2020-01-09 - Lunch With Thew

No rain at least, but still cold. With the snowfall the caretaker has been kept busy, even with his work renovating the old auditoriums into movie theaters. A four wheeler with a suped engine and a plow head that is mounted to give at least an inch clearance (so as not to rip up the ground, is rumbling along with Thewlis mounted up in full hat, scarf, jacket, etcetera.

The Gardens are, otherwise, generally on the lines of empty, allowing for plenty of space for wandering and hopefully not mucking up Thewlis's work at keeping the place looking nice, spring or winter.

Giada is here, sitting up against on the stones spread out through a plot with her head back against the tombstone. Obviously she's dressed for the weather, scarf, hoodie, thick wool sweater with a black leather jacket, all the stuff. Also, she's wearing welding goggles up on over her hood. A pair of buds run down to her phone in the front pocket of her jacket, music playing quietly into her ears as she sips from a half bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 she stabs down in the snow to keep cold. Every now and again she hits a vape pen.

She should definitely be in class.

Sitting there with red rimmed eyes and her hand periodically running beneath her reddened nose, she's not crying, but she's close. Hidden in her little sanctuary of headstones where she can hear the rumbling 4x4, but can't yet see it if she doesn't pop up from where she's lounging.

Why is James in the cemetery today? Why is James anywhere, really? James just sort of happens, sometimes, and that appears to be the case today as the little ginger dude wanders about with the air of someone who isn't entirely sure how they ended up there. He's in his usual getup, jeans and a hoodie (with the hoodie having a design of a dabbing panda on it), and over it a very nice and expensive-looking woolen coat that is at least 4 sizes too big for him and practically looks like a trenchcoat on his slight frame. But it's supernaturally warm (thanks, Yule Cat!) , so he wears it everywhere during the winter. He stops, and purses his lips. ".... wonder if this place is organized by, like, last name or something.", he mutters under his breath, before fishing a little vape pen of his own and taking a slow drag. He lets out the vapor slowly, letting the little hybrid strain he picked up relax him before he picks up the pace again, hunting for something- which takes him not far from where Giada is lounging, due to narrative convenience.

Indeed, it's as if there was some force trying to make sure three people ran into each other, as opposed to how things might really work. Seeing James as he rounds through a row of headstones, Thewlis throttles down and swallows, staring over his scarf and through the hole in the balaclava he's wearing.

Killing the engine he raises a hand and calls out, "Nuh-neh-need huh-... huh-heh-help... finding som-s-someone?" Articulate as ever.

It's not James who draws Giada's attention, but the sound of the 4x4 coming to a stop not far away. She wipes at her nose with the back of her gloves, then at either of her eyes with the palm of her hand, and slaps a palm atop the tombstone she was leaning to pull herself up out of the snowy stones. Before she bends down to grab her mad dog, she dusts off her ass, because it is now white chalky snow butt. She wiggles one leg, then the other, and really regrets the whole ''sitting for a few hours in meltable snow''. "Fuck, yesterday was taco Tuesday... you reap what you sow."

Honestly there were no tacos.

Okay there were, but not /those/ kinds of tacos.

She's probably still tripping.

Now with her bottle, Gia hops up on the tombstone, her dads tombstone for the record, she's not a heathen, and dangles her feet down the back. Now in clear view for fates... fatitude.

It's entirely fair that James doesn't draw Giada's attention. He's not exactly attention-grabbing normally. And so as Thewlis calls towards him, he's just turned his back to the spot where Giada is popping up. He squints, then grins as he recognizes Thewlis. "Oh. Hey, man! Uh... Yeah. Actually. I'm, ah, looking for, like... the Hecker family? I, uh, haven't been here since, like... ever.", he explains. And then he starts turning around, raising a hand to point at a random area. "Is there, like, an 'H' section, or-", he begins to ask, but his turning around brings Giada within his sightline, and he jumps, startled, because probably ghost. "Jesus H. Christ on a yugoslavian water buffalo!"

Blinking and actually jerking when Giada pops up, Thew watches her for the moment. He lacks James's gift for words to properly express his surprise, but it's still fairly obvious by how he sits stock stick eyes wide and hands in a deathgrip on the handlebars of the 4x4.

"Oh... I... Hecker... I..." Thew stammers about, getting his bearings. He looks around and motions to a nearby hill. "Heh-hehh-Hecker plots... This. I can." he motions to the padded back-saddle on the atv. "R-ruhh-Ride... I can give... to the plots." eye turning to Giada again, head canting.

"Muh-meh-miss... you... Cold. I. You should... I can at..." head sagging as he continues to stammer and not quite start sentences, taking deep breaths as he turns and twists where he sits, looking around himself as if expecting surprise attacks. "Office. Warm... Y-y-you should come... warm up." watching them both, as if getting ready to run for his life.

"Jesus fuck, Yugoslavian water buffalo, really?" Giada rolls her eyes and twists the cap off her bottle to finish off the contents. Like a good neighbor, she replaces the cap and slips the empty container in her jacket pocket, but maybe only because Thewlis is right there and it would just be kind of cunty to toss it right in front of him. Besides, her vape pen is in that pocket.

