TIMING: Current LOCATION: Watcher's Way PARTIES: Zane ( @rn-zane ) & Eleanor SUMMARY: Zane checks on Eleanor after she's nearly run over by a jogger and they strike up easy conversation to get to know one another. WARNINGS: None!
Even without the sun making their colors more vibrant, Zane definitely appreciated the changing leaves as he jogged underneath the looming trees. The woods were fine enough to run in but he genuinely wasn’t feeling like getting his run interrupted by something insane this afternoon. Besides, not being the only one jogging brought on a sense of comfort, a warm solidarity from every stranger that gave a small nod or a wave as they passed.
Not everyone seemed to be part of that same mentality however, the sudden appearance of a runner slipping past Zane startling him out of the gentle mood. It had been a close call with the guy almost barrelling him down and the vampire couldn’t help but ‘tsk’ at the lack of care about his surroundings. That turned to genuine annoyance when the next person to meet the runner had less luck than Zane, shoulders bumping and what looked like a full cup of coffee spilling over the pavement.
He reached her quickly, glaring at the back of the runner retreating before turning his attention to the girl mourning her coffee. “Hey, you alright? You didn’t burn your hand or anything?” Zane asked, crouching down to pick up the cup. Less than a sip remained in the container and he handed it over with an empathetic look.
Eleanor’s unplanned vacation to her sister’s home in Canada had done a lot for her perspective on getting out of her apartment. She’d learned that getting out didn’t mean that she had to meet up with someone or put herself into stressful social situations, a trip to the bookstore or just a stroll around town was enough. Even more, it felt good to be out seeing more of Wicked’s Rest, coming across familiar faces, and feeling like she was finally part of the small community. This would be her home for the foreseeable future, it only made sense to her to try and become acclimated.
As was normal for her Eleanor picked up a cup of coffee and decided to just wander until it was too late to be outside. She’d made a lot of progress on the outline for her novel, had responded to all of the emails she’d been putting off, and had gotten tired of scrolling on her phone - it seemed like as great a time as ever to get outside and find something to keep herself busy. It was nice out and everyone seemed to be in a good mood - that is, until she was nearly knocked off of her feet by a jogger. She jumped back in response but was relieved to find that her coffee wasn’t nearly as hot as it had been when she’d first ordered it. She sighed in disappointment before she realized that someone had spoken to her.
“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m okay. That actually happens a lot where I’m from, I’ve learned to not take it personally.” Eleanor wiped her hand against her skirt, glad that the dark material would hide any stains. “Luckily I’m a slow drinker so it had lots of time to cool down while I was walking. But I really do appreciate you checking.” She took the cup back with a grateful smile that started to fade when she tried to figure out the stranger’s emotional state and came up empty handed. “Um…” She tried to find the right words, “Really, I appreciate it.”
Tension melted from his shoulders once it was confirmed that she was unharmed even as eyebrows furrowed at her comment. “Big city?” Zane asked, realizing at the question that he wasn’t sure he would even function in an environment where people just shamelessly crashed into one another, not caring. It honestly sounded almost worse than living somewhere full of people that wanted him dead and new horrors sprouting up every month.
“It’s nothing - the guy almost ran me down, too.” As the almost empty cup got passed back, her smile seemed to falter and his own grew a little worried. Was he coming on too strong? Maybe she didn’t like strangers or thought he was about to be a sleaze and ask for her number. “Honestly, it’s nothing,” he repeated, shifting back a step in case he was invading her personal space, hands sliding awkwardly into his pockets. “Not sure when people stopped caring but…” Zane shrugged, fingers messing with the headphones in his pockets.
“Anyway, uh… Oh! There’s actually a small trailer with some decent coffee just a little ways down there if you need a refill.” One hand slipped from his pockets to point further into the park, giving her a solid out from the conversation.
Eleanor nodded with a smile. “New York to be exact. I’ve lived all over New York state, but I was in the city for all of my college years. You wouldn’t believe how many people have nearly sent me face first into the pavement without so much as a backwards glance. You get used to it after a while - or at least, you get used to not being offended.” Her mind momentarily went back to when she was younger and visited the city - she and her foster siblings had been grilled on the correct etiquette, one of the biggest rules being to never call someone out if they ran into you. It could be a dangerous place but it had been home to her and a part of herself would always miss the hustle and bustle of it all.
All that aside, Eleanor knew that something was off about the stranger although she couldn’t just come out and ask why she was unable to get a read on him. She’d become a lot more proficient in identifying those who walked among the living thanks to some of her closest friends being part of the undead community, but she still struggled with an acceptable way of letting the other party know that she knew their secret. Or perhaps it was better that they didn’t know that she knew. She’d been warned plenty of times that not all undead were friendly.
