No one flies like Gaston (Open)

Nick was worried. A rare occurrence, to be sure, but not wholly undeserved. After all, Gaston was sick. Now, Nick wasn't a particularly sentimental man by any means, and there were only two beings he held any kind of tender feelings for: Gaston, and Markus. One of whom was the bravest being he'd ever known, the other was his twin brother. As old as Gaston was, Nick knew it would simply be easier to bring him to someone who could put him to rest once and for all instead of making him suffer through such an illness.

Nick was loathe to do such a thing, though. Gaston was a perfect companion, and knew just what to do to cheer Nick up when he got into a mood. A strong bird, too, as eagle owls were known to be and Nick just knew Gaston wouldn't go down without a proper fight. So, here he was, in search of a tonic to help the old bird along in fighting off the illness.

Of course, Nick wasn't sure what exactly Gaston had, but the symptoms presented as a reluctance to eat, which he was sure was causing the missing feathers--none from his wings, thank Merlin. He drank plenty of water, but he refused treats when they were offered and never stole from Nick's plate as he used to. Nick could hear him wheezing occasionally, usually after attempting a particularly long flight. He was certain, though, that none of it was old age. At fifteen years, Gaston still had another five at least if he lived the average life-span. So, no, Nick refused to believe his precious Gaston was dying.

Nick turned his head when a man spoke, apparently asking him a question.  He hummed a noncommittal noise and shrugged. "Eagle owls are good for long distance or numerous flights." There was a sad note to his voice, but he did his best to keep it at bay. No need to trouble this man with his likely dying-but-he-won't-admit-it owl. Large owls as a rule were best for long distance.

The man did look a little familiar, but that hardly signified anything important given how interactive his job could be. Still, Nick didn't think he'd ever actually seen this man in person before, yet his face was familiar. With a sigh, Nick shook his head at the ridiculous thought and returned to browsing the various tonics available for owl-care. "I'm Nick, by the way. Nicholas Hellridge." He spoke without looking at the man, which was probably impolite, but Nick wasn't in the mood for being polite at the moment.

Nick blinked as he tried to place the name. But while he knew it was familiar, he couldn't place when or where he'd heard it. With a shrug, he shook it off and nodded shortly in greeting.

Pointers? About eagle owls? Oh, Nick had plenty. But by recalling them he'd be recalling his time with Gaston, and that would certainly make his already despondent mood worse. Death was a fact of life, Nick knew. But he had hoped--rather childishly--that Gaston would stay for a long while and beat the odds. It seemed that the only one who could stay was Mark, but they hadn't spoken in person for too long. Nick didn't even know what he did for a living.

He huffed to himself. "Depends on the owl, really. Eagle owls are largely nocturnal, but then most owls are so that's hardly a distinction. They like small mammals and reptiles and even fish on occasion. I'm no expert, though. I've only got one reference point, after all." One can become a bit...used to certain behaviors after twelve years of friendship. Nick hadn't paid much attention in Care of Magical Creatures, too preoccupied with the actual magic classes to care for such mundane things as Creatures.

Nick chuckled lightly, "You would be correct. I don't work here, but I do own an eagle owl of my own," he tried to sound as cheerful as possible about the fact, but he still thought a little sadness seeped into his voice. "He's just gone fifteen years, actually." No need to burden the man with his sob-story of his likely dying owl. "I've heard they can live up to twenty years, though, so that's what I'm hoping for." Highly unlikely, but he would hold out hope until the day that bird died.

"Is this your first owl?" Given the man's apparent lack of knowledge about owls, it was highly likely it was his first. Odd, that a man his age never owned an owl before, but Nick wasn't about to question it. It wasn't his business to pry and Nick would likely be just as clueless when he began searching for a new owl.