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#shopkeeper!howdy
asking-trader-howdy · 1 month
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You ever consider switching names with Shopkeeper! Howdy? Cos you fit the shopkeeper archetype better than the other Howdy does, who also fits the trader archetype better than you do. You know, since you're stuck here in this lil shop, while the other is always moving about and doesn't have a set-in-stone location.
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Shopkeeper!Howdy belongs to @/cosmic-meteorites
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douxmae · 1 year
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OBSESSED with @mjlor-chan‘s design of baby Howdy. I don’t see enough art of him, and this lil bug has been on my mind all day
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Miss Keeper Miss Keeper!! He's back!! Trader is back! IT'S TIME TO VISIT HIM!!
Following this :
"Hug time"
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No one can escape hug time !
I tried to be as fast as I could ! It ended up longer than anticipated haha
Now tagging everyone
@asking-trader-howdy
@sillyshootingstar
@thewatchfuleyebelow
@ask-archivist-frank
@apileofscripts
@ask-courier-eddie
@ask-observer-wally
@ask-admin-julie
Timelord belongs to Kimu
Shopkeeper belongs to @cosmic-meteorites
Wayfinder belongs to @bloomenvogel
Faceless belongs to @axolotlang
Messenger belongs to @thelazyangel4567
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chibifox2002 · 11 months
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I've been hyperfixating these two all fuckin day
😭😭😭
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bcneheaded · 8 months
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@veleluuu asked: ❝ there’s something odd about this village. people skulk around like they’ve something to hide. ❞
💬🥀— "Mmn... Indeed they do..." The shopkeeper murmurs, sounding much less perturbed by this fact than she did. He simply casts a brief side-glance down at the other before returning to his previous task-- standing atop the uppermost level of a large ladder as he pours some sort of mystery liquid into a large, hanging bulb-like glass dome; home to several small, otherworldly creatures that float amongst it, swimming directly towards the concoction once poured. The skull adorned demon glances down once more, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Most do have something to hide, to be quite fair." He says in a rather unaffected manner, before slowly descending from the ladder. Once again with his feet on solid ground he tugs at his waistcoat to straighten it, regarding her once more-- this time with an air of inquiry. "It is a rather odd little village though, is it not? There's a nearly... suffocating sense of something... wrong, yet it is one that I cannot quite place my finger on..." He says with an air of wistfulness. The shopkeep sighs softly, resuming his usual stance with his arms tucked formally behind his back, and he leans forward with a slight nod. "....Fascinating... isn't it?" He chuckles.
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onetwobucklemyshoe · 1 year
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﹥*:ꔫ:*+ t a g  d u m p +*:ꔫ:*﹤
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with a smile like his it’s hard to disagree ( wally darling )
a goofy layabout with a love for jokes ( barnaby b. beagle )
the cheeriest neighbor a puppet could ask for ( julie joyful )
the resident bookworm with an expertise on butterflies ( frank frankly )
she shines above the rest ( sally starlet )
frantic frazzled and feathered ( poppy partridge )
the friendliest and happiest shopkeeper ( howdy pillar )
he always manages to deliver everyone’s mail right on schedule ( eddie dear )
the ninth neighbor ( home )
the bugdega ( howdy’s place )
could come and go as you please ( eddie’s post office )
home is where the heart is ( welcome home )
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paper-starz · 1 year
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I COME BEARING GIFTSSSS
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ITS HOWDY! Everyone’s favorite “jolly” and “not at all paranoid whatsoever” shopkeeper! HE IS DEFINITELY COPING WELL
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Definitely… coping well.
But hey! At least he’s still a friendly shopkeeper! He still greets everyone with a friendly smile!
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Ok mostly everyone.
Look, how can you blame him? When Wally’s around, it usually means that Home is too.
Watching.
Staring.
Waiting for the chance that he slips up.
So, he avoids both of them at all costs!
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It’s the safer option anyways!
But, he still helps everyone to the best of his ability! Right now, Poppy’s teaching him how to stitch!
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With two sets of arms, he can help out with anything!
Just don’t ask him to go near Wally. Or Home.