She immediately felt bad when she saw that she had made her acquaintance uncomfortable and shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts. “It’s almost like everyone forgot how to be decent human beings, right? But now I sound like an old grandma cursing youngsters, don’t I?” She laughed and extended her hand for a shake - maybe she could focus her ability and get a read through physical touch. A long shot, but still worth it. “I”m Eleanor, thank you again for checking on me.”
Her eyes went in the direction that he had pointed. “You know what, I think I’ll head that way. This cup was getting a little too cold for my liking anyhow. Would you care to join me? I don’t mind getting you something as well.” The moment the words had left her mouth she wasn’t sure what to think. It wasn’t like her to invite a stranger to hang out - maybe that was just something new she would start doing.
College in a big city. Zane wondered if he’d turned out different in a place like that, whether it would have hardened him or simply broken him. Maybe at least he’d have gotten tired enough of apologizing to everyone bumping into him all the time that it would have suffocated the current pathological need for ‘sorries’ at every occasion. “That sounds insane. No wonder movies and shows don’t tend to highlight that part, no one would ever want to move there.” An exaggeration, people probably didn’t move anywhere for the manners.
Huffing out a laugh as she called herself out, well aware that he himself probably sounded like an old grump from time to time, too, Zane accepted the handshake with a renewed feeling of ease. So he hadn’t been putting her off, probably just overanalyzing a simple expression. “Zane, and it’s really no problem. Rather check on you now than have you show up later in the ER,” he joked, even if it was laced with the truth. There was no way for him to stop noticing potential injuries or catastrophes - it was well and fully hardwired at this point.
“Oh. Yeah, okay. I could go for a cup.” He’d already had way too much caffeine today but pros of no circulation - no heart palpitations. “And you don’t have to pay or anything. All I did was hand you back a practically empty cup,” Zane argued as they headed towards the cart, smell of coffee getting stronger as they approached.
Eleanor completely understood what he meant. “The movies and shows are very good at romanticizing everything. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve watched something based in New York and thought ‘nobody says that’, ‘where the hell is that’ or ‘we don’t sound like that’!” Which, of course, wasn’t entirely true as her accent seemed to slip out just in time to prove that sometimes she did sound like that. “But I do have to say that sometimes they get things right, mostly Christmas time. Christmas in the city is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, if autumn wasn’t already my favorite season I’d say winter just because of the decorations and music blasting from everywhere. And believe it or not, the people are just a tad bit nicer closer to the holidays. One time a lady even apologized for bumping into me while I was out buying presents for my family.”
The handshake offered nothing in the way of getting a read. So he truly did not have any emotions, at least none that Eleanor could pick up on. She tried to play it as cool as she possibly could - she wasn’t frightened, she was curious and excited. But again, letting someone know that she knew their secret was always a dangerous game and she needed to tread lightly. Zane seemed like a nice enough person but they’d only just met. “I like your name. I’m assuming you’re a doctor or nurse? That’s incredibly brave, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything like that. I’m too squeamish and I’m not up for the long hours of work.”
She was delighted when he accepted her invitation although she would have liked to challenge him when the subject of paying came up. He was a nice person to speak with and didn’t seem to mind that she was a little awkward. “How did you know that I might put up a fight about that?” Eleanor teased, her guard almost completely done at that point. “So, are you just out exercising? I should probably be doing that myself but I need to get back to work before too long, my deadline is coming up quickly. I’m a writer.”
Maybe he would have liked Christmas in a big city like that. Granted, most things surrounding the holiday were still weird for Zane and the music had been hard to get into when you didn’t grow up with it assaulting your ears for two months straight. The notion of all the lights though, of people being kinder - he liked that part. Maybe one day he’d go find out for himself. “I’ll have to check it out someday. Even though autumn is definitely my favorite, too. Having a run through here when the leaves are changing is amazing.”
Eleanor seemed to get less wary the more they talked, which was good, even if she still looked rather deep in thought. Maybe she was still trying to get a read on him, a fair amount of distrust was sadly a good survival mechanism in this town. Probably in New York, too. “Just a nurse. I mean, not just, nurses are valuable and all that, my coworkers are amazing. Not a doctor, though,” Zane explained, really only backtracking because it had sounded offensive to the other nurses. “It’s good that people are different, though. Can’t really have everyone going into healthcare.” The long hours of work had definitely gotten easier once sleeping was no longer a factor. Maybe a hospital full of undead was the future.
