yknow what, i want to see the original paradise city residents interacting before the bus arrives.
agustus sneaking into jonathan's church to steal his food, but not bothering to hide his tracks anymore, because even when jonathan catches him in the act, he never actually does anything. maybe he was careful the first few times, but agustus found out quickly that jonathan is all bark and no bite when it comes to his food. or at least when it comes to him (chuck gets an earful every time he tries anything.)
squiddo visiting zora to check in every week, just to make sure she's alive and sane. she drops off supplies (never outwardly admitting she's trying to help, she always insists she simply had extra laying around), and chats idly about the terrible weather they've been having. for a few minutes zora gets to pretend she's just a normal girl having a polite conversation with her elderly neighbour, and for a few minutes things feel okay.
zora and jonathan teaching agustus how to properly shoot a gun when he admits he's never been able to use one properly, because "it's an essential life skill." zora remarking on how quickly he learns and jonathan giving him a pat on the shoulder, and agustus pretending he doesn't preen at the praise... even now, whenever he holds a gun, he mumbles jonathan's instructions under his breath, reminding himself how to use the weapon properly.
chuck and jonathan sharing drinks from an old stash of wine that they found. it tastes horrible, it's about 50 years expired, however chuck just insists that alcohol gets better with age. jonathan makes a face at every sip, but if it's getting him drunk, then he'll put up with it. once they get a bottle or two in, they start talking about their lives before all of this. it’s a strange feeling, but not an unpleasant one; in that moment, they’re just two guys sharing drinks and talking about a past they can never return to.
squiddo sometimes stops by jonathan’s church just to drop off flowers to “brighten up the place”. he insists there’s nowhere to put them, but she just brushes him off and brings a vase from ikea next time. (he doesn’t realise she’s giving him the zora treatment too AKA using deliveries as an excuse to make sure he’s still breathing and hasn’t gone off the deep end quite yet.)
one night agustus’ camp falls apart due to heavy thunderstorms, so he retreats into the sewers to shelter and finds chuck’s lab. and when he does, he immediately falls asleep in the corner, where a makeshift bed is set up. it’s probably a reckless move, but he knows chuck isn’t an actually dangerous guy—just a bit out there. sure enough, he doesn’t even see him when he wakes up. (though where did that extra blanket come from…)
something about them all living their own completely separate lives, but being the only survivors left in this hellscape of a city just bringing them together. Idk
