Second hand

"All the more reason to treat yourself." She smirked. Jo was a firm believer in buying whatever your heart desired even if it only gave you a little bit of satisfaction. She didn't believe in the whole, you have to make earn twice as much in order to treat yourself. That was dumb logic in her opinion. "Oh, that just sounds like trouble." She nodded. Jo was competitive and a house of men? "Chaos waiting to happen but any favorites?"

"Oh, I've got no problem on that account." Noa shook her head. She was a little to kind to herself sometimes, stretching her wallet beyond it's capabilities. She smiled as Jo clocked how much trouble a handful of cocksure men could be. "Sometimes, the trouble is the fun of it, right? You don't have to go fancy. I've seen wars declared over a game of Old Mary and Jenga."

An amused smile slid across Lena's face when Noa volunteered to be her guard dog, knowing that there was no one who could do the job better. Except for… "I'm imagining you and Tarot going toe to toe to chase out bad people," which actually was a pretty funny visual. Maybe not so much for the people who were being chased away, but they could probably get some amusement out of being chased by a dog named Tarot in a metaphysical shop, too. He could be the little mascot. "Oh!" brightening at the suggestion, she couldn't help but to feel a jolt of excitement, "that would be so fun, actually! Especially for the holiday market -- I mean, we'll be open for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday as a sort of dry run, but I'd love to have fun displays for the market to really draw people in. And I can brag about how my bestie came through with the hook-up, but that means you have to leave some cards here for me to give out to people."

"Tarot couldn't guard a feather." Noa shook her head at the imagery. Tarot, like most golden retrievers, was made up of fluff and goodwill. He was more likely to beg belly rubs off an intruder than to bark at one. He kept her afloat in times when she could have slipped into melancholy. She nodded, "I'll always come through for you. Just send me a text the day before on how many tables you need and I'll get them there." She kicked up off the counter then, walking among the shop and running her hands over the shelves. "Is this what you wanted growing up, Lena? Your own shop? Your own little kingdom?"

Who: Jordyn & Open (0/4)

Noa shuffled some of her shopping bags onto one arm as she fiddled with the lid of her hot cocoa. She was typically very good at shopping for friends, but she'd fallen behind this year and come to the market to catch up. "I work alone mostly, so I'm not the best advice," she cautioned, "but I imagine you guys have downtime at the station right? You could buy some communal games for the lot of them maybe."

"Yes, you did, it's why you are the absolute best," because if anything could be motivating, it was a good drink and sugary donuts. But then again, Elena was of the opinion that sugar could make anything and everything better. That was why she spent so much time in the kitchen baking, after all. "Yeah, that's true," she smiled at the thought, being close to friends, knowing that there were other business owns right there in Hideaway Market that she knew, too; Cage over at Creekside, Mandy at the paint and sip, all the friends she had at Collab who sold their goods… it would be okay. "Although I do love the idea of you just coming in, stomping across the floor and firing someone if it doesn't work out. I'd say let them down gently, but," that would be defeating the purpose. Reaching for one of the donuts, she took a bite and nodded thoughtfully, glancing around the shop. "I think I want to put even more emphasis on accessibility. People love crystals, but they don't necessarily want things that are going to just collect dust or, worse, have to be dusted around. Maybe more jewelry pieces? Things with practical uses?"

"I just know you babe." She crossed her legs as she took a sip from her drink. It was sweet enough to make her jaw ache and perfect for the job ahead. She loved brainstorming and organizing on a sugar rush, more often than not the result was half-manic and half-genius. There was nothing but pride in her chest for what her friend had accomplished. "Let me play the villain," she said. "Or better yet your guard dog! Any day, I'll show up with my tool belt in hand if there is any trouble. Speaking of which -" She looked around, "I could get you some tables, all authentic antiques, for displays and the like." She had a build-up recently of ones that weren't rare enough for shows. "I'd love to see some jewelry about."

"Spoken like a true best friend," Elena said with a light laugh, because there was no way that Noa was going to let her feel anything other than lifted up and… crazy, but in a good way. In a loved and wholesome kind of way. "And you do love me, since you brought me treats," she stepped up to the counter, picking up the matcha and taking a long sip, feeling herself almost instantly calm… a little bit, anyway. "It's just kind of surreal, you know?" she leaned her back against the counter, "one second I'm working here, and the next thing I know, I'm filing all the paperwork as the new owner. Thankfully Amina left immaculate records, and I've been doing this long enough that I got the gist, but… my tummy's all in knots every time I think about something going wrong."

"I brought motivation," Noa said. She grabbed one of the donuts (glazed) and took a bite. The crumbs she caught in her upturned hand, she knew Lena wouldn't toss her out for getting things a little messy, but she wasn't going to spoil the counter top. "I think you're ready," she spoke honestly. "And obviously Amina has confidence in you. It will be different, it will be challenging but I'm a door away. And if you ever hire some no good employee I'll do the firing for you. Always wanted that kind of power." She leaned back again. "I know the last thing you want to think about right now is risks, but you should change up some things. Leave your stamp on it."

WHO: Elena & @noa-markam

She was sitting on the checkout counter, matcha and donuts obtained before heading on over. Her head kept on rewriting the shop from the place her friend worked at to the place Lena ran. "Sanity's kind of overrated, right?" she said it with a lilt to her voice, tilting her head to the side and smiling. "I wouldn't love you this much if you didn't have a little craziness inside you." She took a look around the shop she knew so well - the wares, the organization. "You've got to own this one Lena. Make it your own. All this is yours now."