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weevmo · 1 year
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Howdy prefers not to be in the thick of battles, or any battles at all. But! He will do what he can with range weapons when need be. He's an old friend of Barnaby's and accidentally helps him meet Wally.
He's a shopkeeper first - and a Ranger second!
aka now that I'm creating a comic with him in it I had to finalize a design
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We all know that something is going on with Wally and Home, but who else could be active behind scenes?
Frank Frankly:
Frank has been here since the Beta, so it's likely Clown Coffin has something planned for him.
Frank is obviously designed by Clown Coffin to be incredibly at odds with the rest of the neighbourhood; with his more reserved personality, less saturated colour scheme and lack of an "-ie" sound at the end of his first name.
He is the bug expert in Welcome Home, and there are literal bugs all over the website that happen to be linked to the Wally POV videos.
As the "smartest neighbour," it seems he would be one of the first to notice something wrong with the neighbourhood.
Eddie Dear:
Has the most mysterious backstory out of the neighbours.
His memory problems seem to go beyond being "forgetful" and into "plot relevent."
The envelopes the Restoration Project recieved match the ones Eddie is seen carrying and possibly made himself.
Sally Starlet:
Like Wally, she has devil allusions as the "brightest star" who "fell from heaven."
She is an actress, making it fitting for her to become aware of being in a tv show, and she would likely be very invested in bringing it back.
She has openly conversed with the Narrator.
If any of the neighbours had to be villains, I think Sally Starlet has the potential be the coolest!
Howdy Pillar:
Howdy played a role in the Wally Plush advert.
If Capitalism played a role in the show's downfall, shopkeeper Howdy would be good character to explore how making money often comes in the way of creativity!
Julie Joyful:
She has been here since the Beta and had that ominous image centred around her.
If Frank were to figure something out, it's almost certain that Julie would be there right beside him!
Barnaby B Beagle:
Barnaby has been here since the Beta.
There is a LOT of ominous imagery surrounding Barnaby that makes me genuinely concerned for the guy.
Despite his careless act throughout the videos, he was the first to acknowledge Wally's off behaviour.
Barnaby was physically present during the live interview alongside Wally.
Poppy Partridge:
Like Julie, Barnaby, and Frank; Poppy has been here since the Beta.
Poppy is a hermit who is scared to go outside. Maybe this isn't just a cute character quirk that the creators programmed into her, but because she knows something about the neighbourhood.
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May I request a Wally x reader who is colour blind?
Like they were able to see colour when they were younger but everything faded into greys/ blacks/whites when they got older. HOWEVER they are able to see Wally's colours and kind of the colours around him. (Like wally, himself, is vibrant but the colors are around him doll are dull)
Bonus points if they (the reader) say something cheesy like 'You bring colour to my dull world' and call him their favorite colour or their rainbow
Wally Darling x Reader - My Rainbow
This is such a cute request! It makes me think of a soulmate AU where you see everything in black and whites until you meet your soulmate, who is in colour. Then everything becomes colourful! Very, very adorable. I can make a variation of that if you'd like! Just let me know. :]
Words: 865
Type: Headcanons, romantic
Tw: none! Just fluff
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Life had always been a bit dull for you (pun intended). Well, at the very, very start it wasn't, but it became that way as life went on. You had acquired colour blindness, and a very rare type at that. Usually, colour blindness makes it hard for people to distinguish certain colours, or even see them at all. But very rarely did one's vision go completely grey.
Yours did, however.
You had come about this condition in your tweens/teens, so it certainly was quite the panic for you at the time. Your whole life relied on colours! How ripe is this banana? What flavour of apple is this? All very important things!
But you made do. Yeah, it sucked not being able to see colour anymore, but it wasn't the end of the world. Honestly, in time what you found more annoying was the constant pity you got from everyone. It's part of the reason you moved.
You had moved to the town of Home looking for a new start. It was small - really small - and had really great reviews, per se. People who had visited the town during their journeys always talked about how nice and accepting the people there were, so you had hoped it would be a nice change from all the pity you got.