"Sup, Thew-Thew." Up nodding at the caretaker with a pleasant enough grin, even if her eyes are still puffy and swollen. "So what brings... okay well mostly just one loser, I know what Thewlis is here. Doing the Goddess' work.. spot on with the snow, Thew-Thew.. it's white as all fuck." Double thumbs up.

Sliding down off the headstone to make her way haphazardly through the rows to join them, rubbing palms together for warmth against the chilly winds! So cold! "Sure, I'll ride along."

James shrugs at Giada. "It seemed appropriate at the moment.", he says, a bit sheepishly, once he's decided she is not some revenant come to exact vengeance upon the world of the living.

Probably.

She seems to know Thewlis, tho, so that's reassuring. He turns to Thewlis, and smiles, relaxing a bit again. "Yeah, I don't mind walking, but I'm not gonna say no to a ride." He falls in beside Giada, giving her a bit of curious side-eye as they approach the 4x4. "... so."

"Buh-bah-back to ba-hahhh-hack... easier..." Thewlis notes as he shifts forward. "Muh-mu-mind... grips... Wrack yourself..." motioning to where James should probably put his legs so he doesn't... well it'd be painful.

Assuming everyone saddles up and takes hold of something to stay steady, he makes a quick three pointer and starts rolling towards the Hecker plot. Leaning forward to mind the plow as it makes a new pathway through the snow. Thew doesn't try to talk during the trip either, he'd have to look behind himself, shout... and also talk.

Giada has no real respect for personal space or social decencies, so when James side eyes her, she's staring at him. "What?" All straight faced as she hops up on the back of the 4x4, ready to take hold of the railing with both hands. A second later she breaks into a grin, "Kidding, what's up dude? I'm Giada.. Gia... Gee Gee... or one of like a trillion different monikers. I welcome new ones too." Pat pat, rubbing the seat beside her, "Bring it in here big guy."

"... James. Just, uh, James.", James replies, in a Jameslike fashion. But he does smile a bit at Giada's grin. "Just wandering the cemetery. As one does. Because it's, somehow, one of the least creepy spots in town." He eyes the seat-patting dubiously, mentally rolling Detect Traps, before he hops up onto the seat. "... big guy? You're taller than me." By an inch, but, hey.

When he does sit, of course he sits wrong, because James (tm). But, thankfully, Thew's warning keeps James from losing a leg during a casual social scene, so, hooray Thew! James settles in and grabs onto whatever he needs to grab onto to keep himself from getting flung off of the vehicle and smashing headfirst into the nearest headstone. "How about you?", he asks Giada, as the plow bumps and trundles along.

Yes... yessss. Talk among yourselves while Thew drives. The caretaker who may or may not be distracted briefly in another reality with something at work just does his thing. Letting people converse where it is easier to hear one another. It's like the worlds worst cafe back there. It's cold, it's bouncy, the seats are comfy at least, but it's basically a plot... Well. I mean. No. It's a plow. Not really even a cafe.

Giada was half expecting a little entertainment on their ride, but James grabs hold in the last minute bringing out a little frown from her... A frown that loops back around to a grin, "Eh, just playing hookie.. but it's my scholarship right? I can fuck it up if I want to." Vape pen back out, hitting it as they drive. One hand still holding tight to the rack to keep ''herself'' from making the plunge into the snow! "What better place than a cemetery? Everything here is /already/ dead, so it really can't hurt you... unless it does, I guess?" Clearly still tripping, she keeps glancing off to the side at random, but perdictably random so not really that random, moments. "Huh.."

"James, just, uh, James. How have I never met you?" Whatever she huh'd doesn't seem /that/ important because she forgets it and looks back to him. Best not to destract the driver by doing silly things like engaging him. It's the small introductions of chaos that drives her.

Somewhere in the graveyard, a man in hodge podge thrift store clothing is curled up in front of some gravestone where his head is in line to smell the fresh flowers, or was. Now he's just breathing them in as he softly snores in a fetal position. There's a huge tree that extends its branches out over some of some of the graves, a variety whose root systems were compatible with /not/ invading anyone's eternal rest. Grass and flower petals have woven their way into the man's hair like he's doomed to be some kind of woodland sprite. The sound of the plow? That's just lovely white noise to the man from the looks of it...drowns out the people.

"... in this town?", James asks, as Giada says nothing here can hurt them. "I mean, I guess they'd have to claw their way through six feet of frozen earth, so at least we'd be able to get a head start. That's really as good as it gets around here." Seeing her take out the vape pen and getting a whiff of not-nicotine, he perks up, then reaches into his pocket with the hand not holding on to the 4x4 for dear life, and winks at her before taking a puff of his own. He lets Giada have her moment of 'huh', busy inhaling and exhaling precious THC, before glancing back at her while Thewlis do what he do. "Well, I've been gone for like fifteen years, so, y'know. There's that. And also because I don't leave the house as often as I probably should- in my defense this town is a nightmarish hellscape from which there is no escape."

Rumbling up on the Hecker's plots, Thewlis kills the 4x4 engine, standing in the metal stirrups and looking about the area, frowning at the sight of -another- person in his cemetery, freezing their chunks off. He doesn't comment on the pens, and he doesn't try to interject on their meeting. Behind the scarf and balaclava there is a bit of a smile as two folks at least get to meet. "I... you. Be r-ruh-right b-ba-haack..." setting off walking where he espies the curled up form, hands in his pockets

When near he lifts his head slightly and moves his scarf to be better heard, "Suh-Seh-Sir! Y-you oh-hoh-oh-kaa-hy there?" moving to approach the man slowly, hands where they can be seen.

