company had at one time been required if eric truly wanted to have a pleasant evening. a natural chatterbox through and through, even if he wasn’t talking some poor soul’s ear off or intently listening in return, just having another body in the room would appear to brighten his mood. sharing space in silence enough to soothe his nerves even so, as times had changed eric followed suit, not only learning to enjoy his own company but coming to prefer it over spending time with others. save for the days when his daughter was home ( and thanks to 50/50 custody + swiftly approaching adolescence those days were becoming a rarity ) the raleigh household would be found still and quiet, a solitary man entertaining himself with nonsense. new residents seldom caught his eye, and invitations certainly weren’t brandished without thought as they were in the past, but there were some folks that were more noticeable than others. maybe it was a blessing, maybe a curse ; either way, it meant free dinner without having to put any work in.
too sweet and not nearly strong enough, eric grimaced as he sipped at cloudy cider, brows coming to a peak as the not-quite-a-stranger spoke. ❝ i’m not a perfectionist when it comes to anything, ❞ he said, the smallest of smiles threatening to appear. ❝ people always assume that about me and i honestly have no idea where it comes from. i’m a disaster in every aspect of life, expecting perfection would only lead to disappointment gotta ask though, how’d you make it this far in life while still managing to be a shitty cook? ❞
a worn smile spreads across his face as he rambles about the kitchen, seemingly knowing where all the essentials were placed and the ingredients stashed for a simple pasta that his mother used to make. perhaps he liked this feeling of normalcy that didn’t just radiate from the zompocalypse, but from the years he spent in federal prison and confined. were it not for doctor merch, murphy would say the zombies were his source of freedom and granted him a second chance to do right --- until he lost it all. a bowl is taken down from the cabinet and placed on the counter top as he listens to the other speak about not being a perfectionist and a disaster instead. ❛ i assume everyone is a perfectionist because i am the world’s biggest fuck up and disappointment. somewhere, somehow, i just mess everything up and it all goes to hell around me.❜ from the start, his life was rough and toppling over like a house of cards. and when the world ended and he died, the world became a steady color of blue. there was tears and anger, a hunger that never ends. meeting the people at alexandria scares him and getting close is petrifying, because one day they too, will die and he’ll lose all he gains.
❛ i didn’t cook for long when the rest of my group learned how horrible i was at barbecuing crickets in a hubcap. eventually, i was in charge of catching them. ❜ he idly stirs the sauce, adding a few chopped onions to the mix and only now does he look up to eric and offer a snort in amusement. ❛ but i’m not completely useless in the kitchen as you can see. i know how to make some italian dishes out of scraps and it’s damn well better than insects. ❜