Location Pinned at: Vibrations With: Everyone (0/5)

Noa knew a bad decision from a mile away. She was a bad decision. Ill-advised from day one. She knew how to trip into one with a sheer black dress and how to invite one with heels sharper than a knife's point. Vibrations was alive tonight and the playlist was hitting and she had just enough tequila in her veins to decide that going home alone might not be in the cards.

"There's nothing wrong with phoning in the work if you are busy," Noa said with a shrug. She was biased when it came to who she thought could pull of hot and cute at the same time. She took a sip from her drink, pulling her sweater tighter around herself. "I think I will. I think I'm going to be one of those people who pairs their costume to their partner."

Who: Taryn & Open (0/6)

As the daughter of someone who'd like to dabble in fortunes, Noa was no stranger to the aesthetic. She'd thought of dressing Tarot up as a witch, but after his most recent grooming session she had only one proper idea in her head. With his little Mario costume in place, complete with hat, he'd been stealing all the attention. (And she'd been happy to let him lap it up)

"Contemplating what?" He asked. When she said it was a different vibe, Mason chuckled. "Yeah, okay. I'll go with that." He nodded at her question. Mason wasn't indecisive per say, but he hated wearing the same costume every year. "Yeah, already did him five years ago actually. Not sure I can pull off corny, maybe sexy for something different." He used the term different very loosely. "Gotta keep people on their toes."

"Work," she waved a hand. It was boring to discuss with anyone not in the field. One of the few people she'd actually managed to talk about antiques with was Darrius. She nodded as he mentioned his previous costumes. "Well, sexy isn't hard to pull off. Whatever you land on just raise the hem of your shorts a few inches or ditch the shirt." She took a sip from her coffee. "You could make it sneaky sexy. Appropriate on the streets and then modify it when you hit vibrations . . . if you're going."

"And that's why I don't watch hockey . . .or go to their games. At least during football there isn't a chance the ball is going to come barreling toward your head." And you weren't shoved into a freezer. She shook her head as Tristan guessed her team. "Nah, I'm a Pats fan. I just dated a girl who used to be big on the Jags. Seeing them suck year in and year out gives me a sweet sort of satisfaction." With a sip of her drink, she turned toward Tristan. "Not to mention baseball's just getting good. You thinking of joining any local sport's leagues?"

Tristan couldn't help but laugh, "It's not like we're aiming for the fans when a puck goes flying towards the stands, plus, there's plexiglass chances of actually getting hit by one is pretty rare. Being right near the glass when a fight breaks out -- that's a bigger chance." Which he was pretty sure that a lot of people ended up showing up more for the fights these days then the game. "Oof the Pats?" He couldn't resist the face, "Heading for the World Series soon enough. Shit luck for the Yankees they have this wonderful habit of pulling it together just to choke at the end the last several years." Glancing up with beer in hand, "Maybe a hockey league, get myself back out on the ice."

"I'm sure they've tightened security at the games, but when I was little . . . it could get a little intense at the ice rink." She'd gone with a family cousin, a stand-in father figure. It had been a horrible experience all around. She sat a little straighter at Tristan's face. "You got a better team than the Pats? More Superbowl rings? More playoff berths?" Sure they kind of sucked now, but to everything there was a time. She took another sip of her drink and shrugged. "Late season collapses is par for the course with New York teams. They can't handle the pressure. But that's good. Getting back to some old habits and basics now that you are home and comfortable."

Who: Vince & open!

"Scared?" Noa lifted an eyebrow as she looked to Vince. She had a strong stomach for this season, a practicality and don't blink mentality. The Merrock corn maze had stopped being truly scary sometime in her late teens. "You can stick with me if you'd like. I've got a good head for directions." She smiled. "And I'm not too proud to stop and ask for directions. Or text a boyfriend to come rescue me."

Who: Mason & Open When: October 2025 Where: The Fun Spot

"I'm not frowning," Noa said, sitting a little straighter, "I'm contemplating." Some years, after the rush of summer, she could get a little too into her head. She often returned to her projects and realized that they'd been neglected a little too much over the warmer months. "It's a whole different vibe." She took a sip from her coffee as she raised an eyebrow. "Costume suggestions? What do you want? Corny? Sexy? Funny? I'm always a fan of a little Princess Bride Westley, but I can admit he's just your basic pirate outfit really."

"This season?" she asked curiously. The season had just started and Mika had clearly not been keeping up with the first few games. When Noa stated that she was a Patriots fan, Mika nodded in understanding. "That does sound accurate," she chuckled.

"The season can get wild quickly," Noa said with a laugh. "More drama than an episode of reality television crammed into one Sunday football game." There was a whole universe of deeper fans and lore than even she could imagine. "The best thing you can say about me," she lifted her drink, "is that I'm not a fair weather fan."

"See, you think that's gonna win you points, but it won't," Che said, half teasing. "Because there's two things you need to know about me." He paused, taking a drink. "One, I love to give my friends shit. It's my favorite hobby and two." Another pause, this one for dramatic effect. "I know fuckall about sports."

"Oh, I'm way past trying to win points Che." She laughed taking a sip of her drink and then leaning back against her barstool. There was a time when she worried about what others thought of her relationship, but as the year began to fade so too had her anxiety. "Bears fans do have a good culture. They're tough. They have to be. Cold weather, terrible offense, such is the life." She smiled. "I think that's where half of Dare's toughness comes in."