31 Jul 2023, 09:43
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
I'd rather be too cautious than too secure. (Pierre Beaumarchais, The Barber of Seville)
The way he himself saw it, it was not important. Or at least, the rational part of his brain thought so. But the thought about having a new hairstyle for his birthday excited Maverick Castle, and excited he let himself be.
He had been thinking about it weeks ago, or perhaps even for a whole month. A couple of days ago the young Gryffindor had casually mentioned the idea to his parents, and they showed no sign of objection - not that the haircut he desired was 'extreme' in any way, either way. Besides, he would be paying with his own monthly allowance.
Maverick's parents had a regular hairdresser, a witch his mother (or was it his father?) had known before they were even married. It seemed that the hairdresser herself was married, her current spouse was her second - or she was his second. They had at least one daughter, whose face or name Maverick had no interest to get to know. Both this witch and her salon were all right, but recently Maverick had decided on trying something else: he wanted to get his hair cut the Muggle way.
But his parents had things to do all day long, so the preteen had to take a bus whether he would like it or not, since there was no Muggle barbershop nearby their residence. For him, it did not matter much, though. And so he hopped onto the bus, knowing which stop he had to get off at.
He had been thinking about it weeks ago, or perhaps even for a whole month. A couple of days ago the young Gryffindor had casually mentioned the idea to his parents, and they showed no sign of objection - not that the haircut he desired was 'extreme' in any way, either way. Besides, he would be paying with his own monthly allowance.
Maverick's parents had a regular hairdresser, a witch his mother (or was it his father?) had known before they were even married. It seemed that the hairdresser herself was married, her current spouse was her second - or she was his second. They had at least one daughter, whose face or name Maverick had no interest to get to know. Both this witch and her salon were all right, but recently Maverick had decided on trying something else: he wanted to get his hair cut the Muggle way.
But his parents had things to do all day long, so the preteen had to take a bus whether he would like it or not, since there was no Muggle barbershop nearby their residence. For him, it did not matter much, though. And so he hopped onto the bus, knowing which stop he had to get off at.
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The world is in despair not because there are many bad people, but because there are many good people who do nothing.
1 Aug 2023, 11:35
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
- Smartwatch
- A few money
Thought | Said
Zach was sitting in his mom's car. The sound of the radio accompanied them on their way. That day, he agreed to join her mom to attend a scientific veterinary seminar in West London. It was about the latest research on the clinical trials of felis, or something like that. His mom said it would answer some of his last year questions. They left Swanton Morley early in the morning, at 6 AM, the time when the roosters screamed their lungs out just to wake up all the creatures around them. His siblings were looked after by his grandmother at home.
They stopped for a few minutes on their way to have breakfast before continuing their trip. The trip took about 3 hours, until they finally arrived at a building where the seminar was being held. In the building, some people greeted them. They also know Zach because he always attended the seminars before. A few children around his age also seemed to attend the seminar but Zach didn't know them. They entered the venue when the seminar was about to start. His mom took out two books, the plain one for her and the one with bird ornaments for Zach. It was his habit to take notes about the seminar. Fifteen minutes had passed, but the boy suddenly felt bored. His interest in the seminar seemed to have gone somewhere. Then he asked his mom if he could go outside. She didn't respond for some seconds until she gave him a little money and put a smartwatch on his wrist. She said that he should be careful and contacted her anytime when he needed her. Zach nodded then went out of the building.
He walked around there, expecting he would find an interesting thing. He saw some doves on the road and decided to run towards them until his shirt was untucked from his pants. However, his movement scared them and made them fly away so there was only him with breadcrumbs scattered on the road. He was disappointed and decided to go somewhere else.
His sight caught something really familiar not far from him, a very good looking boy with dark hair wearing a grey shirt and jeans. Zach felt like he knew the boy somewhere. He squinted his eyes to get a better sight. "Wait, I think I know him," he said. After that he was surprised and said, "Oh! He's someone from my school!" excitedly. And he was right. The boy was Maverick. Zach first met him in the On Pointe Dance Club. Maverick was the leader. Zach saw him as a very charismatic boy especially with his appearance. Zach was unsure whether he should greet Maverick or not. However, deep down inside his heart, he felt excitement when seeing someone from Hogwarts. So he decided to approach him in the end.
