Who: Ezra and Maizie Where: same window as before What: guitars, gifts, and the possibility of meeting face-to-face When: 9/9/18, around 6:30PM
Ezra hadn’t been far away from the LBJ. He sort of had been trying to keep himself closer to it in general, even if he couldn’t clock why. Maybe he just kept getting drawn back there, and even his subconscious felt like if he was closer, he could get there faster.
Either way, he wanted to see Maizie again. He liked talking to her over the messages and all, but he wanted to see her. And he had something for her, but really, that was secondary. He liked her, and wanted to hear her voice.
So, he started on his way, to get there. It was evening, so he was thinking after a while at least he’d be harder to spot as the sun disappeared. When he walked up to where she’d indicated, he glanced up at the window, and tossed a little pebble at the glass.
It was frustrating, in some ways, that Maizie and Ezra could only talk to each other through a window. In a non-zombie world they could've hung out at the mall or something, except that in a non-zombie world she still would've had a super overprotective dad, and Ezra still would've had his twin sister, and they probably wouldn't have known each other at all. So they were stuck with the shitty, zombie-riddled world, but at least they'd managed to become friends. And Maizie was really looking forward to seeing Ezra again.
The room that held their secret meeting place was, thank goodness, not occupied at the moment. Maizie knew she couldn't count on having the place to herself every time she wanted it, but the fact that it had worked out so far was pretty sweet. She closed the door and dropped her bag to block it in a way that would hopefully slow down, just a little, anyone who might wander in. There was a second bag too, because of course she'd been hanging onto a few things she thought Ezra might be able to use. This she brought over with her while she opened the window a crack as a sign, just in case he had any trouble finding the right place again.
Maizie had only been waiting in the room for maybe two minutes when she heard something hit the glass. Already grinning, she opened the window the rest of the way and leaned out. It was getting pretty shadowy out there, with the sun low in the sky, but she still didn't have any trouble making out a familiar figure on the ground below. "Ezra! You're here! Oh, it's really, really good to see you."
When he saw her, he smiled. It was a big, boyish sort of expression, and conveyed that he was happy to see her. Very happy to see her. It was a stark contrast to how he'd been in the interview. He'd tried to clean up, finding himself newer clothes. He looked almost normal. Really, only the bag he had with him and the nail bat threw the image off.
“Hi,” he said, giving a nearly shy wave. Then he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, eyes glancing to her wrists to see if she was wearing the bracelet he'd given her. “It's great to see you too,” he said. “I um...how are you?” he asked, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, a nervous gesture from his old self.
This marked the first time that Maizie had ever really seen Ezra smile. She knew he didn't do it often, and that made her feel privileged, or something like it, that he felt relaxed enough to let her witness it. Not that she was going to draw attention to it, or do anything that might run the risk of the expression retreating again. But maybe she could draw it out a little more.
Returning his half-wave (and, yes, there was the bracelet clasped around her left wrist), she said, "Better. Not great yet, but I feel more like myself than I did before."
The downward-looking angle meant her hair was almost always in the way, and Maizie tucked it back before continuing. "You look nice. I hope that means you've been ok too? I try not to worry, since you can take care of yourself and all, but." She shrugged. It was still a dangerous world, and she probably wasn't going to stop worrying any time soon.
He blushed, even if he didn't quite know why. God, did he have a crush on her? It was sort of falling into place for him that he might. Or at the very least, her opinion was important to him, and therefore her compliment got the blush. “Thanks,” he said. “I uh, I decided I needed some new clothes,” he said. And even if he didn't understand his motivations fully, they were a step in the right direction. Him caring about something like that instead of just the next drawn breath was a good thing.
