Asher Moore | Monochrome

Snow had been falling for the past two days, layering up and creating a seven inch collection across the ground. Roads had been salted, and plowed, clearing the way for traffic as people went back and forth; work, shopping, visiting, just getting out to stretch their legs- like a two-day snowfall had been too long. But the sky above still held promise of more to come, the clouds a deep, but not dark, grey. Maybe that was why people seemed so eager to be out and about, scurrying out like the world would freeze if it snowed any more.

For Asher, this was an absolutely beautiful day. He could look outside and admire the length of untouched snow outside his house, and the glare of the crystals didn't blind him. He barely had to squint. The sidewalk was buried, his own walkway to the street indiscernible from the rest of his yard. The road had already been plowed- though, with the late time Asher tends to wake up, it wasn't surprising they'd already been by to let everyone out with better peace of mind.

His tea poured with steam that rose and curled around in the air beneath his chin as it rested on the windowsill. Those tendrils wafted the scent of honey up to him, as he'd poured a "reasonable" amount into the drink. Bits of frost on the window thawed from the heat, slowly turning back to water the longer he sat there. There was no rush in any part of him; many would call it "late", but this was his morning time, and he had nowhere to be. Not really. His desk would call for him later, numbers awaiting his analysis, but it would wait for him.

He'd only been awake long enough to use the toilet, do his morning stretches, make and consume his breakfast of oatmeal with slices of banana chopped in, a few blueberries dropped atop, a slice of buttered toast on the side, and a glass of orange juice. Now, his tea to settle his breakfast, which he would drink slowly as it cooled, while he sat in the armchair by the window, getting the semi-rare chance to look outside without his sunglasses on. He usually had to sit on the couch with his blinds drawn shut, like they almost always were, and zone out a bit while his food settled.

After he'd had his fill (of the tea, not the view), Asher got up and put his cup in the kitchen sink, then made his way upstairs to his room. There wasn't really a need to get dressed, since he was primarily inside most of the time, but it gave him a bit of energy when he dresses for the day, so the task was at hand. It didn't have to be serious, but something aside from his pajamas would be beneficial to him getting work done. And, if the sky stayed darkened and full, there was a chance he could take a walk through the park later and enjoy it without glasses for a short while.

---

As asked of him, Asher created a budgeting and investment plan for one of his clients. It sounded like he was attempting a "get rich quick" dream without realizing this was better done over the course of years and not days, but Asher's job was just to figure out the best course of action following the request. Most of his other tasks for the day were even easier; one retirement plan that he'd already nearly finished, organizing finacial statements, and cleaning up his own records to keep them clean and organized.

It was all he had on his tasks list for the day. His busiest time of year had just past- the end of the year, with everyone looking to plan for the next year with better finacial standing and for their Christmas budgeting targets. Now? Now it would be more even and easy for awhile, until tax season. That left the rest of his day to himself, far more time than he expected, even with his short list.

So, the excursion potential still in the back of his mind came forward again, and his clothes were nearly tripled. It's almost freezing outside, and Asher would rather be pale than blue. Though, blue was about the only natural color he had to him. Now, he'd don mostly black, to attract warmth and avoid much attention. The plan was for a walk, to not be an attraction. And, though the overhanging clouds remained, he tucked one of his many pairs of sunglasses in his pocket, enclosed in a case to protect them. Just in case the light got too bright; he knew he'd look a bit too covered, having dressed head-to-toe in black, including over his face, but he wasn't going to risk his health just to appease others with a view of his face. He might be dressed like a robber, but that wasn't the intent!

Between himself and one of the nearest parks, one that he likes quite a lot, is a few blocks of other houses, a gas station outside the neighborhood, a small but packed collection of stores and food chain buildings pushed together, and then the park off behind them. It was the second closest to where he lives, but the one that was the closest... it often had many children around and in it. Though he didn't particularly hate children, they could be rather unfiltered. They stared more than any other age group, and never held their tongues- calling out about his differences. This park was always much quieter, it had no playground in it, and it generally seemed less trafficked.

