The rain had started so suddenly, and surprisingly cold that Eleanor, who had just left the Friendly Pixie only to run into Ezekiel, didn't think twice about grabbing his hand and pulling him into the coffee shop with her, grateful to be back indoors.
"You just made the floor wet," said Eleanor's favorite barista, intimidation packed into that tiny frame as she hovered in the air, staring at the two of them before frowning as more people followed their lead. "Paying customers only," she demanded, but even she flew over to the window to check out the sudden turn in the weather.
Only briefly, and then she was back to work.
Meanwhile, Eleanor laughed as she looked at Zeke. "What just happened?" she asked. "I feel like Vallo was trying to drown us…"
Ezekiel knew that the cold was going to be coming soon, but given that it was still the first half of September, he hadn’t expected it to hit so soon. It was why when he went to go get some coffee that morning, he had only bothered with a t-shirt and jeans - no jacket and no real insulation against the sudden onslaught of bad weather.
He had cursed and had been looking for the closest bit of shelter, when Eleanor had run into him and then dragged him into the very shop he had been planning to visit for his caffeine fix. Shaking his hair like a wet dog, he got droplets everywhere, smiling sheepishly at the annoyed pixie.
“Not a clue what happened there, mate,” he said to Eleanor, as he patted his pockets down for his wallet and pulled it out. “But I’m not going back out there or investigating on the network until I have at least 20oz of something caffeinated in me. I’m buying, what do you want?” He asked her, pulling out his bank card while wiping water out of his eyes as he went to the front counter to wait for the unfriendly pixie that ran this place.
Having already finished her latte, Eleanor said, "Hot chocolate. Just because it's warm and I didn't expect to get into a wet t-shirt contest this morning."
Not that she was complaining, even if Zeke had gotten her more wet shaking out his hair. At this point, did it matter?
Well, it mattered to the pixie, but at least Zeke was following through on being a paying customer. She went and found a table and waited, using a couple napkins to try and dry her face and arms off.
"I don't want to go back out there anytime soon," she said, when Zeke joined her at the table. "It's not quite the 'Welcome to Vallo' blizzard that greeted me, but it's also not winter yet. Give it time."
Ezekiel hadn't experienced a real winter in Vallo yet and wasn't really looking forward to it. Especially if this sudden freezing rain was any indication of what was in store for them.
After having paid for and received their drinks, plus a huge croissant, Zeke joined Eleanor at their newly claimed table. "If it helps you any, I'm planning to start paying rent here so long as I don't have to go back out there." She joked about a wet t-shirt contest, but he was thoroughly soaked himself and kind of wished he had Richie's fire powers now. "Hope you didn't have plans for the rest of the day." He himself had been planning on doing final prep work for Jake’s new jaeger, but it would have to wait now.
Eleanor took the hot chocolate gratefully, using the cup to warm her hands before handing over some napkins to Zeke.
"We just need to track down someone that can teleport. I can finally fly, but…" Eleanor gestured toward the outdoors. "You couldn't pay me to try in that mess, man." She frowned slightly. "I'm about to talk to Caroline about joining the DOA so maybe I'm speaking too soon. I mean, someone did come find me when I was convinced this was just a different version of the Bad Place."
Smirking, Zeke lifted his own hot coffee to his lips and took small sips to prevent a burned tongue. Hiding behind the cup, he said, “You’ve gone over to the Good Side, Shellstrop, with this goody two shoes behavior. How’s it feel?” Ezekiel still was, for the most part, still looking out for number one, but he had let quite a few people in that he was fond enough of that he looked out for them as well.
The community as a whole though? Eh, someone else could handle it. Someone like Eleanor.
"I mean, it's a case of life echoing death? Because I did kind of help set up an entire pathway to the Good Place eventually…" She shrugged. "Never thought I'd be doing that here, but hey, I've come to appreciate this place for what it is."
What was it, exactly?
"You know, somewhere you get to meet amazing people and where murderous birds only occasionally try to kill you."
Lips quirked up into a half grin, Ezekiel wiped some of the water that was still trying to drip into his eyes from his hair. “At least it’s only occasionally and there aren’t any murder cruises involved.” Texas had been the absolute pits, other than the people he got to know there. “So does that mean you’re going to be quitting your other jobs?”
"You mean nothing that will steal your eyes?" That was Eleanor's familiarity with the murder cruises. Marina's clockwork eye.
She took a sip of her drink, not having let it cool long enough, and said, "Wow, this is hot," which somehow elicited a response from the pixie, even in the midst of the line of customers that had formed due to the surprisingly terrible weather.
"Yeah, genius. It's in the name."
Eleanor laughed, and then tipped her drink slightly toward Zeke. "She's living the dream. I love Ambrose and Alexis and David now that he's here. Again. But that is not the dream."
Surprised a little bit by that answer, he shrugged. "I guess I get that. I don't do anything that I don't find fun or fulfilling. Guess that goes for you too, huh?" With the Jaeger project essentially over, he would need to find something big soon. Until then, he would take some contract work to keep busy and replenish his funds.
It was a shame that Vallo was relatively small in comparison to Earth. He could have easily turned back to a more criminal life and kept himself busy that way. Here, it would be too easy to burn bridges like that.
"I mean, I don't hate it. But when someone comes into the apothecary and asks if we have anything to help with an issue they're having? I want to leave. Instead I have to keep my customer service face on and act like they didn't just totally gross me out."