Autumn is trundling through the graveyard, a small shapeless figure in a puffy jacket and other weather-appropriate clothing, here to interrupt the magical repose of Ellis by almost tripping over him. When she's recovered her balance after juking hard to avoid the fellow, "Got a fresh one here," she notes to the approaching Thewlis, and leans over with the intent to press two fingers under Ellis' jaw to feel for a pulse.

Giada cannot dispute the validity of James Gray Harbor observations so she just shrugs and motions in his direction while still holding her vape pen, "Yeah I guess... You know they put concrete slabs over them too? Like six feet of earth isn't /quite/ enough, they have to encase them in a tomb of stone... Just incase." Hands up, glancing around at wherever it is Thawlis is going until she too spies Ellis amidst the headstones, "Jesus fuck, is everyone out here today?" Said once Autumn appears as well. Both hands up in the air, then down upon her thighs. "Hold on, is he dead?"

Nope, that's too interesting.

Giada wiggles forward and rushes over towards Autumn pushing fingers to Ellis' neck, "Is he dead?" Calling out, hands around her mouth, "Is this part of the Gardens of Eternal Rest September tour because I would definitely buy tickets to this... oh shit, do we get to embalm him too?"

"See, graveyard people know what's up.", James quips back at Giada as she mentions the stone slabs shortly before they arrive in the general vicinity of the graves he's looking for, and the sleeping fairy child festooned in flowers over there. As the crowd gathers to gawk at the sight, something else catches his eye- a familiar surname on a pair of headstones not far away. Immediately distracted, he wanders over to the graves... slowing as he recognizes the names. "... oh.", is all he says, going quiet as he just stands in front of the pair of graves silently for some time while the rest of the impromptu rescue team deals with the Ellis Situation.

From about 6 feet away or more, Ellis probably does look dead. It's /cold/ out here and he doesn't have a down jacket on or anything. He has a few layers of odd coats on, there's even a wildly colorful 90s/leftover 80s windbreaker in the mix. It should be clear to Autumn that he's still alive though, since he's somehow sleeping and shivering at the same time, until he's awake and shivering.

"Pockets full of posies..." he groans through chattering teeth at the warmer touch, trying to curl up tighter and obviously still half asleep. There is a pulse, but presuming Autumn is trying to get a read on how strong it is, a half moment after the contact, Ellis jump-wakes and slaps the hand away violently as he scuttles back against the headstone...bereavement flowers trampled in the process. His eyes are wide and dart around before falling on Autumn again. Then he lets out the breath he'd been holding. "Fuck. You're not going to kill me with that finger then are you?" He grins as he states his realization of...well, reality, and starts to laugh...a little too hard. "Damn it's cold."

The man jumping at Autumn's vitals check makes Thewlis practically leap out of his skin, scuttling back and falling on his ass, breathing hard where he lays for a moment, clutching at himself spasmodically before he can get up to a rough sitting posture. "He... I... Is. Okay?" the caretaker remains where he is sitting, leaned back, propped up on his hands.

"I... Warm. The office. M-uh-muh-huh-my office. Warm, Coffee." he tries offering, while he gets his bearings, looking to the EMT and now back to Giada as she asks if he's dead, figuring what just happened will answer that for her.

"He's fine." Autumn chirps this to the Giada and Thewlis and the back of the wandering-off James with the brightness of anyone who has suddenly discovered that a dead body isn't one. "Ow." She straightens and shoves her hands in her jacket pockets while Ellis gets his bearings. "Yeah. He could probably use some coffee." And then to Ellis, directly, "You could probably use some coffee."

"Aw man, he's alive..." Giada shouldn't sound that disappointed, but it's not every day she gets to see a genuine dead body anymore. Most times they're all mangled up or someone else finds them first! She didn't even have to kill it... it was like Christmas of the Dead. "Well this got dramatically more boring." Hands in her pockets, reminded that it's bloody cold, until she remembers the other bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 she brought with her. One hand dips inside one of her two coats, the leather jacket, to pull out a red flavored wine.

Twisting off the cap with a squint into the wind, sucking it down as discretely as an atomic bomb on Black Friday shoppers. She's legal, she can drink at noon if she wants to. Besides, it's Wednesday. "We have to wait for ginger-beard over there eye molesting the tombstones." Thumbing over at James before another drink. She replaces the cap and holds the bottle out to Ellis, "Here, this will warm you up." Super helpful.

People are talking about him in the third person again. Ellis blinks a little and grins again before it wavers at his realization, "Did I hurt you?" He looks to Autumn, brow furrowed. A shudder runs through him. He looks to Thewlis, then Giada as she comes closer. "This isn't some kind of stranger intervention is-?" Oh, alcohol. Before taking the bottle, he looks up in the sky to locate the sun, digging in his pockets.../all/ of his coat pockets too. Little rattling can be heard the whole time. Finally, he pulls out a prescription bottle and struggles to open it. "Fucking child proof pieces of shit," he grumbles through chattering teeth like a champ. Then he gives up and just takes the bottle to take a swig, because /that's/ something he can do. "Don't worry about me," he mumbles, hunched over a little to conserve warmth. Maybe he just didn't hear about the office...the warmth.