“But you still worry. I get it,” he said, nodding. “I won't complain, this time.” It actually felt nice, he felt cared about. And by someone who wasn't obligated to do so, like Emilie had been. Even if he knew that hadn't been why Emilie had cared about him, still, it was a nice feeling, with Maizie. “I got you another ipod,” he told her, digging it out of his back pocket. It was an older looking model, though he'd never had the money for a proper one himself, so he didn't know when it was from exactly. He'd found it with the charger, though, not that he knew if they were compatible with anything else anyway. But still, he held it up, and smiled again. “Can't wait to find out what's on it,” he said.
He had another present for her too, but was nervous yet, and didn't mention it. He would, he just had to work up to it. “And I'm okay, I think. Still thinking about...” he gestured toward the building then looked back up at her. “...can you tell me more about what it's like in there?”
Maizie almost said automatically that it wasn't complaining, what he did, but she understood. He probably thought about that stuff all the time, and it was nice to get a break from it when he could. She was just as happy talking about ipods anyway, and the new one that Ezra showed her made her eyes light up.
"I charged the first one!" It was tucked in with the supplies she'd gathered for him, along with a set of earbuds, since she intended to let Ezra take it with him. You couldn't just chuck an ipod out a second-story window and hope for the best, though, so Maizie had come up with a makeshift way for them to exchange things too, as long as they were small. "I hope you like classic rock, like Boston and Led Zeppelin and bands like that. Because there's a lot of it."
It kind of surprised her to hear that he wanted to know more about the LBJ, but, well, that was topic that she knew a ton about, for once. And Maizie was happy to share. "Sure, I can tell you anything you wanna know."
Where to begin? She tapped her fingers on the windowsill while she thought. "Well, it's kinda crowded. I mean, we all usually get along alright but there are a lot of us, so that means everyone's got a roomie or two." Or eight, but Liv and Nadia stayed in one of the larger exhibit halls. They weren't all right on top of each other or anything. "But it's like a really big family. Savannah's in charge -- she was my dad's girlfriend, so she stepped up after he was killed. And she's ... fair. I really think she wants to keep everyone safe."
There were a lot of things about living in the library that might feel constraining to someone like Ezra, who wasn't used to having to answer to anybody. Maizie didn't want to focus on that, though. Nobody liked all the rules, but they kept the residents safe. Luckily there were a lot of good points too, and even just thinking about them brought a smile to Maizie's face. "There's classes, sometimes, and a clinic. We're even working on setting up an honest-to-god lending library. It's a community and a home, more than it is just a shelter."
Ezra laughed. “I do, actually, so that works,” he said, when she mentioned what music was on it. “I can't wait,” he added, and that was true. Listening to music was something he was dying to do, now that he was starting to ease into the idea that he might have a future of some description. Sure, it went in fits and starts, sometimes he felt like he ought to just go back to the tunnels, and let Emilie kill them both, but other times, like when he walked toward the LBJ and gazed at it, thinking about having a place to sleep that someone else was keeping guard of, having food that came regularly, water. Precious water. He'd be able to shower.
He'd be able to talk to Maizie. In person. He'd get to find out if she smelled like shampoo, like he imagined she did.
He pushed the thoughts he figured were inappropriate out of his head and lounged back against a sign on the sidewalk, eyes up on her as she spoke. When she said it was crowded, his face fell a little. If there were too many people, why add to that? It'd be one more mouth to feed. But he didn't interrupt her at all, letting her get through it.
The idea of family was weird for him. His own family was fucked up beyond the telling. Both parents had been addicts of different natures, emotionally abusive, self involved dickheads. Then there was he and Emilie. They'd been sorta normalish before the fall, but afterwards... They'd found comfort in each other, and he was oh so very aware that if anyone civilized found that out that they'd be sickened. He got that. And at the same time he wasn't actually ashamed. He loved her. Still did, despite everything. But yeah, her mentioning family had his brain spinning in all kinds of directions.
Family to other people seemed to mean good things, and he got that from context with Maizie's descriptions. A community. A home. When she was finished, he considered it all. “What would I do in there? Where would I stay?” he asked.
