2019-05-29 - Old Friend Returns

Saturday evening finds Elias minding the shop. He's settled back in a chair behind the counter with his feet up on it, phone in hand, tapping away, chatting with someone or another. There are one or two patrons in the shop, wandering between the shelves, but otherwise it's relatively quiet. He's got on a pair of black jeans and boots, and a a dark blue tank top with a loose white shirt left unbuttoned over it since the evening is pleasantly warm.

Chloe had left the Pourhouse and headed over to Likely Stories. In truth, it should have been one of the first places she visited when she got back. Elias had been her best friend when they were kids. Even when she left for school she still tried her best to keep in touch. She had mentioned the last time they talked - probably a month or so ago - that she was thinking about moving back. Though had not actually told him she'd arrived back in town. Clad in a pair of dark jeans and a gray shirt that had some paint stains on it, she stepped into the store. Inahling slowly, Chloe couldn't help but smile. Some of her best memories were in this store. Then she made her way over to the counter, leaning up against it - long brown hair brushing against the counter top. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to put your feet on the furniture?" Grinning though, as she gave him a brief look over. Seeing how her friend had changed and what remained the same.

"My mother likes to tell me that pretty often, actually. Just doesn't stick," Elias replies without glancing up from the screen where he tap tap taps away. He looks very much like he did since she last saw him. There's a sort of ageless quality to Elias that can make him seem both younger and older than he appears at any given time. The dark clothes are the same though, the longish hair, the silver rings around a few of his fingers. He glances up then, and over at Chloe and says, "You didn't tell me you were back in town. I'm pretty sure I have a right to be offended and demand restitution."

The only thing that's changed about Chloe really is that she seems more comfortable in her own skin. Not the awkwardly gangly, clumsy girl she used to be. "I know, I'm a terrible friend." She pressed her hand over her heart. "I just got in on Monday, and it's been a whirlwind." She shifted so she could come behind the counter and carefully post herself against the wall. "I'll allow the offense and restituion demands. What can I do to make it up to you El?" Quriking a brow. A smile still twitching at the corner of her lips though.

"You are a terrible friend," Elias says very seriously, though there's that twinkle in the darkness of his eyes that indicates he's not really all that serious. He considers exactly what he wants in restitution and says, "You owe me at least one drink at the Pourhouse sometime in the next week, and whatever stories you haven't yet told me of your glamorous life far away from the weirdness of Gray Harbor." He doesn't seem to mind her coming in behind the counter, swiveling just a bit so that he can face her.

There's a giggle that escapes Chloe when he agrees with her. "It's a deal. I just came from there actually. Not a Scotch person. Saw a whole gaggle of oldies from school." A brief pause. "...Three people. I've been surprised I guess. About all the people I've seen here that I recognize." She mused. "In any case, yes. You'll hear all about my glamourous 'Grey's Anatomy' life I've been living. And how have you been? I'm glad to see the store's still hanging around."

"The store is as old as the hills and will be here long after we're gone," Elias says with a grin. Just like his family, that has been around for as long as anyone can remember, and who will likely keep on inhabiting Gray Harbor for so long as people do. "Who did you run into?" he asks idly and then says, "Me? Oh, I'm fabulous as ever. Living the best Gray Harbor life." He laughs a little bit and then says, "Did you know we've got a random Brit wandering around who apparently killed his wife and fled to the U.S. and is just kind of hanging around here, and people are like, oh yeah the guy killed his wife.. like that's just a thing that happens."

"Just now at Pourhouse I saw Erin, Geoff, and Easton. Also met the owner of Pew Pew Pie?...What is that actually? Is it a gun range or a bakery? I didn't actually ask." Chloe pondered on that for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Christ, really?" Once more, her mother definitely was doing dishes and dropped whatever one she was holding. Oh how her parents would cringe at the way she spoke sometimes. Good thing they were kept at arms length now. "Is it sad that I'm just not even surprised? So much weird shit's happened in this town - a wife murderer isn't even the worst of it."