"Alcohol is a vasodilator. It lowers your core body temperature, making you more susceptible to hypothermia." Autumn is great fun at parties. She burbles at little laugh at Ellis' first (and maybe second) question and shakes her head. "Nah." A tiny sigh is more visible than audible in the chill air when the wine still gets handed off, though she doesn't say anything more about it. Have fun with that core body temperature. She glances at Giada, then looks over to where James has settled in with some tombstones. "Do you think he'll be long?"

Thewlis looks around, getting to his feet. "N-n-no-not leaving! Be right back!" hustling back to the 4x4 "I'll... Just a moment. It wi-whu-whi-will help! P-p-p-promise!" and then the ATV's engine turns over and he is hustling off, looking like he's heading for a little garage near the office by the looks of it.

"Fucking abandoned to the elements." Giada watches Thewlis drive off with the 4x4, hands deep in her pockets, breath fogging as she sighs, "I really think we should all team up on James, just, uh, James over there." Side glancing the pair of Autumn and Ellis, the latter of whom takes the lions share of her attention since he's got her bottle. The former is saying contrary things to the girls desire to drink for lunch, so... poor first impressions or something. "What's your medical journal say about eating people? I figure we should just get it out of the way, jump into the deep end. No telling when help will arrive to save us." As if they're in dire straights out here in the cemetery.

James did take a minute to just stand there and distinctly not molest the graves of his parents, thankyouverymuch. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a few coins, leaving a pair of them atop each headstone. "... sorry it's late.", he murmurs under his breath, before the sound of Thewlis abandoning them forever and ever on his 4x4 draws him out of his reverie. He looks up just in time to catch Giada taking that oh so subtle swig of fortified wine. Noticing the other two, he tilts his head, and smiles. The cemetery is nice- it's one of the few places in town where is isn't the weirdest person there. A slow breath is taken, and then the short little ginger dude is ambling, mosey-ing, even, in the direction of the others, while motioning vaguely in the direction Thew just left in. "Guess we've been abandoned here? Should we be arranging headstones so any planes flying above can spot us?" He catches the tail wind of Giada's plan to team up on him, and he raises an eyebrow at her as he arrives. "Hey. No cannibalism until at least the first week. It's just polite."

"What's a va-oh-fuck-" swig, still smiling at Autumn, Ellis then shoves the wine back at Giada. "I knew you were trying to kill me so you could embalm me." He goes back to struggling with the pill bottle, unwilling to ask for help for some reason? Or just stubbornly focused. As talk goes to survival and cannibalism, Ellis' gaze rises and swings slowly to the talkers. He looks up when planes are mentioned, but he could just be looking at the flock of birds that has no business being here in the middle of winter. "Fuck. Even they can't leave..." He snaps out of his reverie and then puts his pill bottle on the gravestone. It's one of those slanted, sunken plaques. Then he raises his foot, balancing on the other as he tilts his head to the side to see if he's lined up for half a moment. SLAM! The heel of his boot comes down.

The ATV can be heard after a few minutes following the sound of it cutting out. Emerging from the garage with a simple framed trailer hooked up behind it. With the added width he has to take a more circuitous route, but at least Thewlis does return. as fast as he can.

He's tossed several rolls of digging detail canvas in, by the looks of it, for padding and once close enough the engine is killed so he can be heard. "Come... o-oh-over... Can guh-ge-get him to the oh-hohh-office." eyes looking worried, but then they always do, the rest of his face being hidden. "Coh-coh-hoffee... suh-s-s-ome... I. I. There's... Thu- I..." stammering and stuttering. It's magic. He can't talk. It's frustrating him clearly by his posture and after a moment one of his fists crashes into the side of his head, jarring something as he bites out,

"Hot... Food..." chest rising and falling hard as he twitches, head down, hands fists at his side, head moving as if he was being yelled at, or yelling at someone.

Autumn rocks back on her heels absently when Thewlis leaves. "He said he'd be back." She eyes Giada sidelong and the corner of her mouth curves up slowly. "Probably best if we can wait until someone dies of natural causes first, if possible." A sharp little nod acknowledges James' social acuity, then explains, for Ellis, "It makes your blood flow faster. So you feel warm, like when you blush, but you're actually getting colder." She drops into silence when he attacks the pill bottle, then turns at the sound of the ATV returning. "Oh my god. Do we get to ride in the trailer?" Best graveyard day ever!

Giada brings her hands up in the air, defensively, "Hey, you were over there and I skipped breakfast." Smacking her lips dramatically at James, no doubt seeing a T-Bone steak rather than a gingerbeard. "Besides, of all of us, you're the least likely to have a soul.. so it's not really like eating a ''person''. I'm just thinking analytically... one of us has to make the tough decisions."

Both arms stretch up above her head, then down behind her head, yawning a little as the ATV pulls back up, "Actually, I think I'm going to go get something to eat.. I've got a powerful lust for eggs and flapjacks." Double pointing at James, "Don't get eaten." Double point at Ellis, "Keep the bottle." Probably intended to anyways, but now with permission. Double point at Autumn, "Nice work reviving the corpse..." Thewlis, sad.. "Damn, I'm going to miss a ride in the plow?" Decisions decisions... "NO! I am a slave to my hungers!" Several steps back, crunching in the snow, while hitting her vape pen. Her head bends forward against the wind, shivering a little as she makes her way back towards the original tombstome! It's lament the passing of her father day, afterall.