Stretches of snow surrounded him on his trip, some disturbed, most not. It was a lot of snow, over half a foot, and not a lot of people were out walking around. And those that were were typically just going through more of the areas they had to; work, maybe the stores, that sort of thing. Not a park. But it was beautiful, dim enough that the crystals glistened without blinding, and the top layer was soft and fluffy, kicking around his boots with each sinking step. The lower layers were packed down, even frozen, which kept his feet from sinking all the way down.

Late nights were normal for Asher. In fact, it was when he was most active; he'd developed into a night owl early into his life, and being as he was schooled at home, he was able to do things on his own schedule for a lot of it, and it stayed as his normal routine. For someone who has a reasonable hesitation with sunlight, night time was optimal for getting things done, and just generally being awake to experience most of his life.

It also meant he found his way into late-night lobbies of video games pretty often. He even streams, sometimes; though he never shows his face, never has done a facecam or "reveal". To him, it's not about the fact he has albinism, and he doesn't want other people to think it is or have it draw anyone in. He just wants to enjoy the games, and other people to feel the same way, not tune in because he's different because of the way he looks.

In multiple of the [you choose the game] lobbies ended up in throughout his time playing it, Asher came across the same person. The same username would appear, not always as a randomly assigned teammate, but in the match in general. When they were teammates, though, their voice was one of the view that wasn't screaming, blown out, awful quality, or just talking nonsense; in other words: one of the few that was helpful.

The friend request came after one of their teamed matches. While Asher didn't pounce on it (primarily because he was streaming), he did accept it after he'd ended the stream, just before he closed the game. From then on, he ran his private sessions with them as a partner, if they were on, cueing up as a pair, either in duos or waiting for two other randoms to fill out a full four-person team. When he streamed, he went solo; not to exclude them, but because he'd not revealed he streams his games half the time, and doesn't want to push them into the streams without them knowing.

He didn't know their real name, and didn't have to. He went by Ivory_Eclipse on most platforms where he was anonymous, though the repeat watchers he had started calling him "clips" on account of how well he seemed to do in certain situations during games, which made good clips for people to take from the video. It was also an easier thing to type as a hype in his chat.

That kind of friendship went really well, and he thought it would always be that simple; someone to play a few rounds with, and have mostly game commentary with. However, when they went offline for more than a day or two, which gradually became over a week, and then two, he started to realize he was actually worried. Worried about the person he hardly knew; they'd never gone offline this long since they'd started matching up in games together, even by accident before the friend request, and that had been going on for... half a year, apparently. He hardly knew anything about them, but they had still become a friend.

After three full weeks of absence, their profile sparked online again. They were back, and almost right away jumped into a match. Asher's cursor hovered over the "Invite To Party" button, hesitating to offer such a move and reveal he'd noticed instantly. And, usually they were the one to initiate the party, so he waited. Waited to see what they would do.

It came two matches later; the invite. This time, he didn't hesitate, accepting when it popped up, and placed into the lobby alongside their character. The communication was silent, not a hello like usual... At least not at first. But, after a few moments, after assuming something was still wrong, it came. Something crackled briefly, unusually for their typical quality, before it came through crystal clear like it used to, and the familiar greeting slid through his headphones.

From their own offering, as Asher hesitated to ask, he found out the cause of the absence: they'd moved houses, to a whole new city, and it took them this long to comfortably settle in and start playing some of their games again. It was a surprising offering of information, given that they never really talked much before other than about the game itself. But at the same time, it was comforting to know his friend was okay, and nothing bad had befallen them; they just needed some time to handle their move.

—

And that knowledge now came to his mind like a shot. He was out, on one of his rare trips to get something himself; usually he'd order it and have it delivered to his home, but this seemed like something too simple to have ordered. It was two items, and having it delivered would be a waste of time to the delivery driver, honestly. He'd run out of milk... And he'd suddenly gained a craving for a chocolate cereal, which only started when he got to the store.

