Wounds don't need to heal as long as we do (Flower & Prima Fauna)

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Name


Neal Quarters


Age


26


Gender


Male


Bio & Personality


Neal didn't really know what he wanted to do with his life when he finished his first year in collage. Instead of forcing his parents to pay for another year of musing about what he wanted to do with his life he forewent school in favor of looking at fire fighting as an option. He fell in love with it immediately, and focused soully on that, until he was a first responder Lieutenant on the squad. His life was going very well, and he had a boyfriend of 4 years, and everything was peachy, and he was en Route to Captain in a few years when the current captain retired. But everything has it's breaking point. And for Neal that was on September eleventh 2001, he was on duty that day, and all he really remembers was getting the call and getting into the engine and then waking up a week later in the hospital. Neal was very luck and his spinal fracture was incomplete, meaning that he had some sensation and feeling, meaning that with lots of hard work and PT and keeping his body in good shape he is not wheelchair bound. He instead uses a pair of arm-crutches. When he was in the hospital his long term boyfriend broke up with him not being able to handle the stress of what this would mean in the long run. Neal had to devote a few years of his life to PT and has exercises he does daily to keep his strength up. He can get around easily on his crutches, and can even walk a few steps on his own, he's shaky but he can do it. Neal now runs a little used bookshop called "pot-luck books" since reading and books were always one of his passions and it lends to the more relaxed life he now must lead. He doodles in his free time he's a good artist and he uses that and a combination of poetry as an outlet for his feelings and Mild PTSD. Neal has adjusted well to his new life and keeps in good contact with his Squad friends, he lives alone which he actually kind of likes. He is fine on his own and doesn't like accepting help (even when it's needed, well especially then). Neal is artistic and could be described as 'spunky' he is a total ball of energy and happiness 99.9 % of the time and is rater easy going and relaxed, well for someone who is bouncing off the walls.


(Personality is hard for me to nail down. but he'll develop more)


Appearance

 

[Selki Seven]

Name:


Heito Nijo


Age:


30


Gender:


Male


Bio/Personality:


Heito wasn't born into a wealthy family and was originally born in Japan. However, his father wanted to make a better life for his son so that he may be successful, and that is just what his father did. He worked overseas for a couple years until Heito was about 2 years old when he moved over to America. They left everything behind and didn't look back. Teaching Heito English at an early age, Heito quickly picked up on the lessons he was taught. He grew up quickly and his parents put everything they had into making sure Heito had the education needed to get by in the corporate world. He was in all the honors classes, captain of debate team, and even participated in quiz bowls whenever they took place. He was the perfect child, and then he met his high school sweet heart as a senior.


College went by quickly and Heito passed his classes in accordance to his parent's standards. With high expectations from his community and the college he graduated from, Heito fast tracked through the business world and by 25, was making 6 digits. He did all that was expected of him as a young man. He married a pretty woman and bought a big house with a white picket fence. He had a couple children. He had the American Dream that his parents wanted for him, however, he still felt lonely through his marriage and that quickly made his marriage fail.


After a few failed attempts at fixing the marriage and going through marriage counseling, Heito and his wife divorced and his wife got custody of the kids with Heito having weekly visitation.


After the divorce, Heito continued to have an empty feeling inside of him and he buried himself in his work.


Appearance:

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal was doodling in his ledger. Ledger's were for boring things and this was fun things. This was his fun ledger. It was also his serious one but honestly he was his own fiance guy , book keeper... person. He looked around the shop, there had been a few people in and out today, not that he did badly as a business. There was more market than you would think for books theses day, he surprised himself sometimes what with all the e-readers kicking around. Some people couldn't get over the smell of new books. Pot-luck books also ran on online site selling and shipping books anywhere in America. He also specialized in antique and out of print books. He was getting well known in that actually just today someone had come in looking for a first edition Oz book. It was obscure too, not the Wonderful Wizard but Ozma. Neal found pride in the fact that, though he didn't have one in stock, he actually knew how to get one for the women and gave her a business card and made a few calls for her and before you knew it... She would be in next week to pick it up. Neal did well for himself and had his own apartment above the shop, he supported himself to be stable and fine and have extra for a rainy day. And god knows he knew how useful that was. He looked up from his doddle (which was a crude little drawing of his ex riding a unicorn into the sun) when the bell rang. Neal was an old fashioned type of guy and had a little brass bell hanging from the corner of the door, so he could hear the customers come in. He could have employes, he had one, but she wasn't in today and he liked to know his own shop.