"... fair.", James agrees placidly as Giada points out his soullessness, then chuckles as she tromps off to eat her father's corpse or something. And then there's a Thewlis, and he winces at the obvious frustration the man has as he tries to get his words out. "Hey. I'm pro-warmth. I did my deed. And hot food, fuck yeah, right?" He glances at Autumn and Ellis. "Yo. Everyone here alive?"

Autumn's explanation actually arrests Ellis' attention away from showing Johnson & Johnson who's a child! or something. He's completely calm, as if they were standing at a water cooler. "That's really cool. How do you know that?" He still hasn't noticed the detritus of fauna in his hair, but at the tilt of his head, that changes. A petal flutters down right in front of him. He shoves his pill bottle away and starts to brush everything out of his hair with marginal success. Some things might go deeper, and others might shake out. Whatever. Then he looks over when Thewlis speaks, squinting. "Okay," then to Giada, "Bye. I'm going to eat hot food." Then he starts to shudder-walk his way toward the ATV trailer, just sort of flopping himself into the back without a care.

Thewlis blinks when Giada moves away, "Muh-miss... you su-su-sh-sure?" He remains in the saddle, moving if anyone needs help getting to the Trailer of Deadland Tours (tm) and Breakfast Grave-Time Tram (c). He doesn't talk any more either, frustrated with himself enough it seems.

Autumn lifts one hand in a bewildered sort of wave-off to Giada, then replies to James with, "As far as I can tell," which might be a better remark in a place other than Gray Harbor. "I'm an EMT. I like medical stuff. There's a leaf." She points it out, the fairyland glade hitchhiker in Ellis' hair, though she doesn't venture trying to remove it herself. Instead she trots along to the trailer too, hopping in briskly. "Thanks, man," is called to Thewlis.

Giada doesn't go much further than the grave plot where she started, sliding down the front of the tombstone to replace the buds in her ears, with a little glance back over her shoulder at the name on the marker. Her legs stretch out with the ankles crossed and her jacket pulled around her to protect against the unrelenting cold. JUST when her butt was dry from melted snow, too.

The things we do for memories.

James glances over as Giada disappears back behind the gravestones she popped out of despite her declaration of hunger.. or perhaps because of it? Shit, maybe she was a ghost. He shivers slightly, mostly due to the realization that he was chatting with a spectre rather than the cold, because his coat is magic, and then hops up onto the remaining space on Thew's 4x4. Hot food, man. Hot food. "James. Failed writer. How's the EMT gig treating you, then?", he asks Autumn.

Once all are loaded up, Thew heads for his offices, keeping the pace slow enough to not jostle the people riding behind in the trailer. Head down, watching where he is going, the caretaker's jaw works silently, though much of the movement is hidden behind warm wool and the motions as he drives over uneven ground.

"Yeah, medical stuff is awesome-" Ellis says with a fond grin and nod as if slipping into his own reverie for a half moment, "-Oh cool! They get all the action. I've never met an EMT I didn't like." Ellis throws it out like a loose fact that seemed to be bobbling around in his brain. He scoots until he's upright and starts blowing air into his hands. Then he reaches up to ruffle his hair more, hoping to shake out the rogue dried out leaf.

Autumn tucks her knees up and wraps her arms around them, looking around with deep contentment as they rattle along because come on, it's a graveyard hayride! "I do see some shit," she agrees with Ellis, cracking a smile when he declares himself a fan of her career choice, and then lifts her shoulders at James. It's a very slight movement under the puffy jacket. "It's only been a couple of weeks here but not bad. Busy. Busier than I expected, really, but hey, I get overtime. Oh, I'm Autumn." This is directed at everyone, even Thewlis in case he's paying attention.

James doesn't appear to be as bundled up as the others, wearing just jeans and a hoodie under an oversized wool coat that's open to the elements so he can show off the dabbing panda on his hoodie. And yet he doesn't seem cold at all. He glances over at Ellis, watching him shakes off the gathered detritus in his hair before he turns back to listen to Autumn. A knowing look passes his bearded face as she mentions being busier than expected. "Yeah, this town'll keep you busy.", he agrees, before leaning back and sighing. "Just keep your eyes peeled, yeah?"

"Thi-thi-hiiss town... cuh-cuh-keeps... lot of... busy." Thewlis mutters aloud as they pull in front of the office in due time. He knows the routes, he's been here for so long, digging and burying, plowing and tending.

Inside the office it's cozy, a lot of room dedicated to records and several charts (one being a yard map that's color coded). Things are meticulously cleaned and straightened, allowing for room for folding chairs by the man's desk. A mini-fridge being opened and what smells like Caribbean or Puerto Rican faire being drawn out.

"Coh-coh-coffee should be hoh-hohhht..." he motions to a practically restaurant sized machine with a massive coffee hopper and several cups laid out on a clean pad. "I ha-have... empanada, tostones, arroz con pollo... some potato and vegetable stew..." the man runs into homeless in the yard a lot, he's not above giving someone a hot meal.