"Hi, Maverick." Zach greeted the boy with a smile. "It's nice to see you. What are you doing here?" he asked. But quickly added, "Or perhaps you live here?" Zach couldn't believe he was this excited to meet someone from his school. It hadn't even passed a month yet after he left the school for summer holiday. It seemed like his shyness for social interaction a bit eroded because of his excitement.
Interacting with: @Maverick Castle
28 Sep 2023, 14:06
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
Maverick turned around when he heard his name mentioned, but squinted his sage green eyes the moment he noticed who had dared calling him in such way. Given names were reserved to close people, did this kid not know that? He had explicitly introduced himself using his last name, so goodness knows how the other preteen found out his first (presumably hearing from a teacher or reading it in a Hogwarts Headliner issue). Either way, he was unhappy and he would make sure this pupil knew it.
Once the kid was close enough, Maverick growled as if he was a beast trying to defend itself against an enemy. "It's Castle to you," he hissed curtly.
Yeah, yeah, of course it feels nice to see me. Unfortunately, kid, I can't say the same about you. You've violated my privacy, and I hate that. I may have been more willing to be friendly to you if only you hadn't made that stupid mistake.
"And no, I don't live here. Am here to explore the Muggle part of the city, get a new haircut the Muggle way," he answered the question, albeit in a not-so-friendly tone. He also did not even bother to ask Zach why he was there. If the Ravenclaw still wanted to stick around, he would see if the fellow tween could behave more appropriately. If he preferred to walk away, then so be it.
Once the kid was close enough, Maverick growled as if he was a beast trying to defend itself against an enemy. "It's Castle to you," he hissed curtly.
Yeah, yeah, of course it feels nice to see me. Unfortunately, kid, I can't say the same about you. You've violated my privacy, and I hate that. I may have been more willing to be friendly to you if only you hadn't made that stupid mistake.
"And no, I don't live here. Am here to explore the Muggle part of the city, get a new haircut the Muggle way," he answered the question, albeit in a not-so-friendly tone. He also did not even bother to ask Zach why he was there. If the Ravenclaw still wanted to stick around, he would see if the fellow tween could behave more appropriately. If he preferred to walk away, then so be it.
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The world is in despair not because there are many bad people, but because there are many good people who do nothing.
15 Oct 2023, 11:33
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
- Smartwatch
- A few money
Thought | Said
Zach's heart beat faster after he saw the response from the boy in front of him. He was surprised and felt really stupid. The boy had never introduced himself by his first name and Zach carelessly called him by his first name because he was too excited to see someone he knew. His excitement was gone and now replaced by feelings of shame and guilt. "I-I'm sorry..." Zach said with his eyes locked on his shoes and his fingers entwined. He didn't dare to look at the boy in front of him.
"Ah... I see," he said after hearing the reason why Maverick was there. He was still afraid to see the boy in his eyes. The atmosphere between them wasn't good and logically it was best for Zach to leave him alone. However, Zach also felt alone. He didn't have any plan for what to do while waiting for his mom to finish her seminar. Then Zach plucked up some courage to ask Maverick again. It would be good if it also could fix his impression. "Uh... Do you have any barbershop in mind to go to?" He was gulping before continuing. "If you don't, I can show you one. My mom brought me there last year after buying school supplies." Zach tried to look at Maverick. An awkward smile could be seen on his face, as he nervously anticipated Maverick's response.
Interacting with @Maverick Castle
13 Nov 2023, 08:11
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
If one may be perfectly honest to the level it could hurt another, Maverick Castle was rather pleased to see the fellow preteen in front of him apologising and turning his gaze to his shoes and his intertwining hands. Not that the part-Veela had something in certain against this particular kid, but the things he did made Maverick feel as if the Gryffindor was the one in charge, the one with power. He was a prince, and this kid was his subject! Inwardly, Maverick grinned, his imagination stirred and made him rather giddy.
But afterward, the Ravenclaw (what was his name again? Zephyr? Zaphiere? Sapphire? Something like that, he guessed) said he could recommend a good hairdresser, and Maverick liked this idea. He himself had never got a negative experience with barbers, but he knew this thing could happen and perhaps this pupil was really able to save him from the potential catastrophe. Goodness, he would not want that to happen, especially not when his birthday was right the following day.
Maverick then behaved as if he had never snapped at Zaphiere, giving the tween his charming smile. "Lead the way, captain," he said in a friendly but slightly commanding tone. "I do hope this hairdresser you mentioned doesn't charge too much. You see, this new haircut is supposed to be a birthday present for me and from myself."