"Welcome to Pot-luck-books."

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito sat in a meeting filled with the wide range of greedy American business people as they argued over their profit shares, the stocks, and what the company could be doing to improve their sales, which usually meant a decline in quality so they could spend less money for an increase in quantity.


"Alright, men and women, today has been.... overwhelmingly productive, however, I am going to have to urge that we call a meeting for tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Please, be prepared." Heito shoots a glance at a man to his right whom immediately looks down at his lap to write.


"Meeting adjourned." Heito stands and hastily walks out of the meeting room to the elevators when he is stopped by the CEO of the company.


"Mr. Nijo, if I could, may I see you in my office tomorrow morning before the meeting? I'd like to talk with you about something important." Heito nods and before he can speak, the CEO walks off and the elevator dings on his floor.


"Yes, sir. I will... do that for you." Heito got onto the elevator and rode down to the first floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Heito made his way out of the building before anyone else could get a hold of him and walked down the street to blend in with the rest of the cities population.


On his way to the subway, Heito kept thinking that he needed a change in direction. He needed some variety in his life and walked straight into a the nearest bookstore.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal watched the man who entered carefully, "Is there anything I can help you find today sir?" He asked closing his ledger/doodle book. The man looked....interesting....exotic?....hot? yes all of those things. He was Asian which wasn't exactly exotic but hey it wasn't about race it was more about his aura? Neal like to figure the people in the shop out, he played a game with himself that he could guess what genre of book they would like and therefore pick. This case he guessed Historical Fiction, playful and imaginative, but facts and truth. He seemed like a nice but serrious man. Neal liked to mess with serious.


"We have a knew book just out of the publishing house called 'Here there be Dragons'. Supposed to be good."Neal turned his playful blue eyes on the man and leaned his elbow on his counter. His employe (the one and only Martha) often accused him of hiding back there. There was a chair back there, he pointed out to her, to which she rolled her eyes.

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito sighed and inhaled only to smell books and exhaled slowly as he felt the tension roll away. A voice from the sales counter called out and Heito looked towards the man with a tired smirk.


"I'm not looking for anything in particular, but thank you." Heito's voice was deep, commanding, yet had a sincere and friendly undertone. The books all beckoned to him and Heito walked further into the shop slowly with his briefcase by his side and his mind wandered. He suddenly got the urge to look for Alice in Wonderland. He remembered reading that book many years ago when he attempted to give into his imagination, but due to time and spring cleanings, it got lost somewhere between then and now as did his imagination and wonder.


Heito wandered through the aisles and wasn't paying attention to his briefcase all that much anymore. A section of books laid out sloppily by some previous guests caught the edge of his briefcase and the small slab of wood in the bookcase broke in half and his briefcase popped open when dropped. In an immediate reaction to this event, Heito sighed and ran his hands through his hair as he knelt down an began gathering the books and papers.


"My god, I'd ask if my day could get any worse and it probably would." He spoke to himself with frustration and it soon turned to mumbles.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal heard a small crash from where he was and called out, "Hello? sir?" Neal bit his lip and let out a breath before gathering himself on his crutches and heading towards the back of the shop. The shop was worm and rustic. The floors were wood like you would find in a cabin rough and old, it had been like that when he had bought it and Martha had told him they should carpet over the rough antiqued wood. He had laughed at her and went on and on about how old and cozy it was, and spent the money he could have spent on carpets on old wing back chairs and wooden shelves, the shelves were placed farther apart then you would find in other stores, 100% handicap accessible. Neal clicked his way along the lines of books to the back section, he turned a corner with out looking, having become more than familiar with the lay out of his own shop, when he felt the rubber end of his crutch catch on something, there was a paper on the floor. His crutches had very good traction and gripped whatever they could nicely, like this paper which in return did not do the same to the wooden floors of the shop. The paper and his crutch with it slid across the floor out from under him, leaving Neal totally unprepared to take the weight on his leg which promptly gave out. He could walk almost six whole steps on his own shakily. When he was prepared, which he was not, and so Neal fell to the floor right to his as*


"Si-OghFF!"