Things seemed normal for the first few hours. You moved in, unloaded the boxes, got a visit from the local shopkeeper, Howdy, who helped you unpack everything, and then got a quick tour from him around town. You were introduced to the neighbours, like the rambunctious Sally and worrisome Poppy, right up until you came to the house in the centre of town.
"This is Wally's house," Howdy had said. "And this is Home." He pat his hand against the wall of the building. You weren't quite sure why he was introducing a house but decided to go along with it anyway. Howdy knocked on the door of the building, saying, "Wally! The new neighbour is here!"
You heard shuffling inside as footsteps approached the door. Opening it up, you saw a small man, at maximum maybe four feet, with blue hair - wait, what?!
That's right. Standing before you was a short young man with blue freaking hair and yellow skin. You were... Shocked, to put it lightly. For the first time in over a decade you were seeing colour, and it was just on this one random man you hadn't even spoken to yet.
Wally had looked at you and smiled before asking, "are you alright? You look a little nervous." You stumbled on your words for a few moments, looking around to check that yep, everything else was grey.
"I- um- I uh-" you began. "Is- is your hair... Blue?"
Wally looked confused. "Yes? Why do you ask?"
"[name], I thought you were colour blind?" Howdy exclaimed. He looked at you with a raised brow, also clearly very confused at the situation.
"I'm supposed to be!" you replied. "But now- now his hair is blue! And I can see it!"
Things went on like that for a while. You eventually had to come to the conclusion that yes, you were technically still completely colour blind, and yes, you were seeing a full rainbow on this one man. The three of you were stumped on what was happening, to say the least.
So, they brought you to the one person who might know what was going on: Frank. Thing is, he didn't have a single book that explained it and was unable to hypothesize anything scientific. He eventually had to admit that Sally's conclusion of magic was the only thing he could come up with, and he didn't even believe in it.
But time passed, and again you eventually became used to it. It was nice seeing colour in something again, at least. And it did give you the upper hand in hide and seek. And over time, you caught yourself getting feelings for the little guy. Wally, I mean. He was oblivious, sure, but smart in his own ways. And gosh, he was by far the best artist in town! He tried coming up with ways to paint you things in colour. He assumed that since he was doing it, it must show up. But it didn't, unfortunately.
You started referring to him as the 'colour of my life' and other cheesy things. It made him blush, too. It was funny, seeing the red spread across his face. It was something you hadn't seen in forever. But Wally still refused to act on anything.
One day you had enough. You knocked on Wally's door, bouquet of roses in hand. He knew what it meant when he opened the door and saw them in your hand (Eddie had told him what roses meant). You sheepishly smiled and handed them to him.
"They're red, right?" you asked. He nodded, feeling the petals with his hand. "So... Do you accept?"
"It must have taken a lot of courage to do this. Thank you," he said. You knew what he meant.
"You really are the colour of my world, you know that?" You replied. "My rainbow."
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iwuvcofi · 5 months
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Bean Category: Common Type
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ShopKeeper!Howdy belongs to CMeteorites
RealWorld!Howdy belongs to chez-cinnamon
Fantasy!Howdy belongs to weevmo
Mob!Howdy belongs to clownsuu
Original Howdy belongs to @partycoffin
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sovietwh · 11 months
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Sheeh.. I love this design so so so much! In AU Howdy(Chariton) is not shopkeeper... you know.. 'cause no one could have their own business in USSR(obviously). We decided to make him one of the collective farmers. We think that fits him well :)
THANK YOU FOR HELP MY DEAR WENDYGANS
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krasytoonz · 11 months
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you have a very nice story of an AU and got me interested in it! I sometimes Wonder what Sally always do in her free time if she had one! (:
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**The Bounty Hunter (and Julie) would visit The Night Bar (where her other friend, Howdy, works)! She likes to give the Element of Surprise to the customers with her Storytellings based on Personal Experiences!
She would also sometimes go to the Forbidden Forest to visit the ‘monster’ friends she’s made! And steal from Shopkeepers with Julie! And sharpen her Knives! Many things she could do in her Free Time!
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tiredly101 · 1 year
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If you're comfortable with this could you please do number 6 angst with Wally x Female reader. 🥺
Hi dearie! Of course I will write this for you, I love writing angst so I hope you like it!