After the hair excavation, Ellis looks up at the sky and closes his eyes, soaking up the sun, though still racked by the shivers. He's determined to enjoy it. "Ellis." Then he levels his head somewhat to squint at James. "Didn't you publish something or something? Pretty sure that makes you a pro," he tosses out haphazardly, grinning at the other two in the back with him.

Autumn's brow furrows a little at James' response, and Thewlis' echo of it. "Keep my eyes peeled for what?" When the trailer stops she hops out and follows Thewlis inside. "Oh yeah, you can't be failed if you're published. Pretty sure that's a rule. Ooh, empanadas!" But she heads right for the coffee machine, like it's an old friend. "Who wants coffee?"

"Anything.", James replies to Atumn, not ominously at all. Sure. He gives Ellis a look as he mentions the publishing. "Yeah, but I've sold like 3 copies. So, not exactly successful either. Tho to be fair, it's terrible and no one should buy it, so, I'm pretty ok with that.", he says, shrugging and smiling. And then they're stopping and inside, and there is coffee and oh my god the food smells and he is high, so those munchies hit hard. "... damn. You do this often, man, just pick up strays laying around the cemetery?", he asks Thewlis. "Also, yes. Empanadas. Tostones. Arroz con pollo. Gimme it."

Putting the dishes in a microwave to get them heated up, Thew ducks his head a little embarrassed. "Huh-Ho-hoh-omless come in... A lot. Guh-girlfrie-frie-heennd... she cooks t-t-t-too much on purpose." looking over his shoulder at the others. "It guh-geh-hets eaten." motioning. "Chairs. Folding. Have... Take a suh-seat." settling into his own desk chair, rotating it towards the others as he pulls his thermos out of a jacket pocket, pouring himself a cup after the hat and balaclava are on a hook.

"Heh-heh-help yourself." a drawer at the desk is opened with air tight sealed containers holding disposable plates and cutlery.

Ellis is the last to leave the back. When the others are a few paces away, he looks up and takes a deep breath. Then he ambles in after them, hands stuffed in one of his thin pockets. He seems to prefer the pockets of a coat that's at least one layer down. As he passes Thewlis, he dips his head and offers the man a grin, "Thanks man." He chuckles softly at Autumn's direct course and general exuberance. As the warmth finally starts to thaw him out, he shudders harder from the rapid temperature change. "Coffeeeee," he directs his ambling in Autumn's wake. He doesn't seem to take any offense at the term 'stray', if he's heard James at all. He starts the Great Mug Hunt of 2020. For now, he stays in all of his coats and scarf. There are a few odd things about this man beyond the obvious. Just, things out of place, like the fact that all of his clothes are clean, or that he doesn't smell like a dumpster, trash fire, or just the lack of access to a place to wash. Still, he could use a shave maybe.

Autumn continues to eye James with some skepticism, but she's also multi-tasking the coffee and it's not long before everyone has a cup before them, or in Ellis' case directly in hand, whether they asked for one or not. A handful of sugar packets and creamers is added to the middle of the desk. Her next destination is the offered plates, and when she's got herself a portion of the hot food she wrestles a folding chair up and takes a seat. "That's really nice of you," she tells Thewlis, and then, to James, "What's your book about?"

James is used to being eyed with skepticism- being a semi-pro beardo weirdo means that's just part of the job. He does, however, smile at her gratefully as she gets him the coffee, and sips it while serving himself some of the other food. "Hey, thanks again. And tell your girlfriend thanks too, yeah? This is the best cemetery hangout I've had in a while. Most aren't catered." Autumn's question causes him to wince. "It's... ahh... Urban fantasy? Kind of? It's really not good- I'm working on a new one with my girlfriend actually. That one's gonna be pretty awesome once we finish it, mostly because she's a hell of a lot smarter than me."

Watching people eat, Thewlis smiles and nods to the compliment towards Jade, "It... I. Fuh-food needs... eaten. If in the... here. No p-p-problem feeding people. " Thew doesn't interject further when James starts to talk about his book, brows knit in consideration while he tucks into his own early lunch, a little cup of stew among his spicy, and savory, dishes. He doesn't look like he's dismissing anything either, intrigued to see what it is James may elaborate on, if at all.

Ellis finds a mug just when Autumn hands him a cup of coffee. "Thanks." He shuts the cabinet and takes the cup with both hands, letting the heat radiate out into his fingers. He sets up his chair and deposits his coffee on it before moving to create a mountainous landscape on his plate. "Is the new one going to be urban fantasy too?" he shoots out as he juggles his plate and coffee so he can take a seat. He lets the hot plate sit on his lap and holds his new liquid hand warmer.

Autumn nibbles carefully at the edge of her empanada while she listens before setting it back on the plate to cool down a bit more. "Cool," is her reply to James' current book and future book, though she does tilt her head back and laugh brightly when he puts a name to what they're doing. "Yeah, this is definitely my favorite cemetery hangout thus far."

James devours one of the empanadas in just a few bites, clearly hungry. Those weed munchies, man. He grins at Autumn at her words, then looks back to Ellis. "Well.... in a sense. She's a parapsychologist. She researches weird shit, and she's got a few books out, y'know, scholarly works documenting weird shit. Really well done, but, y'know, a bit dry. Me, I'm a fiction writer, yeah? So... she finds the truth. And then I put lipstick and pearls on the pig. Vaguely fictionalized accounts of actual weird shit.", he explains, then looks down at his food. ".... maybe that'll work, anyway."