But the craving was second on his mind, now. That crystal-clear mic had given Asher a lot of depth to his friend's voice, able to hear a lot of tone and inflection. A lot of which he could swear he was hearing just one aisle over, conversing with what seemed to be an employee, based on the way the voice was asking for directions to where some items may be found.

He didn't even have a basket. He was standing in the middle of the cereal aisle, wearing his thicker coat, dressed head-to-toe in black, topped off with a mask, beanie, and sunglasses against the fluorescent lighting from above. His eyes had stilled, no longer reading the labels for the cereals, his focus on listening to the voice. That... couldn't be them, right? Of all cities they'd supposedly moved to, this was highly unlikely. Impossible. It's just a coincidence, surely; someone sounds like them and he'd never crossed their path before, and he doesn't get out much so that was a very real possibility.

It wasn't like they'd recognize him. Not unless he spoke, and if they happened to recognize him in return. Assuming it was them, after all. They'd never exchanged real names, and never pictures, just game lobbies and chatter that was usually game-oriented. But... should he go and find out, or ignore it as pure coincidence?

Unlike a lot of people, Asher had taken steps to prepare for the winter storm before it had arrived. He'd stocked his cabinets with what he'd needed; ranging from food to the possibility of needing candles for a bit of time if it happened that the neighborhood lost power. So, when the storm blew through, he had been settled in and comfortable.

When it came across the area, the expected levels of snow and sleet had been marked around half a foot, collectively, and there had been major warnings about the potential of ice freezing the powerlines, and that people should prepare their homes for that possibility. Keep blankets handy, and potentially have alternative ways to make food; pre-made or easy to prepare with something as simple as a camping stove, if necessary. It had caused quite a stir, and frightened people.

Thankfully, there was no power outage, at least not in his area, and he hadn't heard of any in the surrounding area either. Only a flicker across the city, but nothing that settled and stretched out. The total collection of snow and ice had come out to about seven inches, covering absolutely everything. Burying everything, in fact. Crews were set to work in force, plows sent to clean the main roads again and then work on more side roads and residential streets. A few people in his neighborhood dared to go outside to try and shovel their walkways, clearing a path to the sidewalk and the street, or their driveways, maybe both.

However, Asher wasn't quite so desperate to get back outside. He didn't run out of anything through the storm, and the days following it, and didn't feel as trapped as most people did; he was used to being in his home a lot. Though, his father did come by to clear away some of the snow from around his porch and the walkway, being concerned and loving that he was, as well as technically being Asher's "landlord".

It was three days after the initial storm had cleared that he made an order for a few items; things he couldn't buy a bunch of in advance and keep without spoil. Like milk, for one. He'd bought two gallons, but he also drinks milk daily, and uses it in cooking. He also needed some more eggs, as he'd not bought as many before the storm and had used them all in his cooking and his breakfasts. Baking had done well for him, and kept the kitchen pretty warm for awhile, but he'd used up a few things.

With his list of maybe half a dozen things missing, and another dozen of things he was nearly out of or wanted to add, he put through an online order to have it delivered, as he does most of his groceries. He doesn't have a car, doesn't even have a license, so ordering things is far easier for him than carrying a lot of things, and it kept him from having to deal with the crowds and the staring. The crowds of people had calmed down a bit by then, and he didn't live too far from nearby stores that it made it a hassle for anyone accepting the delivery to get from those stores to his house.

The delivery itself took maybe half an hour, forty-five minutes. He didn't watch the time, knowing that someone will knock eventually, or at least a phone notification will tell him his delivery arrived. He'd gotten used to this, he'd been doing it for years, and had learned the best apps to use, the best time of day to order depending on which day of the week, and how to get certain coupons or rewards for his continued use of the service.