This was really the kind of conversation Maizie wished they could be having on the same level, rather than from window above to grounds below. Her explanations might not be doing the job, or her persuasive skills either, but she felt like, if she could just see Ezra, that would help. It was a mistake to be emotionally invested in someone else's decision, but it was kinda way past too late for that piece of wisdom to do any good. It had been too late ever since that first time she'd made the offer to put in a good word for him just because, for one split second, he'd made her think of Dad at his lowest. Now, of course, they were friends, and Maizie had never been good at being detached when it came to her friends.
She bit her lip as she shifted to lean her upper body against the side of the window. While she talked, Maizie kept an eye on Ezra's reactions, waiting to see if anything looked like it might be hitting him the wrong way. "We take in people more often than you might think, so we've got the whole system down pat. Usually there's a quarantine for anyone new to the shelter -- I might've mentioned that before -- but the rooms are comfortable, and I'd convince the people in charge to let me come see you." Somehow. That was for her to worry about, not Ezra.
“After that, you stay in one of the living areas, but nobody really cares where you sleep as long as it’s not restricted or in someone’s way. Like this room.” She gestured back at the space behind her, though of course he couldn’t see it. “Just me here right now, so this would probably work. And everybody pitches in to help the shelter in some way, but you can do pretty much whatever you have a knack for: scouting, repairs, whatever.”
Pausing, Maizie tilted her head to the side as she considered an option that hadn't occurred to her before. "You know, if you have any kind of picture ID left from before, that'd be enough to sign in and take a look at the place." After all, she'd been allowed to walk Isaac all over, and Liv had brought in Josh. Those had both been thanks to badges issued by other shelters, but any ID oughta do.
He watched her, and kept listening to it all, trying to picture how he would fit into the scenario she'd described. He thought about quarantine, and that it was nice that she'd come see him. He wanted to see her properly. This was good and all, but he wanted to be nearer to her.
He wasn't sure how well he would do in there. Mostly due to having so much social interaction and what seemed like not a lot of quiet time. But maybe he could get that in a job? She'd mentioned scouting. That he might be able to do well. He did it all the time for himself, so it wouldn't be different from what he was doing. Just, he'd have a place to sleep at night, and someone who cared about him close by.
It was one hell of a draw. He shook his head at the last part, though. “Sorry, I lost that...” he didn't even know how long ago. “I don't know. Not long after everything went to hell. Is there any other way?” he asked.
"I don't know," Maizie admitted. "If you were gonna stay, we would just make you an ID no problem, but to just come in and look around..." She shrugged, at a loss. Though the LBJ itself wasn't isolated, she always had been, and the few visitors she'd received over the past two years had always needed to be Dad-approved, over everything else. And those restrictions had been pretty stringent.
Looking down at Ezra, though, both her frustration and that nagging feeling of powerlessness gave way to determination. Being who she was and having connections inside the shelter had given her privilege in the past, so why the hell shouldn't it do that again now? Yeah, odds were it wouldn't be easy to argue her way past Day and Savannah, but she could probably do it. And she didn't want to be the kind of person who wouldn't even try.
Maizie flashed Ezra a grin, projecting just a tiny little more confidence than she actually felt. "You know what, though? I can work it out. If you wanna visit, I'll make it happen."
He smiled at that. “Really? I - thank you. I think I’d feel better if I looked around. I could make a better decision, I think,” he suggested. He would feel less like it was a big mystery in there, or some oasis. he’d be able to see the reality, whatever that was, and he’d be able to figure it out from there.
Part of him really wanted some of the things that the place could offer. Other parts of him rebelled against the idea for a few reasons, not the smallest of which was him feeling like he wouldn’t belong. That held a close race with the idea that he simply didn’t deserve it.
"Absolutely! I gotta talk to some people, but I'll text you when I know an answer." This was really good. Maizie had been kind of worried -- ok, super worried -- about Ezra lately, between the interviews and that round of distressed late night texts after he'd been in contact with Emilie. Not that visiting the LBJ would magically fix anything, but at least it was something to look forward to, right?
