Claude stirred his tea in swift yet precise motions. Only four stirs counter clockwise. Doing it any other way, even a half stroke too much, was a fool's mistake. And the shade was no fool. He gently placed the small spoon to the side and picked up the cup with one hand, eyes narrowed.

He was getting older, it seemed. He still looked great. The follower count on all of his social media platforms were only proof of his great looks and his continuing popularity. His beauty was still overflowing. And it wasn't like he was wrinkling and his body was giving him problems. Claude was still in school, after all. His mind was still very much active. He wasn't losing his memory like his grandparents were yet.

But he did find a grey hair.

Claude frowned at the thin strand that lay right next to the saucer that used to be holding his cup of tea. That grey wasn't from dye. It couldn't possibly be from stress either. It had to be from age.

Boy, did he hate it when his own mortality was shoved in his face. Hated how it was clearly visible in his looks. Was he going to be greying further? Was his whole head going to turn grey? He was using conditioner that maximized the volume of his delicious hair. But...was that enough? His hair was key to his good looks. He had never dyed it before. And he'd hate to do it now. The idea of a wig terrified him as well. Fans were going to see that it was obviously fake. His career might be over in a few months, maybe years.

He could barely stand the thought. Sure, he was well off for another few years but what then? What was he to do?

Worse yet, who was he going to teach the tricks of the trade to?

All he knew how to do was be an amateur modeler on social media. Cleaning, he was adequate at. The same with taking care of himself. He did enough to survive. Claude wasn't great at any other aspect of life. Wasn't it a waste to let his talents rot and his fame go unnoticed by someone close? The issue was, he didn't have anyone! Most shunned him away. And no other uprising model looked as great as he did.

His mismatched eyes stared, wide open as an idea occurred to him. There was one thing he could do. Stones.

If he imbued with someone, he could get protege of his own! The tricks of modeling wouldn't go to waste! He heard that freshlings were a lot of work but.....They were small. How hard could taking care of a few be? The price of his looks and lineage was worth it. And in time, maybe they'd be catering to him when he was greying and old.

Claude took a sip of his tea before settling it down, reaching for his phone. Wasn't there an imbuing service online? The shade's claws flew against the small screen as he found the app, quickly placing his information in and making an account. There was no time to waste. The sooner he was able to imbue, the more likely his protege could go out and make a name for themselves.

WC: 551