Sunny days don't last...
Pairing: Wally Darling x Broken hearted!Female reader
Promp list of which the request came from!
Illustrated Au, really close screenshot but the picture belongs to @sweetest-honeybee
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It was a normal day when F/n woke up, sunny and warm; just the perfect weather like always and Wally Darling, F/n’s crush, had invited her to paint at his house but she did not see the clouds settling in the horizon or the way her heart drenched in sorrow every time she stepped into Home since she knew that Wally had someone else in his heart that was a nice shopkeeper.
“F/n! I’m glad you could make it!,” exclaimed Wally while hugging F/n from the waist making her relish the few minutes she could get such affection from him. F/n smiled weakly and the pair started doing their painting chattering from time to time but both seemed to not notice the dark clouds that were started to set around the neighborhood. Wally chuckled at seeing the silly yet pretty painted F/n did, it seemed it was her and Wally but then he noticed the grim look on her face when she set the paintbrush down and when he was going to ask F/n spoked softly.
“I’m leaving the neighborhood Wally, but I hope you and Howdy are happy,” said F/n as a whisper in the solemn air that Home gained at her words, Wally looked at her shocked feeling his grin falter while his eyebrows went down in worry. They both heard water starting to come down from the sky and Wally could have swore he heard how F/n heart broke at his shocked silence. F/n got up and grabbed her things before opening the door of Home before the house could lock her in because of the rain.
“Wait, neighbor? What do you mean “you and Howdy”?,” said Wally while getting up in a hurried matter, trying to make it to F/n but it seemed as if the world stopped under his feet’s.
“You and Howdy are a cute couple, he is more than enough for you… I wish I was enough for you,” said F/n softly before walking out of Home making Wally crash against the door of Home since it closed out of habit. Wally opened the door and closed it in his way out to see F/n gone, as if she was never there, and he leaned against Home door, shaking softly while his smile was completely gone and now in his eyes were tears that were threatening to fall from his face.
“You are more than enough for me Y/n”
Hoped you liked it @pinejayy!
Additional tags: @waywardstardustcollector and @yanyanlover
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ღ Howdy Pillar x Reader ღ
My 57 request! Hope you like!
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Howdy Pillar, the only shopkeeper in the entire neighborhood, who with his kind and friendly manner attracted you in an intense way. Who wouldn't admit that this man was cute?
Since you've moved into the neighborhood, you've felt so welcome around everyone! Everyone was so kind and sweet… but you had to admit, you had more eyes for a certain green four-armed man. Howdy.
Howdy was just… so nice to you! He would always be willing to give you an extra apple or two for your apple pies, like: "On the house, because you're one of my favorites!" as he would say, not that the merchandise is worth any money, with you being able to get the so merchandise with a few jokes… but it was still sweet of him to do something like that right?
But then, recently you were seriously thinking about how to confess… Love could be so complicated! how should you do it?
With a romantic dinner? The idea sounded cool- but you didn't necessarily have the guts for it yet- Dinner at your place? You and Howdy alone by candlelight? Omg- You blush just thinking about-
With a song? No- Definitely not- Although it was a cute and attractive idea, you also didn't know if you could sing it without blushing in front of Howdy- You would probably stutter the whole song honestly-
Hm… how about a simple card saying your feelings? Yes! This could work! Would you try to at least stay in front of him without running around like a scared mouse- Yeah, that sounds good enough…
So then, with the idea in mind, you picked up some [color] paper, starting to write down your loving feelings for Howdy, how they were for you something like you were constantly on sweet clouds, as cliche as that was.
With the card ready, you knew it was time! Checking your clock to see it was four o'clock in the afternoon. Perfect!
With courage taking your body, you left your house with the card, quickly heading to Howdy’s Place, opening the door slowly being greeted by the soft sound of the bell, and there he was.. behind the counter giving you a sweet smile, as always… you squeezed the card lightly in your hands.
" Oh! Good afternoon (Y/n)! How are you today? " Howdy spoke with a happy tone, greeting you with his usual sweet smile, which made you take a deep breath, returning the smile.
" Good afternoon Howdy.. I'm fine! " You spoke quickly, moving closer to the counter to be closer to him.