She took another sip, ready for it this time, and then shrugged. "I don't know, Vallo is crazy when you show up here. I like that we at least try to make it make sense."
“You’re a lot nicer than me, so I guess I should be thankful that there are people around like you so I never have to step up to the plate,” Ezekiel shrugged, downplaying how much he actually cared about other people. Historically, that has always fucked him over, so he kept his circle small and manageable. He cut his eyes toward the rain again, sighing. “Would be nice to have an early warning system for when things are about to get fucked up though. Something more than a penis map, anyway.”
"Honestly, I forgot that the penis map was predicting bad weather," Eleanor said. "All I remembered was the penis. That gif was terrifyingly hypnotizing."
She didn't comment on Zeke saying she was a lot nicer, but she didn't believe it. Not as ready to admit it? Sure. Even not as eager to put himself out there. She let the topic drop though.
"Had I realized the forthcoming storm was what I should have been paying attention to, I may have brought an umbrella." Probably not though. "Besides, who really knows with Vallo, anyway?"
“To be fair, I don’t think an umbrella would have done much to keep you dry,” Ezekiel said, eyebrows raised as he gestured to the outside. “That rain’s coming down sideways. Any poor soul out there is getting soaked to the bone.” Then, tentatively, he asked, “I know Chidi getting sent back was rough. Are you doing okay now?”
The question made him uncomfortable to ask, but he powered through it. He may never say it to her face, but Eleanor was definitely his friend and he actually cared about her well being.
"Oh wow. Ezekiel Jones goes in for the hard questions," Eleanor said, but then thought about it. "That was rough. I mean, he was here what, four days?" She wasn't even sure anymore. "I have all these memories of our time together and they're as real as any memories I actually lived through but I'm not gonna lie, Zeke, that sucked."
She stared at her cup for a bit before adding, "He showed up from almost when I did. So it helps knowing that he's gone back to actually live out our future? But I don't know, I'm trying not to think about what I had, when there's a chance to live a full life here, you know?"
Maybe that sounded a little corny, but given that when she returned back home she'd be stepping through the final door, she didn't want regrets here, either.
“Ugh, don’t make me regret this,” Zeke warned, pointing the croissant at her before taking up a butterknife to split the croissant in half. He offered her one half, before biting into the other to chew on while he listened to her talk feelings.
He did a pretty good job of actually listening though, feeling some amount of pity that he didn’t actually want to show her. Eleanor deserved better than that.
“So a new job is a good start for this new life of yours. And I know Chidi is your…person, but you’ve always seemed friendly with someone else around here, I’ve noticed.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, looking completely ridiculous.
"You asked, man," Eleanor said, but not with any real protest because she got it. She used to dodge any emotional conversations too. She took the offered croissant before Zeke had a chance to change his mind on that too. But when he mentioned someone else, she just stared at him. "Who are you trying to set me up with?"
Ezekiel pulled a face at that question. As if he was a matchmaker. Gross. “No one, Shellstrop. I just meant you’re pretty close with Andrieski. Always thought you two would hook up at some point.” Not that he would ever say that to Marina’s face. He had a healthy dose of self love and he didn’t want to get cursed.
"Oh, you did, did you?" Eleanor said, raising a brow before relenting. "I don't know, man. Marina's like trying to read a book in a made up language without any sort of translation sometimes. I never know what she's really thinking."
She gave a shrug, not letting on what she really thought about the idea, other than a small little smirk that accompanied the next drink she took.
"How about you? You interested in anyone? Or are you avoiding anything serious like the plague?"
"Eleanor, I say this with complete sincerity, but that's gross. You're like...an annoying older sister to me. I don't need to think of you naked," he explained, nose wrinkling a bit at the thought. Objectively, sure, she was hot, but their relationship has never veered toward attraction. "But I'm sorry to hear about that...I mean, have you ever tried talking to her about it?"
Genuinely, he just wanted her to have a good life. And if she was trying to make something of it in Vallo, this was the obvious next step.
As for himself…"I'm too young and too emotionally unavailable for anything serious. I'm happy with what I'm doing now." Which involved a lot of hooking up and no promises for anything else.
Ezekiel received a look in return. "What part of that has you picturing me naked that you didn't bring on yourself? Perv," she said, teasing. "And there is that. I mean, overnight I got memories from more than a lifetime together with one person. I don't know that I want to get involved in anything serious, or potentially risk a friendship."
She shrugged, finally starting to warm up. "Or develop some connection only to be ripped apart because Vallo really hates all of us." She gestured toward the weather outside, only to discover that it looked like they had a temporary reprieve, at least.
Miming himself vomiting, he quickly moved on beyond the idea of Eleanor naked cause, again, respectfullygross. “I guess I get not risking the friendship, but you’ve always struck me as someone that went for what they wanted.” He shrugged right back at her, as he followed her gaze toward the windows. He hurriedly got up, stuffing the last of his croissant in his mouth and grabbing his coffee. “Come on, we can talk shit on Vallo at your place,” he explained around the food in his mouth. It was not an attractive look. “Let’s get out of here before it starts up again.”
Eleanor was in agreement, grabbing her drink and heading for the door, not missing that the pixie yelled at them not to come back drenched again as they left. Hopefully they could waypoint back to Morningside before it started storming again.
"I have edibles too," Eleanor mentioned, if Zeke wanted to partake. She was off that day, and once she got back inside, she wasn't leaving again if the weather was going to be like this.