Elias nods at the mention of some of the names, and then taps something else into his phone before shoving it into his pocket. He folds his hands on his stomach and says, "It's a crazy crazy world, Doc. So you're back here for good, huh? Going to set up shop and become our very own Dr. House, MD?"

"That it is." Chloe agreed, pushing a few stray strands of hair back behind her hear. "I don't know if for good...but definitely for the time being. I've been working on repainting some of the rooms at mom and dad's old place. Turning that into my little clinic type area. Talked to Byron, started renting out one of his apartments. You should come over sometime it's got a great view." She smiled a touch. "Now all I need's a pill popping problem and I'll be all set."

"I can tell," Elias says with a little bit of a nod toward the smudges on her shirt, grinning a bit. "How's that going?" He then nods about Byron, saying, "Yeah he has those fancy apartments by the water. Sure, I suppose I could stop by if you're not worried that my presence will lower your property values." He's clearly teasing. "Hey, that could be arranged. I do know a guy.."

"It's going. Doing all I can to make sure mom and dad don't get the itch to come up and see how things are going." Chloe wrinkled her nose. Her parents were good people, her father had been a preacher in town since they moved here so they were fairly well known in the church-going community. They were just...too much for Chloe. Always had been, always would be. "Fingers crossed I keep it up." She laughed. "Hey, lowering the property value means cheaper rent for me." She winked, teasing right back. "Of course you do. You know a guy for everything I'll bet." Shifting now so she was leaning against the counter instead of the wall. "How's the writing going?"

"Oh, then I should definitely come hang around more often, lounge about in the foyer, scare the tenants," Elias says, stretching a bit, arms reaching over his head and then falling again. "I know a few guys for a few things, yes," he says with an amused little grin, and then lifts a finger to his lips in a shhh gesture. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Swim in the pool, use the tennis court. It'll be the perfect ruse." Chloe grinned and then leaned in close to stage whisper. "Oh come now, just talk real quiet so no one else can hear." She also may or may not have reached over to give his side a quick little tickle before straightening again. "I'm serious about the pool though. It's badass. There's all kind of knobs and switches to mess with the lighting and the windows and such. I think you'd get a kick out of it."

Elias makes an odd squeaking sound as she tickles him and smirks, drawing in his elbows protectively like a a turtle withdrawing into its shell, if it were a particularly reedy turtle. "It's going fine," he says, "Though I'm thinking of branching out into raunchy romance novels after this series is over." He raises his brows and waggles them just a little bit before saying "Fancy pool. Sure, I'll come over and we can go swimming. I'll even try not to embarass you in front of your neighbors."

Chole giggled again at his reaction to the tickle. "Ooh la la. Let me know if you need a test reader." She mused. "Oh how kind of you. I'll embarass myself enough as it is I'm sure." Wiggling her fingers a bit. "How's the family? Anything new and exciting going on with them?"

Elias shakes his head and says, "Mom and dad are fine, doing their thing. Everyone's pretty much randomly crazy as usual, but nothing particularly eventful by Gray Harbor standards." He smirks as she wiggles her fingers and grabs hold of one hand, leaning out to snap at it with his teeth. "Careful, or you'll lose them," he warns.

It was Chloe's turn to make a sort of 'eek' noise when he grabbed up her hand. "But then I'd have to find a whole new profession and I'm much too far into debt for that nonsense." She slipped her hand from his to briefly play at a lock of his hair. "I wish my hair was like yours. All curly and nice." That same hand then moved to her own hair to pick up a few strands. "Just plain and dull over here." And still reaching down to about her mid back. "I'm glad the family's doing good. I'll have to drop in and say hi to your parents some time soon."

"That's true, and you went through all that training, too, so I suppose you'll need to be more careful of what you do with those digits," Elias warns but it is with a little bit of a laugh. He tilts his head a little as she toys with his hair, which curls and waves wildly with a mind of its own. "Genetics, darling. Unfortunately, you have to be a wacky Weber to get the wacky Weber hair gene." He grins, "You should. They'll be delighted. They always liked you."

"So unfortunate." Chloe sighed dramatically as she relaxed against the counter again. "Sometimes I think I would've much rather been a Weber." A wrinkle of her nose and then another grin. "I'd hope so. I hate to think they hated all those years of me pestering them about books when I wasn't pestering you." Tapping her chin lightly. "What about Frankie? I haven't seen her in ages. Is she still floating around here?"