Zane let out a soft chuckle, shrugging. “It’s what I would have done,” he answered honestly, smiling and greeting the worker of the coffee cart as they approached. True to his word, he paid for his order as he made it, resisting the urge to offer to pay for her drink as well. That would just be hypocritical of him. “Yeah, I get a bit cooped up sometimes, the runs help. But you’re a writer? That’s so cool. I haven’t read much if I’m being honest, trying to fix that, so I probably haven’t read your stuff. Sorry.”
Eleanor grinned. “I moved here last August so it was just in time to witness autumn here in all its glory. It was absolutely beautiful, I got so much writing done outside because I couldn’t keep myself inside. In a turn of events I actually like being surrounded by trees. My mother didn’t think that I would fare well outside of the city but it’s proven to be one of the very few things she’s ever been wrong about. Being a nurse is incredible! You should absolutely give yourself some more credit, not everyone can do what you do and I’m one of them. I’ve always stood by the opinion that it takes a very special person to be either a schoolteacher or a healthcare worker.”
She was distracted for a moment as she ordered another cup of coffee and paid. As Eleanor waited for it to be fixed her mind wandered as she tried to think of ways to close that one chapter that she was stuck on. She had started to get her notebook out when she remembered that she was in the middle of a conversation and, blushing, she turned back to Zane with a smile. “No need to be sorry, it’s not like they’re at the top of everyone’s reading list, but I have to say that if you’re into romance then definitely give them a try. And if that’s not your cup of tea then in a few months the one I’m working on now will be on the shelves. It’s nothing that will give you nightmares but I think it’s enough to keep you on your toes.” She gratefully grabbed her coffee and took a sip. “Honestly, I could probably do some more running like you do, it’s not good to be inside my dark apartment staring at my computer all day. My back has started to naturally curve whenever I’m sitting and that’s not good.” She stated, only half-joking. “Did you graduate from here as well?” She was fascinated by the thought of growing up in one place for one’s entire life. She wished she could have experienced such a thing.
Eleanor was nice, kind. That was both a good thing and a scary thing, knowing the inevitability of these traits getting ruined or abused the longer someone stayed in town. If she was human, which all odds pointed to but there was never a way to be completely certain, then Zane worried. Maybe that wasn’t fair, maybe the writer could take perfect care of herself in the face of the atrocities but watching her talk animatedly about her mother and professions that impressed her caused him doubts. “I will try to give myself more credit,” he promised with a chuckle, hoping that Eleanor wouldn’t have to witness how impressive healthcare workers were up close.
Distracted by his own, slightly morose, thoughts, Zane didn’t take much notice of his companion zoning out. “Oh, a thriller? Is it like a murder mystery or a detective novel?” He thought of the only actual (well, informally) detective he knew and imagined how many novels could be written based on those shenanigans. If not for the absolute certainty that Emilio would hate it, Zane probably would have offered to introduce him to Eleanor for inspiration. Laughing as she exposed herself and the shrimpy posture, Zane found himself leading the pair over to one of the benches - better to make sure she wouldn’t get trampled down by another rude runner. “You really shouldn’t tell a nurse about your unhealthy habits. We judge,” he joked back, or mostly joked. It was less about judging and more about a pretty pathological need to interfere and help.
“Yeah, I finished my nursing degree here. Only got to town around… wow, think it’s been almost five years now. Man…”
Eleanor perked up again when she was presented with another opportunity to speak about her book. “It’s not really a murder mystery, there’s a monster going around town and a group of newcomers find themselves easy targets for it since they aren’t used to the area and how it resurfaces every thirteen years so they’re not near as prepared as the locals. You wouldn’t believe the amount of research I’ve had to do just into the background of my fictional monster - I wanted to make sure that the lore made sense and wouldn’t leave any of my readers finding plot holes and things of that nature. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read it front to back so I’ve gone a little ‘blind’ to any mistakes which is why I have beta readers. They’re the best whenever it comes to pointing that kind of stuff out.” She gratefully sank down onto the bench and laughed along with Zane. “Very good point, I promise not to bring up any of my other bad habits.” There were quite a few of those although most stemmed from her anxious personality. It was easier to reach for a cigarette or unhealthy snack than it was to deal with an anxiety attack.
“Time here moves differently, doesn't it? For example, sometimes it flies and I find myself unable to believe that it’s been nearly a year for me here, but then sometimes it seems to almost stop altogether and I wonder how a week felt like three months. So much has happened in the little bit of time that I’ve been here and yet it seems like nothing at all.” Eleanor brought her cup to her lips again and stared off into the distance as she thought over her own words. It had never occurred to her how much the concept of time in Wicked’s Rest confused her. She was brought out of her thoughts when someone walked by and her stare was broken; looking back to Zane she smiled apologetically. “What made you want to move here? I heard some… charming stories, I suppose. At least, I’d never truly lived in a smaller town before so I thought that now was the perfect time.” In all honesty she had been drawn to the town due to Lily’s supposed closeness and the need to completely start over, nothing else.