"I... I. Cryptids... study that. Use those?" Thew pipes in, eating slowly, his demeanor calming as his interests are piqued and sway towards a field he is actually somewhat familiar with. "I've... lot of books on them. Su-p-p-pose you would, for... writing?" leaning back in his seat, coffee in his mug nearly gone already, mouth in a thoughtful, if turtle beaked, sort of frown.

"Sounds like a ripe ground for a short story collection," Ellis says before finally taking a sip of his coffee. He takes it however it was given to him, so presumably, black. "Lovely partnership then," he says with a tilt of his head and then sets his coffee down to start tucking into his food, but not before he looks down at it, poised and admiring for a moment. He's finally stopped with the shakes though. "This food is good. What are Cryptids?"

"Cryptids? Like Bigfoots? Big...feet? Bigfeets?" Autumn struggles with the plural, like generations before her. She prods her empanada, finding it still too hot to consume in her not-high state. A furrow appears between her eyebrows and she hesitates before venturing tentatively, cutting looks at those gathered around, "So is it just me or does weird shit seem to happen here a lot?" The coffee's black. She knows better than to doctor strangers' coffee.

James perks up as Thew mentions cyrptids and his books. "Oh, definitely! You've met Diana, right? Like, the other night at the waffle place, remember her? She'd love to take a look at those books. I mean, if you think you'd be ok with it?", he tells him. A grin at Ellis. "I'm pretty fond of the partnership, yeah." When Autumn pipes in on the definition of cryptids, he nods and chuckles. "Yeah, basically. Weird shit. Nessie. Mothman. Bigfoot. Thunderbirds. Stuff like that." He takes a sip of his coffee as well, then gives Autumn a little bit of side-eye as she mentions weird shit happening a lot. "Oh, trust me. If you're still asking that, then you haven't seen the half of it. This town..." He trails off for a moment, then shakes his head. "This place is... weird. Seriously fucked up. 'Course, most folks don't notice and won't believe you- but if you're noticing it and remembering it, then... you know." He sighs. "Just keep up with your cardio. 'Cause this town makes you run. A lot."

"Mothman, jersey devil, slenderman, Jeff The Killer, the Rake, Nessie, Jenny Greenteeth..." Thewlis frowns in consideration, "I might know, but I don't..." he frowns not realizing the stutter is gone while he talks cryptids. "I have volumes, depends on what she wants to look at, I can dig into my shelves and find a few selections. I mean I have a book even that talks about why Bigfoot is blurry."

"Yeah," munch, munch, "He's right," Ellis points to James with his fork. "Cardio is a must. It wouldn't hurt to do a little something something...to maybe train up for how surreal your life will become." Is he serious? Well, he's serious about his empanada. Starting to eat the steaming hot thing before it is advised. "Mmmmm. Molten 'nada," he mumbles to himself through is partially open mouth, brow arched as he tries to cool it. His green gaze strays over to Thewlis when the man seems to suddenly get more fluid with his word delivery. "You really like them," he observes with a smirk.

"And always double-tap?" Autumn tosses out, lightly, but that furrow is still nestled between her brows as she looks around at the rest of the cemetery hangout gang. "I've only been here a few weeks." She lifts her coffee mug to her lips to cover the awkward she's stirred up for herself.

"Always double-tap.", James agrees, then gives Autumn a sheepish smile. "I know it sounds like you just went into a cottage in the middle of the cemetery with three weird guys who are talking about monsters, and, I mean, yeah, you did. But... seriously. Just keep your eyes open and be smart, and, you'll be ok. Hopefully. And when shit gets really weird? Make sure you've got a local to hang on to." He pauses. "Most of us are kinda used to it." He nods his agreement with Ellis, and looks to Thewlis, it finally filtering through his stoned head that his speaking patterns changed when he was discussing cryptids. "Why'd you get so into cryptids, anyway? I mean, if I can ask. If it's something like Bigfoot killed your dog, y'don't gotta talk about it."

"We all shine on here..." no point in being cagey or cryptic about it, Thewlis looks down into his coffee cup. "Whu-w-wh-we're off the m-m-map here..." he pauses. "OH! I... I... I'm Thewlis." looking to Autumn before he looks to James at his question about getting into Cryptids. He allows a moment, thinking and responds. "I wh-wh-was born... here. "

Ellis just snaps and points in Autumn's direction in response. Finally he gets to enjoy his bite further. "Speak for yourself man. I have no idea what this crap is and I've lived here all my life just like you guys," as if wearing a bunch of weird coats and clothing styles and taking a nap in the cemetery in the middle of winter is perfectly normal. Maybe it is, here? It isn't. "Welcome," he leans to offer Autumn. "What brought you?"

Autumn finally manages a bite of empanada, which was worth the wait. When she's finished chewing and swallowing, "I did, but I saw some weird stuff before that. Or I thought I did. I'm pretty sure I did..." She trails off, frowning and patting at her jacket until she extracts a buzzing smartphone. "Ah, shit. Being called in." She swiftly downs the coffee and tries to sneak a twenty dollar bill under her plate, but just ends up making it rattle really loudly so it's incredibly obvious what she's doing. ANYWAY. "Thank you for the food. I'm sure I'll see you all around. I came here for work." Autumn snags her empanada and lets herself out. She'll probably find her way out of the cemetery eventually.