" That's good to hear dear! So, how can I help you today? Maybe a bag of [favorite sweets] and some apples? " Howdy asked with a soft smile, leaning on the counter as he rested his head on one of his hands.
" W-well that would be great! But that's not why I'm here… you see Howdy… this is for you " You spoke in a slow nervous tone, slowly placing the card on the counter, pushing it towards him. The Pillar reacted to this with an expression of confusion for a second, but ended up taking the card anyway.
You felt yourself shudder on your feet, feeling a tightness in your chest as you held your breath, just watching Howdy's surprise expression, with him having a slightly open mouth in surprise in addition to slightly flushed cheeks. God! You wanted to run to your home and never leave again-
'' (Y/n)? '' Howdy called your name softly, touching your shoulder lightly bringing you out of your thoughts.
'' Y-yes? '' You asked in a low stammering tone, rubbing your hands together feeling nervous from the man's gaze.
'' I'm sorry..but I can't accept your feelings..not yet dear '' Howdy said in a sad tone, looking into your eyes with guilty. You felt a pain in your chest, soon followed by small tears forming in your eyes.
'' A-ah.. I-I'm so sorry Howdy.. I-I- '' You started to speak in a panic tearful tone, which was soon interrupted by a soft kiss on your forehead, followed by Howdy's hands wiping your tears carefully.
'' I just said, not yet silly.. I just want to get to know you better first! '' Howdy said giving you a worried little sweet smile, which you sniffed returning the smile.
'' Sorry about that..I just- never felt like this before.. '' You apologized in a soft tone, leaning on Howdy's hands, which he gave you a small chuckle caressing your face.
'' No problem! After all... you are one of my favorites! '' Howdy said giving you a sweet smile.
If anyone requests maybe I'll do part 2 of this. Who knows.
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heya, i have to wake up in three hours but! here's another lil human au snippet! ft. lightly implied Laughingstock! disclaimer i am so so tired so don't come at me for typos or strangely worded sentences or missing info <3
~
Before heading home, Eddie swings by a charming little store he’s been to once or twice before. He usually goes to the chain store by his house, but he doesn’t feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle and the endless aisles. This little store is quiet, nice, and strangely has everything anyone could need. 
The lot is mostly empty at this hour, so Eddie claims a spot right at the front. As with the other times, the windows are littered with displays and stickers - half off on this, sale on that. Eddie enters Howdy’s Place with the chime of the door’s shopkeeper’s bell. He’ll get what he needs and get out, quick and easy and peacefu-
Boisterous laughter slams into Eddie like a hammer, so sudden that he jumps in place. An employee stocking cans nearby glances weirdly at him. Eddie clears his throat and hurries into the nearest aisle as the laughter tapers off. The silence barely lasts a second before loud chatter starts up. It’s too fast and muffled for Eddie to understand, but he can pick out two distinct voices - one deep, one less so but still decidedly masculine. 
Eddie tries to tune it out as he gathers what he needs. Toothpaste, some paper towels, shampoo. For the hell of it, he nabs a box of classic bran muffins from the spacious food section. He lingers for a moment, enjoying how far-away the conversation seems at the other corner of the store. Unfortunately, theft is illegal, so Eddie is forced to move towards the noise.
A strange thing about the store - it’s a combination general store, antique shop, and diner, complete with a miniature gift shop separating the two. One long checkout counter stretches from the open store area, behind the gift shop, and into the diner, where the conversation is coming from. An interesting setup, but an understandable one. It allows anyone behind the counter to move fluidly between customers and sections.
As Eddie approaches, the conversation becomes slightly clearer. 
“-said, no wonder you didn’t get her number!” the deeper voice barks, and the two dissolve into that almost-too-loud laughter again. 
As it tapers off, the other voice says, “Sounds like a real charmer! But really, you oughta be careful, Barn. One of these days someone’s gonna throw a right hook at ya.”
Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. A transatlantic accent? He hasn’t heard that anywhere outside of real old movies and a queen he once knew. It sounds natural too, like the man was born to sound like he belongs on a 1920s radio show. It nudges something in the back of Eddie’s mind. He’s started to get really sick of that nudge.