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito grumbled to himself as he organized the books on the bottom shelf that sat on the floor as to keep a clear path until he heard a thud and someone speaking. He quickly looked over and then rose to his feet when he saw the cashier on the floor and a small piece of paper drifting to tough the floor.


"Oh, damnit..." Heito rises and rushes over the man.


"I am so sorry. Here, let me help you up." Heito put out a hand to help the cashier stand and used his feet to clear papers out of the way.


"I didn't mean to make such a mess. I can pay for the damages." Heito looks into the cashier's eyes apologetically.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

"Did you damage something?" Neal frowned but accepted the help. He didn't really need it, he hated it when people helped him because of the crutches. "Because if you did you will have to pay for it. Possibly in blood." He said matter of factually. "Because people don't get away with breaking things in my store. But did you break something?" He said coming a little closer with a small move of one crutch and looking around. Then he saw it the shelf was broken. "well that can be fixed with a sturdy piece of wood. you can do it yourself, pay with work." Neal nodded, since the man had caused him to fall. Which was a bigger offense then breaking the shelf.

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito nodded, listening to the man and shook his head.


"I will fix it. I did not mean too break anything and I certainly did not mean for you to fall. I was in the process of picking things up when you arrived." Heito ran his fingers through his hair again with a huge sigh as he looked down at the floor and papers.


"If you would allow me, I will head to the hardware store and come back to fix the shelf. You have no idea how bad I feel about this. Do you have a broom so I can sweep up the splinters?" Heito looked at the man again and sighed.


"Here, take my card and..." He reaches into his pocket to receive a business card and wrote his personal cell phone number on it. "...If I don't return in a reasonable amount of time you can call me and ask where I am." Heito sighs again and groans at the luck he has had today.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal rolled his eyes. "Do I look like a dictator? you don't have to fix it immediately and I have a vacuum in the back... because sweeping doesn't work for me. Hey? are you okay? you look terrible. Bad day?" He asked casually starting towards the back to get the vacuum. "Could you bring those dropped books around to me?" He called back to the man. "Please?" He slipped behind the counter and sat pulling out the phone book to look for a hardware store, there was one around the corner it seemed they would sell a sturdy piece of wood which would work until he could have it actually fixed with a board that matched the whole shelf.

 

[Selki Seven]

"I'm sorry. No, you aren't...." Heito sighs and closes his eyes and nods.


"Well, it is the corporate world. Every day is terrible. Yes." Heito took his suit jacket off and rolled his sleeves up before picking up the books that were neatly stacked by author's last names and Heito brought them to the front and held them.


"Where would you like me to set these?" Heito was silent for a moment and the silence was awkward and he mentally beat himself up over speaking up early about how his day couldn't get any worse. Well, it did. He ended up vandalizing someone's shop.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

"Anywhere." He gestured at the counter. Looking up from behind his glasses at the man. "Corporate? Heh, I used to be a firefighter buddy you'll make it don't worry." He flicked open his laptop. "You going to buy anything though? I mean you broke my shop." He teased pulling up the hardware store's site and looking through the things they stocked. "Yahtzee! they sell the same kind of wood the shelves are made from around the corner." He looked down at the slightly crumpled business card. "I'll buy the wood and get someone to put it in and you can pay me back, you should go home and do your paperwork. I was thinking of closing early anyway."

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito set the books down carefully on a table and looked at the cashier as he sat at the computer.


"Actually, before I collapsed the shelf, I was thinking about purchasing a First Edition Alice in Wonderland. I remember my English teacher giving the book to me from her library. But, somewhere along the line, it disappeared along with my imagination." Heito exhaled softly and dusted off his shirt.


"How long were you a fire fighter?" Heito asked and reached for his wallet slowly from his back pocket. "I used to think I would want to be a firefighter, but I never was the strong type. Always..." Heito cleared his throat before continuing. "...had my head in my school books."