But afterward, the Ravenclaw (what was his name again? Zephyr? Zaphiere? Sapphire? Something like that, he guessed) said he could recommend a good hairdresser, and Maverick liked this idea. He himself had never got a negative experience with barbers, but he knew this thing could happen and perhaps this pupil was really able to save him from the potential catastrophe. Goodness, he would not want that to happen, especially not when his birthday was right the following day.
Maverick then behaved as if he had never snapped at Zaphiere, giving the tween his charming smile. "Lead the way, captain," he said in a friendly but slightly commanding tone. "I do hope this hairdresser you mentioned doesn't charge too much. You see, this new haircut is supposed to be a birthday present for me and from myself."
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The world is in despair not because there are many bad people, but because there are many good people who do nothing.
26 Nov 2023, 16:16
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
- Smartwatch
- A few money
Thought | Said
Zach felt better after he saw the smile of the boy in front of him. He nodded and led the way. However, it gave him somewhat of a new burden on his shoulders. Maverick said the barber they would visit should not charge too much. How much did his mom pay the hairdresser for their service? Zach didn't know anything about it. He was just happy getting a new haircut. And the important thing was, the haircut was supposed to be his birthday present. Would it look good on him? Would he satisfied with the result? Zach never thought about that. Until that second, he just believed what his mom said. If she said he was handsome after getting the haircut, then it was good.
They were passing on some adults who seemed busy with their jobs. All the shops that they passed by were also open. Some looked very crowded from the outside. But not between the boys. They were so silent. Zach remembered the boy that was following him had mentioned that he wanted to get a haircut in a Muggle way. This made him wonder how was the barbershop in the Magical part of the city. Would there be flying scissors and hair sprays? Or perhaps, they would just use their wand and spell to cut the hair. It sounded so cool for Zach. "Uh... M- Castle..." He tried to open a conversation on their walk. "Why don't you go to your usual barbershop? Oh! And what barbershop in the Magical part of this city is like?"
Interacting with @Maverick Castle
3 Jan 2024, 09:14
The Barber of London, or the Useless Precaution
"Just wanna try something new, I guess," he said nonchalantly at the other boy's first question, shrugging his shoulder in an elegant manner like that of a celebrity, like a part-Veela he was. "It gets a little boring to follow the same routines every time. Same route to go to my usual hairdresser's; same wizard to greet me and ask me to sit as he called the hairdresser; same interior, not very pretty to see; and same talkative witch to cut my hair while she chatted non-stop. So I told myself, Try something new. Get a new haircut for your birthday, and have it done in a different place. But I won't do something stupid like dying it or trying an extreme model. Lots of people regret doing such, or on the contrary, get addicted that they refuse to stop doing so and spend a lot of money just for their hair."
They kept on walking, and the preteen walking beside him asked him to describe a wizarding hairdresser's, to which Maverick answered, "Rather boring. But mind you, I only know one so not all of them are the same, I guess. This hairdresser I know, she can perform non-verbal magic and will chat with the customers as she commands her scissors and other equipment to do the job with her wand. If you choose to get your hair washed, that's her assistants' responsibility. And at the end, we would go to the front desk again to pay. The wizard behind the desk is in charge, but if she isn't busy, the hairdresser will do it herself as she keeps on chatting with the customer."
As he explained, the Gryffindor wondered how long they would still need to walk before they reached the Muggle hairdresser's. He did not ask whether his companion was a Muggle-born, for he did not want him to ask back about Maverick's blood status.
They kept on walking, and the preteen walking beside him asked him to describe a wizarding hairdresser's, to which Maverick answered, "Rather boring. But mind you, I only know one so not all of them are the same, I guess. This hairdresser I know, she can perform non-verbal magic and will chat with the customers as she commands her scissors and other equipment to do the job with her wand. If you choose to get your hair washed, that's her assistants' responsibility. And at the end, we would go to the front desk again to pay. The wizard behind the desk is in charge, but if she isn't busy, the hairdresser will do it herself as she keeps on chatting with the customer."
As he explained, the Gryffindor wondered how long they would still need to walk before they reached the Muggle hairdresser's. He did not ask whether his companion was a Muggle-born, for he did not want him to ask back about Maverick's blood status.
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The world is in despair not because there are many bad people, but because there are many good people who do nothing.