Autumn's sudden exclamation causes Thewlis to jerk and sit up, but he remains in his seat, nodding when she goes - eyes turning to Ellis while James is quiet. "Whu-why.. sleeping... In... Th-th-the cemetery?" focusing on the many-coated man. "Suh-so-ss-someone you know? Th-those gr-graves?" stew cup aside, working on tostones in the mayo-ketchup dip that gets sent with him each morning with those.

Ellis knocks over his coffee when Autumn rattles her plate. "Oh shit." He quickly stifles the liquid's progress with his outer wool coat sleeve. "Yep. Probably will," Ellis says, lifting his free arm up to give her a single wave. "Huh? You could say that...or not. I was tired? So I took a nap." He grabs his fork with his free hand and gets another bite. "You got any paper towels here?"

Thew is already getting towels, cloth and paper, for Ellis when the spill happens. He's not going to blot a guy's lap, but he'll help. "I-ih... If... Cemetery, when c-c-c-old. Knock. C--cah-haan rest here. Stupid... Sleep in c-c-c-cold." shaking his head and settling back down, finishing off much of his lunch. "Really..."

"Thanks," Ellis grabs a towel and substitutes it behind his arm before lifting that up. He blots his arm with the tail of the towel and then starts using the paper ones to help mop up the rest before the towel gets sopping. The man is strangely meticulous about it. Then he gets up and starts transferring everything to the trash that belongs there, without letting a drop fall. Then he starts rooting around for some kind of cleaning product without any invitation to do so. "Oh...Thanks man. I will. If I remember it. Can...can you help me with my pill bottle? You have a hack saw? I can't get it open." He pops up from his search to dig it out.

Noting how carefully he cleans, Thew produces a little Shout spray (he works with dirt all day, give him a break) and offers it to Ellis before pausing. "Wh-wh-hut... I..." brow up again as he studies the man but gives a nod at last. "Sure." holding out a hand for the bottle in question. There's a considering look to his face, or there was, he can maintain eyecontact for all of a second or two before his eyes drop and he's wringing his hands.

Ellis has been sleeping in dirt all day. He just smiles when Thewlis offers him the cleaner and nods. Then, with industrious pep, he goes about sanitizing the area. He even clears Autumn's plate and takes the 20 with his bottle to pass off to the man. His gaze doesn't falter when the other man makes eye contact. "I appreciate it."

"So how did you get into this business? Dealing with the dead and all?" Ellis asks conversationally.

"Happened... I... it. Politics. At the muh-mu-mill. Got fi-fh-fired... Di-di-hiddent... kiss the rhu-right ass..." Thew eyes the bottle, frowning and simply cranks the bastard open with raw strength and tenacity before offering it back. "D-di-did odd j-jobs... Handyman. Ce-he-hemetery needed... one. Got the j-job." shrugging, unable to make eye contact again, focus on him seeming to make him want to become small.

Ellis nods. "Tough break, but this gig seems good. Congrats." He keeps cleaning up, next after James. It keeps his hands busy and he seems used to it. "I used to do odd jobs till I landed my janitor gig." He sounds like there's almost a touch of melancholic nostalgia there, but passes in a flash. He takes the pill bottle back and dumps two pills out into his palm, snatching up his coffee to wash them down. He doesn't seem concerned in the slightest that he could have froze to death or ended up in the hospital. "What does your girlfriend do?"

"Sh'she... investigates... P-p-paranormal. I'm opening... Theater on Muh-mmm-maayy..." Thewlis sighs and looks up at the ceiling. "Sthu-stahh..." another sigh. "Movie... Theater. Projectionist. She's going. To. Do. I'm... Operating..." taking time to form each word, even if he stammers awkwardly through making a thought. "Ih-hi-hiff you need. C-c-could offer... Custo-custooo... Jani-ja-ja..." he looks up, momentarily and wars with himself to try and keep eye contact but that fails too. "Custodian... uh-huh-hhnnless you have... other talents?"

"Oh. Cool. Seems like there are a lot of people like that around. I guess it's the place to be." At the offer, Ellis' eyebrows shoot up. "I don't, not really. I'm good at cleaning, but...I don't know if I can commit to a regular shift. I have...obligations. Sometimes I have to drop everything at a moment's notice." He just gets quiet and goes back to finishing up what he started. He returns the Shout to where Thewlis grabbed it from and reaches up to stretch. "I gotta go for a run now. I'll see you around man." The mercurial yet laid back man just partially flashes a grin and then folds up the chairs, giving Thewlis a chance to say goodbye before he moves for the door like some animal seeking its natural habitat.

The reaction is curious, but Thewlis doesn't question, he only follows the man's movements before offering a card, "If you w-w-w-ant though... Offers there." the card having his name, number and his position as a handyman

"Well, as long as you're okay with that, you'll have some one of the cleanest establishments in the land...along with the other places that get my time," Ellis says with a laugh as he takes the card. "I'll give you a call or text or whatever, leave you my number." He glances at the face of the card and then slips it away into his coats. "I'm kind of excited. Way better than cleaning bar bathrooms." Then he's off, wrapping his scarf about his neck before braving the cold again.