He started to get the money out of his wallet until he decided otherwise.


"How about I work on the shelf? I've got money to spare and... This could be a change in scenery for me after work." He chuckled then thought to himself. "A change in habit is something I need if I am going to remain sane."


"What time do you have the shop closed for lunch? I could come by on my lunch hour and work on it. I can buy the supplies on my way home." Heito stood tall and draped his jacket over his shoulder with his, now organized briefcase, in his other hand. Heito felt he needed to do something to pay back for the damage, and the fall he had caused.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

"If you want, I don't close up for lunch I just eat it here or my only worker and I take turns, she's off this week though so it's just me. You can come on your Lunch though if you like." Neal smiled, he thought about the first edition Alice book for a second. "That ones rare, Alice I mean, but I could find it. We don't regularly stock the old ones since they're so rare and it's best to have buyer when you start to look." He paused at the mention of firefighting. "Long enough." He said after a moments thought. He went through the little stack of books that was sitting on the counter, the shelf hadn't been too full thank god! Just about eight books. "Oh, hey, through the looking glass." He held up the book to show the man. "you were in the right section for Alice, though she shouldn't have been back there. She does like to get lost you know." He smiled stowing the books under the desk so if a customer came looking for any of those he could get them.

 

[Selki Seven]

"Of course. I will be here through my lunch period to work on the shelf. And if there is anything else you may need fixed up around here, call my cellphone number on that card I gave you." He smirks as he begins talking about Alice and nods.


"Yes. Alice holds a lot of good memories. At one point, I wanted to be a writer and I even attempted to write something, but then I just felt silly doing so." Heito smirks and looks at the wall as he recollected old memories.


Heito looked at the shop keeper and then at the rest of the shop with one hand in his pocket.


"I just want to thank you for giving me something do to. I was feeling just today that the office would drive me to insanity, and then I found this place out of.... desperation?" Heito sighs and nods.


"Well, I think I will be on my way. Could you print out the address and board you are wanting from the shop? I will pick it up on the way home. And, like I said, call me if you need something." Heito smiles and rolls his shoulders back.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal smiled slowly, this man seemed to think he would need something. It's almost like he wanted him to. But then again he hadn't mentioned the crutches or even really blinked an eye so that was something. He grabbed a sticky note and wrote out the information. After a second thought he added his phone number.


"Here, and after you finish with the shelf we could grab lunch?" Neal stuck the note to his finger and held it out in front of him, raising an eyebrow at the other man. "I shouldn't really need anything else after the shelf." Neal hesitated..... "Or I'm free this Saturday...?" He stopped himself. He had just met this man and in the span of a few minutes he had caused Neal to trip. Fall. and he had broken his shelf. Now what was he doing....

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito looked at the shop keeper and smiled back in response.


"Lunch? Sure. I would like that." He smirked and took the post-it, folded it back, and put it in his pant pocket. "And Saturday? I don't even know your name." Heito walked towards the desk a few steps with that subtle smirk left on his face. Heito laughed on the inside at himself. This shop keeper, he admitted, was handsome. He had a certain quality that he couldn't pinpoint, but he felt like he could want more of it, and if this didn't get rid of the empty space inside himself, then it would at least be a distraction.


What was he thinking? He was married once before. To a woman and had children. However, who wasn't to say that he couldn't have a new friend. That is what it was. He was sure of it, wasn't he? Heito craved a friendship that he could trust.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

"Well if you don't know my name we will have plenty to talk about." Neal smiled. "It's Neal by the way...." He looked down at the businesses card "..Heito.... Nijo.... Heito Nijo" He smiled. "Plus I think tripping me and breaking my shelf entitles me. " He smiled.


Closing his laptop he held out his hand, "Mr. Nijo, I am Neal, Neal Quarters... yes like the coin." He held his hand out to shake. He gave a charming smile. They were going out to dinner mainly because Neal didn't have friends that didn't know about it. And it's hard to have friends that knew and it would be easy to be normal.... he was over thinking this. He was making a friend. New friend, who was nice and liked book. End. Of. Story.

