Eleanor entered Cerberus Books even though she wasn't scheduled. She made herself a milkshake, before seeking out Ambrose, waiting off to the side as he patiently answered questions from a customer.
She held the straw in her mouth as she watched him, effortlessly winning the customer over with his charm, never once making the woman feel like she was asking silly questions even if by Eleanor's count, she definitely was. Ambrose was a fantastic boss, and she was going to miss working for him.
Maybe that was a bit premature, but as the woman finally departed, Eleanor was sure to catch his eye before making her way over to him. "Hey boss, got a moment?" she asked between sips of the chocolate oreo swirl shake.
With his customer’s concerns addressed, Ambrose had already been turning his attentions to his next task when he caught sight of Eleanor. It wasn’t uncommon to see his employees during their time off, but he quickly assessed that she had a goal other than a free milkshake in mind with her visit today. Whether it was to talk or something else entirely he wasn’t certain yet, but either way he greeted her with a warm smile and a dramatic swish of the vampire cloak he wore.
“For you, Eleanor, I have several even.”
Okay that cloak swish was oddly attractive, and Eleanor had to focus her thoughts for a moment to remember what she was going to say. "Right. You know how I've been working here and at the Apothecary for a while now?" It was a start, but Eleanor immediately felt uncomfortable bringing it up so she added, "Which, let me tell you. Old Eleanor could never have worked one retail job for like a week, much less two for months…"
Okay, well that was enough of a lead up to let him know where she was going, and it wasn't necessarily how she intended to tell him but Eleanor stopped herself and said, "I've been thinking about going in a different direction, though."
As soon as she mentioned her jobs, Ambrose felt his heart sink a little. It wasn’t difficult to piece together where this conversation was heading. He made a point to set his disappointment aside, however, and gave her his full attention.
“You mean to tell me that you didn’t intend to make selling horror books and milkshakes a lifelong career ambition?” His eyes held a sparkle of mischief. “I, for one, am completely shocked by this turn of events.”
Eleanor laughed, relief sweeping in as he joked. Good. This conversation wouldn't prove too terrible. "I mean, the milkshakes and company are really tempting. Going out dressed as Wednesday but forgetting about that is also something I'll miss." Those occasional odd looks, though this was Vallo. Generally anything went.
"I was thinking about talking to Caroline about the DOA. Joining the welcoming committee? And I know she works with the community outreach side of things and I thought that might be fun too, but I don't know. I wanted to get your opinion first."
He knew her and how she worked better than almost anyone here, so if he thought it was a good fit for her or alternatively, didn't think that, it would be a valuable opinion to have.
Her relief was evident and Ambrose smiled in response. Much as he enjoyed having Eleanor work in the shop, it was more important to him that she was in a more fulfilling position. He would help make the transition as painless as possible for her.
As she broached the topic of the DOA and the welcoming committee, Ambrose raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. It quickly melted away, however, and was replaced by a genuine smile. “I think that you would do amazing there, actually. Couldn’t have come up with a better option for you.”
"Yeah?" Eleanor asked. "I mean, at one point I sort of ran the fake Good Place experiment back in the Bad Place and while that was always going to be messy, it ended up working. I guess I've just started to come to think of Vallo as home. And if I'm here, I want to make it easier for other people to show up the way they tried to do for me."
The blizzard hadn't helped. Neither had the exact moment she'd arrived from, when Michael looked like he had an idea. Of course she had thought she was still in the Bad Place.
"Don't think I won't still drop in here, though. And I'm sort of counting on still hanging out with you, man."
“Absolutely I do.” He nodded. “You’re charming and funny, and a legit snack. What more could any new arrival hope for? Besides, if you can handle customer service, you can literally handle anything.”
He was touched by her comments. He’d come to think of her as a friend during their time together, and was pleased to hear she felt the same. “Oh good. That will be far less awkward than me having to plan to accidentally keep running into you.”
It was true, customer service had prepared her for almost any job involving people. And she was a legit snack, a fact that she hadn't held back from Ambrose so it was fun hearing him echo that back to her.
"Oh I don't know," Eleanor said with a mischievous grin. "Now I sort of want to see how these accidental run-ins would occur." She did a rather poor imitation of Ambrose's voice as she said, "Eleanor! Fancy meeting you here! I was just here for a coffee from the Friendly Pixie too. It completely slipped my mind that you stopped here every day whenever you worked the opening shift and this is pure coincidence."
Ambrose looked aghast. “Is that what you think I sound like? Good heaven.” The expression quickly melted into mirth, however, as it was clear he was only teasing her. Yes, it truly was an atrocious impression of his accent, but somehow that made her all the more charming.
“Play your cards right and I still may throw one your way now and then. Not at the Pixie, of course. That plan is now ruined, but I have several more on hand.”
Eleanor grinned, and then went in for a hug. "Thanks, Ambrose. I mean, if they don't hire me I may be back here, begging for my job back." But with the sort of turnover Vallo had, Eleanor was pretty sure she could get a job out of pure necessity.
"And I'm not giving up the costume." No. No one else could be Wednesday Addams now. It was a rule.
He chuckled and returned her hug. “No one else would look nearly as good as you in it anyway.”
He felt a twinge of emotion and gave Eleanor an extra squeeze before releasing her. “I’m certain you know this already, but I’ll say it anyway. I’m going to miss you terribly. This place won’t be nearly as much fun without you.”
"You'll find someone else who will enjoy the camp just as much, if not more," Eleanor replied. "Besides, when you're not concocting ways to run into me, I might just be here, asking you about monster movies from the 70s."
Not that Eleanor had any real interest in monster movies from the 70s, but she would appreciate the chance to bug Ambrose. And con him out of a few more free milkshakes.
"Anyway, I still need to talk to Caroline, but I'll work here for a bit until you can cover me? So you're not rid of me yet."
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you promised to watch Godzilla vs Mechgodzilla. And I may even milk this to secure a viewing of Space Amoeba too.” He grinned at her without an ounce of shame.
“And I appreciate the notice. I’ll work on getting someone in here soon. Though if you could loudly mention how great it is to work here on your way out today, I’d appreciate it.”
"Oh yeah," Eleanor said, with a mock groan. "Well, it can't be worse than anything Jason has me watch. Besides, who doesn't want to hang out in a creepy mortuary all night? I'm not turning down that deal. As long as there's pizza. And popcorn."
“I should probably be offended that you just called my home creepy, but I really don’t have much ground to stand on. Pizza and popcorn it is.”
Over Eleanor’s shoulder, Ambrose spotted a customer in need of some assistance. “I believe that’s my cue,” he said and nodded his chin in the young man’s direction. “You’ll do brilliantly. Let me know once you’re officially hired and we’ll do some proper celebrating.”
"Your home is a mortuary, Ambrose," Eleanor grinned. "Creepy by default. But I'll let you know."
She let him go help the customer as she wandered back over to the milkshake machine, intent on getting full use of her employee benefits while she was still employed there. Besides, it was death club night. That was totally a reason for a refill.