As she dove into the explanation for her book, Zane smiled and nodded along, her excitement for the subject infectious. Even if he wasn’t exactly sure what beta readers were or how they might prevent plot holes, it was endearing to watch her passionately ramble on. “Well, trust me when I say I won’t be looking for mistakes when I attempt to get through your book. Again, nothing to do with your book, more me being a slow as heck reader.” He just hoped the monster wouldn’t hit too close to home, be too similar to anything that actually crept around these streets. As much as he liked the idea of supporting Eleanor, feeling like the world was also a mess during ‘turn off your brain and focus on something else’ time wasn’t too enticing.
Humming in agreement as Eleanor described the passing of time, Zane found himself thinking about just how much had passed in only the last year. That one had definitely flown by, even if the ones before had been in quite a hurry, too. He didn’t exactly expect time to slow down anytime soon, seeing as he had… well, eternity. “The town definitely keeps you busy,” he mused, smiling when Eleanor seemed to snap back out of her own thoughts. “Charming stories?” Zane parroted back - he wasn’t exactly sure what kind of rep this town had in a big place like New York but… charming? “I didn’t exactly choose it, honestly. Just kind of ended up here and didn’t have a reason to go anywhere else so… I stayed. Nothing more interesting than that. Maybe moving would have been the right call but…” Zane shrugged, flashing another smile to avoid dampening the mood. “At least you came to the right place for some monster story ambiance, right?”
Eleanor was excited to hear that she may have potentially gained another reader and was once again overcome with a sense of pride at her skills at promoting her book before it was even published. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes you so long as you get through it. Some people say that I read too fast, that there’s no way that I can comprehend what I’ve read, but I promise that I can. But whenever I’m writing it feels like I’m going in slow motion for some reason - my brain has all of these ideas and I want to get them all down on paper but I can only type and write so fast.”
She wondered what Zane felt as he repeated her words back to her in a disbelieving tone. Perhaps her use of the word charming had been a bit of a stretch, but she had grown to enjoy the town and thought that being able to recognize the faces of her neighbors was neat, definitely not something she’d been accustomed to back in the city. Eleanor nodded with a laugh. If only he knew. Or did he know? He must have known something. “The town itself is what inspired me. I’m sure I’ll go back to my romances because they own my heart, but for now I was inspired to write something different and I think that it’s turned out magnificent. Do you believe in the supernatural?” It was a loaded question and she wished she could have brought out her notebook in order to document whatever his answer would be.
Smiling, Zane nodded, fully prepared to make an honest attempt to read her book. Maybe he’d do a better job reading if every time, he’d meet the author first, really like them and want them to be happy that people were reading their book. “The only thing I type are notes at work - I can do those pretty fast, though.” His coffee was running out, the placebo effect of the caffeine starting to make him antsy to get back to his run.
The question caught him off guard but it wasn’t that unexpected - his doubt at her statement hinted towards as much. Or did it? Maybe Zane had just been expressing his distaste for the… architecture or… crime rates or something that made normal towns less charming. He didn’t know Eleanor well enough to know where she stood when it came to believing - if she’d gotten the proof needed to truly know yet. “I think there’s a lot in town that’s hard to explain,” Zane answered, providing a vague answer for now. It would be a shame if she only indulged in the supernatural as a fantasy and thought him beyond odd for actually believing.
“That’s a very useful talent to have, don’t count yourself out.” Eleanor responded with a smile of her own. She liked Zane and appreciated his company - whether or not he actually read her book didn’t really matter that much to her, she was just happy to have met him although her curiosity still buzzed in the back of her mind. She mentally reached out again to see if she could pick up something, anything, but once again came up empty-handed. Oh well, that would just have to suffice for the time being. Eleanor nodded along with his vague answer because she wasn’t disappointed, she’d expected as much. Typically people who did believe in things like the supernatural didn’t make a habit of going around talking about it with people they’d just met, they would have been considered out of their mind. Finishing the last of her coffee she got to her feet and smiled at him again. Should she thank him? A part of her said no but a bigger part said that she would be in no danger if she did, he didn’t seem like the kind of person to want to do her any harm. “Thank you for sitting with me and answering my silly questions.” She laughed and hoped he took it as a sign that she didn’t think much of what she’d asked about supernatural beings. “Have a great rest of your run, hopefully we’ll see one another again soon.” She slowly walked away from the bench, her mind already wandering as she left but she took better care to watch out for her surroundings so that no one else could accidentally run into her.