The only difference this time from his usual deliveries came when he went to bring the items inside. He has a set place where most of the deliveries are left, it's set aside by the door and is basically exactly for this reason; when you do it as often as he does, you create easier ways for things to go as smoothly as possible. This time, however, was different. Most delivery persons would put the "Delivered" status through after getting back to their car, and he would often see them driving away, or no sign of them at all, by the time he got to the door.

This time, he opened his door to find someone standing there. He froze. Not just the actual cold air sweeping into his house, but the fact he wasn't expecting to see someone, simply reaching outside to grab the armload of bags. To make it worse, it was one of his very casual days in, since he had no work today, and expected no company or sightings. He was in slippers, and a Totoro onesie. Hood up and everything. Color reached his face, unlike his typical pale skin, and it was not simply the cold.

Asher had lived at home with his parents until he turned twenty two. He'd been earning his own money since he was 17, though it had started through completing commissions online (he was very talented with Photoshop, and making 3D models, having had more than a lot of time to explore these talents as an adolescent). It had upgraded into creating 3D printed models after he had gotten a 3D printer as a graduation gift, so he'd started to make and ship items he'd created for a fee.

When he found an actual job, it was of course online, and involved book-keeping. Experience in keeping his own records gave him an early upper-hand, and he'd learned that it was one of the easiest skills for him to utilize. Numbers, organizing and managing, quickly became his primary focus. Now he's an accountant, often hired to file taxes for others, create budgets, offer investment plans, and organize his own records of everything, of course.

But, despite his progress and success, he rented his home instead of starting out with a mortgage. His knowledge of good financial steps would make him a good candidate for dealing with what he could afford, but renting out homes was something his father (Garfield) was very familiar with. When he moved out of his family's home, it was into a house his father had bought and rented to him, and it was still that way. By now, he could afford to buy the house from his father, but the way things were made his father happy. It gave him excuses (though he didn't need them) to pop by and check in on his son and "see if he needed anything fixed".

His father owned multiple other properties, owned them long before the house Asher lived in, and rented them out to other people. He had a knack for property management, and Asher was happy to lend a hand with the finances if any problems arose. But, he wasn't used to being a "hands-on" kind of help. However, he'd gotten a call from his father the previous evening, and was asked for a favor: if he could help with moving someone into one of those properties.

The day had been set for over a month, this tenant was moving in on this date, and everything was ready for them. The problem wasn't being unprepared- it was the weather predictions that had come in and held up as the date approached. A snow storm was in the way, and it would likely be hitting the afternoon that they were supposed to be moving in. That was a clear problem for the person moving in; everything had to be in the house that day, before the snow got too heavy, or they might not be able to get anything else from their hauler truck for multiple days, and the fees for it would rise for having it gone extra time.

Though it wasn't something Asher was used to, he agreed, knowing that if his father was asking then it was important to him to have done. He could understand the urgency; moving was enough stress, and he had only done it once, with full help from his parents. So, with the added pressure, he could assume it wasn't a comforting thought knowing a snow storm was lurking around the corner when trying to get boxes and possibly furniture moved into a whole new place.

Asher dressed himself in nice, warm layers, his typical attire for traveling out in the cold winter weather. Boots, insulated pants, a sweater and a four-layered coat, a scarf, a mask over his lower face, a beanie, and a pair of sunglasses in a protective case tucked in his pocket just in case. His father came by, picked him up in his truck, and the pair drove to the property to wait for the tenant. To make things easier, his father unlocked the house and turned on some lights, so everything could start right away. He'd only just gotten it done when a moving van carefully backed into the driveway. They were here.

While his father went to greet them, Asher stood a bit awkwardly near the top of the driveway. He wasn't much for social interactions, he was just here to help, but he had to wait for the back to be unlocked to access the contents. He just hoped that whoever it was could manage to not stare at him and his differences and focus on the task. He was a little jaded with in-person interactions, given that people always lingered on him as some kind of oddity.