I figure it is. They’re not the ‘hip’ or cool thing to do.”
Ah, now Nick was really dating himself but he snorted softly and held out a hand. “I’m Nick. The 3D puzzles are pretty neat, I’ll give them that. I haven’t done many of them, but those that I have have been pretty cool. Never built any car models, what’s that like?”
That could be something new that he could get into…not that cars were really his thing but…honestly at this point, he’d try anything once.
“My favorite of the 3D puzzles was a clock that I made? It works and it’s just…”
He took a moment and glanced over the shelves before nodding to a display piece. “Kind of like that one, but the one I had was a lot more purple. Which, is good for me. Favorite color and all.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2023 8:36 pm
Jasper couldn't help but hmm and nod with the chatty blonde. "Thought it might be cool when a video game is attached to them." He mused taking Nick's hand and shaking it. "The Names Jasper." He smiled following along with the suggestion Nick had offered. The clock did look interesting and the fact it could be a working clock did have a functional appeal to it. Picking up the spare box Jasper couldn't help but winch at the price but sighed and still took it. Wanting to return the favor Jasper scanned the walls for something he saw a little earlier and pulled off a black box with an early 1900s wooden race car. "The model builds are more about detail-orient than a normal flat puzzle. You pull it from the frame and follow along with directions that may or may not be translated correctly but normally they are easy to look up." Hold up the clock puzzle Jasper nodded. "Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll give this a try while I wait for the power to come on. You seem like a person who knows the area, got any good food suggestions?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:02 pm
Jasper and Nick. Honestly, he had to chuckle at their names. The way they were talking and the way their names sounded together, they might as well be two old men in a nursing home talking about the puzzles that they had done and the cars that they had built and…while it was funny, it was a little uncomfortable too. They obviously weren’t old and had no right to be seen as old, even to his own imagination.
“That’s pretty neat, cars have never been my forte, but I think I could handle building one of those.”
Maybe not with the family, but…it could be something neat for when he was up on his wonder…he couldn’t see Caius being interested in something that wasn’t colorful, and honestly…the same went for him. Bright colors just grabbed and held his attention better.
“Oh, food? My friend, you’ve come to the right city. There is more food here than you can imagine. What are you in the mood for, and, not to brag but I work at a fabulous bakery…or, rather. My husband owns a fabulous bakery and I help in the back sometimes while our son and his sister work up front, but still. I highly recommend that. For when you want something sweet…but…”
He glanced back at the wall of puzzles and grabbed two, one a box of four winter scenes and the other a box of four autumn scenes. All a thousand pieces and on sale buy one get one. Jackpot.
“For now, tell me what you’re craving and I’ll tell you where to go!”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 10:13 am
This Nick guy was right, friendly, and open enough. Maybe they could be friends–
Wait did he just say he owned a bakery?
The thought of sweets shifted his gears of desire. Sure maybe a good Thai place would be nice but how often would he get a chance to talk to another small business owner? “If that’s your highest recommendation why don’t we start there? I’ve never been the one to turn down a good stuffed bagel if those are some things you all have!” The thought of warm baked goods would be a nice addition to his little shop.
Wait Nick said his husband and son? So a gay man. The mechanic didn’t want to sound rude by asking too many personal questions of his guide just yet. While raised conservatively he never did want to hold the close-minded thoughts of his family.
Taking his clock puzzle up to the checkout area, Jasper thought he might test the waters with business talk. “Funny enough I run into now. I just started up my own Auto-shop here in town and I’ve been looking to make some connections with the other local businesses that we might trade references. I don’t have much of a waiting area yet but if maybe I can offer some trades of services, I could have a small basket of some baked goods with cards for people to try and I can leave my business cards at your store?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 10:21 am
“Oh! I’ll have to talk to the others about that, but I don’t see why not. Having something like that would be great for both of us, I’m sure. And if you’re ever in need of a mascot or anything…my son is one hell of an artist. He’s made a whole army of mascots for the bakery and people come in just for keychains and special merchandise of them, if we did some kind of partnership, I don’t see why you couldn’t get in on that action too, even if it’s just to draw in some foot traffic for you.”
His brain was whirring now, and the ideas were churning out faster than he could work out the way to say them.
“Shall we go now? Let you see the place and I’ll talk with Arias and Caius and we can see what comes of things? That’s pretty awesome, starting your own place too. Let me know where it’s at and I’ll make sure we bring our cars there.”
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