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito smiles and gave a lighthearted chuckle and his eyes seemed to have a childish glint in them.


"It is a pleasure to meet you, Neal Quarters. And just call me, Heito. The office calls me Mr. Nijo." He gave a firm, slow handshake. "And it would be my pleasure to take you out to dinner." Heito couldn't help but smile as to what came out of this day. It started out terribly, but she made a friend out of it.


"Well, I will be here tomorrow. If you find a First Edition Alice, give me a call. Until tomorrow, Neal." Heito smiles again, picking up his suit case, then walks out the doors and gives one last look at Neal then he went around the corner to the hardware store. Once he was around the corner, Heito reached into his pocket and pulled out the post-it to read the information and spotted his number and he gave a chuckle.


"Neal Quarters." Heito went on his way and into the hardware store.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal went about his day and closed the shop early. If he could skip down the street he would have. He liked to think that he had an extra swing in his hobble. He got to his building no problem. He got into the elevator and into his apartment only to flop on his bed and grin.


"Heito. That's a nice name...." He almost giggled. He had seemed like a business man of sorts. He rubbed his hands over his face and rolled over. He didn't have any plans for tonight he could go to one of the firefighter bars but he wasn't sure, he had been there a few times since... but he wasn't sure still it was tentative they always said he would always be one of them but still... he looked at his phone, and turned his head one way and then the other.

 

[Selki Seven]

As Heito went about the hardware store looking for the shelf, he sighed and began picked up a few other things he may need for the job and around the apartment. It had been a while since Heito had been in a hardware store and he remembered the love of the smell. The natural wood, the oil, and all the other goodies. Though, that wasn't what he was smiling about.


Heito chuckled as he walked out the store with bags in hand and began walking down the sidewalk to the subway home. He still had to prepare a slide when he got home for the meeting tomorrow, and hopefully tomorrows meeting didn't end as badly as it did today.


As Heito got on the subway, he got a call from his ex-wife and the entire way back home he and she argued back and forth.


"Well, Miranda, I couldn't give a damn about you. The only reason we are in contact is because of the kids and for some reason, the past few times I have been expecting them, I've gotten calls from you saying that it wasn't a good time or you didn't have the money. What happened to the money I sent for their trips, huh?" He exclaimed in a deep voice and tried to remain calm until she hung up. Heito became furious and when he arrived home, he immediately stripped and got into the shower to cool off.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal opted for a night in and headed down to the local video store to pick up a rental for the night. He was already in his Pajamas but didn't really care since it was only around the corner and he had his coat on so all you could really see was his Scooby-doo pants. He browsed the shelves of the store not sure what he was in the mood for. He winced when he saw they had made yet another documentary on the world trade center. He picked it up to see if they had interviewed anyone who he knew. He got constant calls for these type of things, he never said yes. He set the movie back and wandered down the halls. Action? Adventure? Romance.....he sighed audibly.

 

[Selki Seven]

Heito stood in the shower, his hands against the front of the shower wall, and he let the water run down his back until he felt it run cold. After drying off and dressing into his pajama bottoms, Heito went to the kitchen, retrieved a water from the fridge, and sat in his favourite chair to turn on the news and try to relax, instead, he thought about his new friend, Neal, and quickly looked at his phone to see the time and tossed it onto the couch beside him.


The news was boring and Heito started dozing off until he searched through the list of pay-per-view movies and selected one at random and reclined. The day hadn't ended too terribly.

 

[ChampionOfTheMorningStar]

Neal ended up with Young Frankenstein and a thing of popcorn. He fell asleep on his couch only to wake up at midnight to his DVD loading screen. Knowing that Lying like this would only really bring back spasms and pain he headed to bed flopping out on his back, the only way he could sleep comfortably now. He lay sleeping until 4:00 on the dot. Early but he had always been an early riser and needed the extra time. He got out of bed, did the exercises he needed to to keep his legs working and griped his shower handle while he washed. He didn't feel like cereal so he grabbed a bagel on his way to the shop. He got there to find Martha opening.


"One of the Shelves in fiction broke, I called a repair man..."


"I know, you can cancel that. I have it covered."