“Oh, this guy did.”
“No kidding? I don’t see a shiner.”
“Well, yeah. I went left.”
Both of them laugh again, and Eddie feels a tiny tug at the corner of his mouth. That wasn’t funny enough to garner an actual laugh in his opinion, but it wasn’t unfunny. 
Eddie steps up to the counter and quietly puts his acquired items on it, not wanting to interrupt. He chances a glance to the side - walking space in front of the counter’s length lets him see right down into the diner.
A large man with dyed-blue hair and an interesting fashion sense is at the bar, talking to an employee leaning against the other side. The employee doesn’t really catch Eddie’s gaze, but the other man… Eddie swears he’s seen him before. He studies him from the corner of his eye, not wanting to be rude but unable to mind his business. 
“Our bouncer didn’t even get a chance at the action - the idiot knocked himself out tryin’ a second swing!” The customer says. His deep voice, wavering with humor, only adds to the sense of familiarity. Metal glints in his right ear. Eddie knows this man from somewhere.
The employee shakes his head, tutting. His busy hands polish a vintage pitcher. “I swear, you get all the crazies.”
“Makes for a good story, though.” The customer takes a sip from his tall milkshake and scoffs. “Though if it wasn’t all well-ending, amusing bull, I doubt I’d be so tolerant.”
Minutes drag by as the two keep talking. Eddie goes from patiently waiting to awkwardly trying to get the employees attention. If only there was someone else behind the counter, but the only other staff member is elsewhere, likely still stocking shelves. 
The two men are too absorbed in their little world, even though both are facing Eddie’s way. The customer has both elbows on the counter, one of them bent to prop up his chin. The employee has his hip leaned against the edge as they chat. They’re obviously very familiar with each other, and clearly deeply enjoy each other's company. 
Still - and Eddie is sorry to say, but it’s bad customer service. He’s not in a rush, but he’d still like to be on his way home. He could be fishing out the complex keys right now. He checks his phone - he’s been here for nearly fifteen minutes. Picking out the items took less than five. 
Eddie sighs, staring at the various cigarette packs displayed behind the counter. He’s never seen the appeal in smoking, but as the laughter starts up again, he almost wishes he did. He’s going to treat himself to a very long shower once he gets home. 
The store’s other employee walks behind the counter, carrying a box. Eddie lights up. Finally - she pointedly clears her throat and heads into the back. 
The constant conversation stalls for the barest moment, and he looks over. The customer grins at him for a second - lord he’s handsome - before turning that grin towards his friend.
“You’re losin’ your touch, Howds,” he teases, bringing his shake straw to his lips.
“I resent that statement. You’re just distracting.”
“Lil’ me? Distracting? C’mon, you can just tell me I’m pretty to my face. I’ll take it like a champ, I swear!”
“Ha, good try.” The employee sets the pitcher down and starts to mosey in Eddie’s direction. “Your ego is big enough for the both of us as is. One more compliment and your head’ll pop like a balloon.”
“Well, given that most balloons don’t really pop, they just kinda deflate slowly-”
“Sorry for the wait!” the employee says loudly in a glaringly obvious customer service tone. He stops in front of Eddie with a cardboard smile. At the other end of the counter, the familiar man snickers and hides his grin behind his drink. “I trust you found everything you did - and didn’t! - need.”
Eddie just stares up at him for a moment. At six-one, Eddie hasn’t felt small in a very long time. He usually stands at least a full inch above other people. This employee - Howdy, his name tag states - has several more on him.
“Uh, y-yes, I uh, I did,” Eddie stammers, glancing at his items. 
“Wonderful! And again, my sincerest apologies for the delay. My friend makes a game out of keeping me from my job.” Howdy shoots his ‘friend’ a glare with enough heat in it to make an ice cube sweat. 
“No worries.”
Howdy scans the items at an almost frightening speed. Beep, into a paper bag. Beep, in. Beep, beep - “Oh, no.”
“What?” Eddie says, dread plucking at his ribs as Howdy holds the bran muffins and shakes his head. “Is there somethin’ wrong?”