"Ok, anyway! I have some stuff for you: food, water, the ipod, a couple shirts, I might've snuck a book in there ..." She laughed and kind of shrugged, feeling a little bit self-conscious about the whole thing all of a sudden. "I mean, I know you can find pretty much whatever you need out there, but here's a couple things you don't have to look for. And I snuck some rope so I can just lower everything down instead of dropping it, and you can send the new ipod back up that way, so it doesn't have to involve --"
Maizie broke off, ducking her head, and made a face. "So I might have been babbling a little. Sorry."
Ezra smiled up at her affectionately, really liking that she was rambling, and of course the way she ducked her head - it was all adorable. She had such a sweetness to her that really drew him in, whether he wanted that or not. The fact that she’d put together what amounted to a care package gave him warm fuzzies too, and he scratched at the back of his neck, shy but appreciative. “You did all that for me? Thank you,” he said, meaning it.
“And don’t be sorry. You can babble at me all you want,” he encouraged. He liked talking to her. he liked listening to her. He really would sit and listen to whatever she had to say for as long as she wanted to talk, any time. “I don’t mind.”
The rope was a good idea. And would give him a way to give her the gift he’d brought for her. Which he was nervous about still, even if he wasn’t even sure why.
What was that, like, three smiles from Ezra? Or was it four? Whatever, it was clearly a record, and that made Maizie happy, something that clearly showed on her face. "You're welcome! And it's a really good thing you don't mind the babbling, because I do it a lot." Well, she hadn't had much reason to recently, but even though she still missed Dad every day, it was becoming slightly less emotionally gutting as time passed.
"Ok." Maizie didn't want to think about Dad anymore, so she busied herself setting up the delivery system for Ezra's stuff. "You should probably stay back while I lower this down. Just in case." She was a decent hand at knots (thanks, of course, to Dad), but she didn't want to bet on one holding only to have the bag slip and bean Ezra in the head. A concussion was probably the last thing he needed.
A few seconds later, the bag was out the window and on its way to the ground. With the water bottles it was a little heavier than Maizie had expected, but she managed to set it down without incident. "Jackpot!"
Ezra stepped back as she advised. He smiled as he watched the bag on it's way down, and he took out the contents. Then he put the new ipod and the gift he'd found for her into the bag as well. The gift had been in a teenage girl's room. It was a small oragami crane mobile. Some of them were a little bent now, but he'd been as careful as possible with it. He took it out of his bag and put it into the one on the rope without saying anything.
He stood back then, and looked back up at her. “Thank you for everything again,” he told her, cracking open one of the bottles of water to take a long drink. It was one of the harder things to find. Food, depending on how picky you were, was easier to come by. Water, though, that was a whole other story.
“No problem,” she replied as she went to work hauling the bag back up to the window. It was a lot lighter now that everything had been emptied out of it, so the going was much easier. Once it was up, she straightened and peeked inside, wanting to get a closer look at the ipod and make sure she had the right kind of charger for it. Stupid Apple and their non-standard plugs. Not that they could have foreseen the difficulty of powering their products during the apocalypse, but how hard was it to stick to the industry standard micro USB?
There was something else in the bag too, and for a moment Maizie thought Ezra had forgotten to take everything. But then she pulled the item out, breaking into a grin as the little paper cranes swung from their strings, bumping into each other as they settled into place.
“Oh, wow.” Her free hand reached out to touch the nearest origami figure, delicately tracing the edge of its wing with her fingertips. For a moment, she admired it silently, before suddenly remembering the fact that a damn window stood between her and Ezra. Maizie wasn’t even sure how much of her he could see at the moment.
After carefully settling the mobile back into the back, she leaned out again, still smiling. “Sorry! I got distracted looking at the gift you snuck in with the ipod. It’s amazing, Ezra. Thank you so much!”
