@aphrodisic: i know that's why you came here tonight.
his line of work had led him to plenty of unsavory places over the years ( dumpsters, fire escapes, the entire state of new jersey ), but broadway took a whole new level in depravity. as hud lingers by the stage door with his hands sheathed in his pockets, he fruitlessly attempts to digest the last three hours of his life. sweeneys didn't do theater - short of his mom's propensity for showtunes that had mercifully skipped a generation - and they most certainly didn't do shakespeare. the world was baffling enough without the addition of ridiculous costumes and iambic pentameter.
only one thing could salvage this night, and it happened to be the very reason he was here. he'd become something of an expert in the dellecher case these last few weeks, specifically its unique cast of characters. between days of lead-chasing ( alexander vass had a particularly chatty hairdresser ) and nights of social media deep dives fueled by bodega coffee and the ever-present trappings of nick@nite, he had learned these people by heart - and once that pipeline was exhausted, he went straight to the source. meredith was the easiest to find, though she clearly had no intention of making it easy for him. the last time they spoke, she had coolly told him to buy a ticket.
which was exactly what he did.
twenty-six agonizing minutes later, she steps on to the pavement, rippling with what he could only describe as post-performance high. if she was surprised to find him loitering outside the stage door, it didn't show. she looked just as she had the first time he'd approached her - demurely annoyed. they exchange a few words, he compliments her performance and then: i know that's why you came here tonight. he could appreciate a straight shooter. he was one himself. " what, shakespeare buff didn't align with your five minute perception of me? " hud deadpans, lifting a brow in acknowledgement. his own five minute perception made it clear that they could go round and round in circles of ambiguity all day, so he cuts to the point. " - can i buy you a cup of coffee? "