"No you don't. Way too many people to compete with for bathroom time," Elias says with a grin. There's always a lot of relatives at the Weber house, some who drift in and out and some who stay long term. Cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles, random grandparents. One never knows who one might run into there. "Frankie's around, yep. We're still besties. Still tormenting the tourists and the like. She's giving readings now, since her mom's been gone."

"Because you need to spend so much time taking care of that hair." Chloe giggled. "She's next on my list. Maybe I'll get her to give me a reading. Those are always fun to do." She mused. "And lord knows I've not done anything really fun in a while." Her head tilted a bit to look over her shoulder at the store and then back to him. "I need to buy a few books since I'm over here too. Need some new reading materials."

Elias lifts one foot off the other and reaches over to nudge her with his knee before he crosses his ankles once more, lounging comfortably. "You should. I should get one, too. She hasn't done me in a while." He chuckles, "What, nothing fun at all? Don't tell me that you've gotten completely boring since going out into the real world." He nods when she mentions books and spreads his arms wide, "And lo, there are books."

The nudge is returned lightly and Chloe shrugged. "Oh! I've taken up painting. I mean. I think I mentioned that to you last time we talked? But I'm getting a little better at it. Didn't have too much time for anything else running around in Residency and playing Hospital Doc." She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled again. "I'm sure between the pair of you I'll become not boring again soon enough." A chuckle at that, "Does she do them down on the Boardwalk?"

"Oh, you have to show me your paintings," Elias says with a broad grin. "I need to see what sort of an artiste you are. Don't tell me.. still life? Cubist abstract?" He gasps and looks at her wide-eyed, "Nudes? Tell me you paint nudes, and have tawdry affairs with your models." He nods though about Frankie's fortune telling and says "Yeah."

"Oh dear, I'm not good enough for nudes. But as soon as I am - I'll give you plenty of material for those raunchy romance novels." Chloe teased. "Landscapes mostly though. For now. I have a pretty view of the ocean that will be good inspiration. Though I admit I've done the typical fruit bowl for practice. The results were...mediocre at best."

"Excellent," Elias says with an amused grin, "Because you know that I have no material of my own to use." He places the back of one hand against his forehead, woe is him. "Oh come on, fruit bowl? I expected more from you." He's still clearly teasing.

"I can't believe that. The hair alone has to be enough to woo someone, dear." Chloe ran her fingers through his hair again lightly before turning towards one of the shelves close by and peeking at some of the books on it. "Now you listen, all great artists started with fruit bowls! It's a proven fact." It was, in fact, not. Obviously. "I suppose next should be a hazzardous stack of books."

"You know that I'm kidding, right?" Elias laughs, not seeming to mind her playing with his hair at all. Then he glances over at the shelf that she's looking over, studying its contents for a moment or two before he pulls his phone out of his pocket and taps out another quick message. He slips it away once more and says, "All great artists are a little fruity, that's for sure."

"I'd hope you were kidding." Chloe laughed. "Otherwise I'd be dragging you out of here and to a bar or something. I'm an excellent wing woman." She pulled off a couple of the books to study them. Mystery novels. A giggle at his fruity comment. "And proud of it, jerk." Said good naturedly of course as she seemed to decide in favor of a few of the books and set them on the counter.

"Are you, now? The maybe next time we're out you can find me someone," Elias says as she looks over the novels. "As well you should be," he counters and then lets her look through the books while one of the customers makes their way up to the counter with their purchases. He smiles and rings them up, making a couple of additional recommendations. When it comes to actually taking care of the customers, he's actually quite gracious and good at it. But once they're gone it's back to slouching in the chair, feet back up on the counter.

Chloe says, "That I will." Chloe promised with a grin. After the other customer left, she moved back in front of the counter. "I should go finish cleaning up the house before sleeping tonight. But we'll get together soon and visit Frankie at the boardwalk." She took some money out of her wallet for the books. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here. But, it was good to see you - as it always is.""