He simply liked seeing her smile, so he was happy he got to see it. “You're welcome,” he told her, tone genuine. “I saw it and thought of you, and thought maybe having them around would distract from giant pervert presidents staring at you from the walls,” he teased. He gave a grin, one that had a spark of impishness to it. One that hadn't made an appearance on his face in a long, long time.
He shoved his hands in his pockets after another drink of water. “So, yeah. And I'm glad I got to deliver it in person,” he added. “How's things going with your guitar?” he asked, truly interested.
Maizie laughed as Ezra called back to their earlier conversation about what dirty dogs LBJ and JFK had been. “Tell me about it!” She rolled her eyes, leaning forward at the same time to rest her elbows on the window sill. It was the most comfortable position she’d found yet for talking down to Ezra. “I can’t look at them any more without thinking about the stuff you told me. But don’t worry, I’ve totally spread the discomfort on to a whole host of people now, so at least I’m not alone in it.”
Mentioning the guitar didn’t dampen her good mood, exactly, but she did grimace slightly at the question. Dad had always made playing look so easy, but Maizie never really thought about how much practice he must have put in to get there. She’d wasn’t the hard work type, either, so the guitar was testing her limits a bit.
“I dunno. Like, I guess I’m getting the hang of it? Sometimes it feels like everything I try to play is a jumble of notes and my fingers are just everywhere. Sometimes, though, I can hear the music in it.” Her tone was wistful, but she shrugged. “I’ll get there, I guess. You got any advice, in the meantime?”
Ezra laughed, a full sound that he quickly stifled, just in case he called attention to himself, but he grinned. “That's the spirit,” he told her. He could imagine the looks on people's faces when she brought that sort of thing up.
“When you're first starting, that's what it should be, though,” he said. “You need to be able to hear what you've got, figure out what sort of pressure to put on your fingers to get what sound, how hard or soft to strum...no one picks up a guitar and starts pulling out music right away. So, keep doing that. Go through each note in the primers, and really sort of get a feel for that first. When I started I just learned the notes and just did scales for a while, so I had it down.”
"Well, that makes me feel better, then. At least I'm not, like, a complete failboat or something." Maizie really would have liked to have someone show her, because she always learned better that way, but the only person she knew who played was Ezra. And so she didn't mention that thought, because it would be pretty crappy of her to say anything that sounded like she was guilting him for not being available. It wasn't like she thought the world revolved around her or anything.
Except he was available, sort of. Maizie sat up slightly, her face brightening, and momentarily pointed down at Ezra. "I can show you when you visit! Bring my guitar down and you can tell me what I'm doing wrong. If we have time, I mean. There's, like, a million other things to show you."
He laughed again in pleased surprise at the word 'failboat'. He hadn't heard that in forever. This was why he loved talking to her. She was simply good for his broken psyche. She made the horrors of the world fade back for a little while.
“You're definitely not a failboat,” he told her, laughing a little again. He also brightened when she made that suggestion. “Perfect!” he said. “And just show me the stuff you think I need to see. We can take time for your guitar,” he promised.
“We-ell, the stuff you need to see and the stuff I want you to see might not necessarily overlap, but I’ll make it work. I really think -- “ Maizie broke off, suddenly, realizing something that she’d only been registering subconsciously a moment before: footsteps approaching the room she was in. “Shit.”
There wasn’t time to explain to Ezra why she was about to suddenly disappear, but she couldn't let someone catch them either. How would they talk if the window was nailed shut? The door was already starting to open, but thank god it caught on her heavy bookbag, blocking whoever was trying to enter. “Oh, hold on, my stuff’s in the way!” she called, then sent Ezra an apologetic look. She added, in a lower voice just for him, “I’m really sorry. Talk to you later, okay? Be safe!”
With that, she ducked back inside, pulling the window shut a moment later. Their second meeting had been almost as unplanned as the first, an opportunity seized the moment it arose, and it ended with even less warning. There had to be a better way to do this.