“Indeed there is! You’re making a mistake with these. They’re absolutely horrible, I tell ya - and bad for you, too!” Howdy tuts and puts the box to the side. “No, no, you don’t want those.”
“I… don’t?”
“Not if you knew better! Lucky for you, I’m here to set you straight. What you need is-” he snaps his fingers, “Barnaby, be a pal and-”
“Already on it,” ‘Barnaby’ says, appearing next to Eddie.
If Eddie weren’t already paralyzed, he’d jump right out of his skin from how Barnaby towers over him. He has to be a scant inch or so shorter than Howdy, but he still makes Eddie feel tiny. Unfortunately, Barnaby is even more handsome up close. 
“Here ya go.” Barnaby hands a plastic container to Howdy and taps it, smiling lazily down at Eddie. “I’d take his advice on this one. Those bran-named muffins may sound fancy, but they’re pretty crumby! You want muffins of quality. Real breadwinners!
Eddie can’t help a soft laugh. “Breadwinners, heh, that’s a good one.”
“Are you selling these or am I?” Howdy says, raising a bushy eyebrow. 
“Hey, I’m just doin’ what you asked! I’m bein’ a pal.”
“And I - I’m sorry," Eddie interjects, "but you’re awfully familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Eh, I’ve been around, but uh… you ever been to [INSERT GAY BAR NAME HERE]?”
Howdy clears his throat. “I’m trying to make a sale here, Barn. You can flirt on your own dime when you’re not costing me mine.”
“Didja know your nose gets redder when you’re jealous?”
Howdy rolls his eyes and shoves Barnaby in the diner’s direction. Barnaby goes with a hearty snicker. Despite the joke, Eddie thinks it has some merit as Howdy scans the final item and rings him up, considerably frostier than before.
Belatedly, Eddie realizes that he didn’t actually agree to the different muffins. Too late now. “Say, what kind of muffins are those?”
“Poppyseed-lemon.”
Eddie relaxes - that is a lot better than boring bran. “Y’know, my mother loved poppyseed-lemon muffins.”
“Did she now,” Howdy drawls.
“Like you wouldn’t believe! If baking was so much as mentioned, she’d jump right on houndin’ us to whip some up for her, or send us to go buy some. We’d never even get a taste! They’d be gone the moment they hit the air, I tell ya.” Eddie chuckles. “Took me a while to understand what all the fuss is about, but man was she right. They are good!”
“Uh-huh. Well, we have a fresh batch delivered every morning. They’re not the same type every time, mind you, but I can promise that they’re all of the highest quality.”
“Breadwinners, right?” Eddie jokes. Howdy doesn’t blink, but Barnaby snorts. He’ll take it. “I might have to come by more often, if that’s the case! Thank you kindly, sir.”
“Mhm, have a good day.” Howdy hands him the bag and strides away without a glance. The dismissal is clear as day. “Say, Barn, did you hear about the racket one of those cult crackpots stirred up at our dear friend’s tearoom?”
Eddie doesn’t catch the tail-end of the sentence as he hurries away, but he frowns. Cult? What cult? There’s a cult? He certainly didn’t hear of one before moving here, and none of his background checks had turned up anything of the sort. He hopes it was just a figure of speech. 
The door chimes again as Eddie leaves. It isn’t until he’s in his car that the embarrassment of that whole exchange catches up with him. If he had a nickel for every time he’d made a fool of himself in front of a gorgeous, strangely familiar man, he’d have three nickels. At the rate he’s going, he’ll either be rich, or he’ll have to move. 
Eddie subtly tries to peek around the store’s window displays from the safety of his car. He catches a scant glimpse of blue hair - come to think of it, it’s a similar shade to Wally’s. But where Wally’s had, to Eddie’s memory, been uniformly dyed right down to his eyebrows, Barnaby’s rich brown roots were obvious. His beard and eyebrows weren’t dyed, either. 
As Eddie relaxes back into his seat, he re-reads at the store’s name. The color drains from his face and he barely restrains himself from slamming his forehead against the steering wheel.
Oh, of course. Of course he made a fool of himself in front of the owner. Eddie can never come back here again. And it was such a nice store…
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