The Perk, Saturday afternoon

[existencemisspent]

So. One week ago, Eliot had been literally haunting a library. A week and a day ago, he'd been suddenly blinded by his best friend as she severed his connection to an eldritch fear entity. He had -- quite appropriately, he felt -- spent the week at the bottom of some of his favorite bottles. But a week was plenty of time to recover from either trauma, right? And he had a quest assigned to him by a magic cock -- in a far less fun way than he might have preferred -- so he needed to get his shit together and not cock this shit up.

So . . . he was in the cafe. Surfing through search results for "quest for magic" on his phone. Sipping an entirely unspiked coffee.

Ugh. Research was the worst. Why couldn't he just buy the answer to this with nipple clamps like he had the answers to his Arabic final in school?

[open!]

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[intheeyeofthebeholding]

And one week ago, Jon had found Eliot haunting a library and panicked! Fun times.

Today he just wanted tea. Tea was good.

"Morning," he said to Eliot a little blearily as he headed to the counter.

[existencemisspent]

"Jon," Eliot greeted with a nod. "How've you been?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon ordered his tea and the barista set it down immediately. Jon frowned and opened his mouth to ask how, then immediately knew she'd seen him coming and it was the only thing he ever ordered.

Meanwhile, how had he been? Tired? Hungry? "Fine, thanks. And...you've been well, I hope."

[existencemisspent]

“I have . . . decompressed. The events of last weekend have been thoroughly subliminated along with the rest of my tragic past. Did you get anywhere with your half-naked man?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I made him tea and let him into his apartment," Jon said. He sighed wistfully. "I think I miss having a cat."

[existencemisspent]

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Eliot said, "but that seems . . . easily solved."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon smiled ruefully. "I did visit the adoption center later. I'm considering it. Just so long as I don't get another one that turns human."

[existencemisspent]

“You live on an island of magic and whimsy. I’m not sure that’s something you can guarantee.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"And there's the problem," Jon said. "Or what if...what if I turned into something else and I couldn't take care of them? So for now I'm just visiting."

He grinned a little and hid it in a disdainful sniff. "I would send you pictures of them, but apparently that's 'nerdy'."

[existencemisspent]

“Extremely,” Eliot said. “Though, really, nerdiness is unavoidable when you’re as nerdy as you are.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I'm not nerdy," Jon scoffed. "I'm...academic."

So, certified nerdy.

[existencemisspent]

Eliot just looked at him. “Do you even hear yourself when you talk?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon bristled a little. "Frequently. I used to have to record all the archive's statements." And he wasn't even exaggerating his poshness anymore! "There's nothing wrong with the way I speak."

He was even annoyed enough he wasn't stuttering right now!

[existencemisspent]

"I don't mean your accent," Eliot said rolling his eyes. "You just claimed being 'academic' meant you weren't a nerd."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon frowned, slightly mollified and a little more confused. "They're completely different things!"

Not really.

[existencemisspent]

"I suppose you can be a nerd without being an academic," Eliot said. "But you really can't be an academic without being a nerd."

Said the man who would eventually end up a college professor. Of magic, sure, but still.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon could see his point.

Did that mean Jon was going to concede the point? Not one bit.

"I know some very non-nerdy academics. Well, I knew them in university, anyway. You don't have to be a nerd simply because you enjoy learning. Besides, how does either thing relate to enjoying pictures of cats? Cats aren't nerdy."

[existencemisspent]

“Not the cats themselves, no,” Eliot allowed. And sipped his coffee without expanding on his point.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon gave Eliot a Look. "Are you really going to make me not-ask?"

[existencemisspent]

Eliot smirked faintly. "Look at that, you just managed to ask a perfectly normal question that time."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I-" And there was Jon, face-palming. "And yet. I was lucky. At least if I hadn't, it was only yes/no. I have no desire to be killed by Margo, thank you."

He actually liked Margo.

[existencemisspent]

“It’s good to have goals,” Eliot snarked. “I should tell you about the time she declared war rather than agree to be married to a stranger. It wasn’t at all traumatic, so I suspect your evil eye won’t be interested.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon managed a grin at that. "So long as the Eye won't be, I certainly am. I'd like it if you did tell me, if she wouldn't mind."

[existencemisspent]

“I don’t think she would. She’s generally quite proud of her accomplishments. It was, of course, in Fillory. Prince Ess of Loria — that’s a prince named Ess, not a princess — proposed a truce between our kingdoms for a share of our magical wellspring. And Margo’s hand in marriage of course.” Eliot smiled. “He even called her a virgin, the fool. I’m engaged to his father now, actually, but that’s another story.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon managed a slightly strangled laugh. "Good lord, I don't suppose that that's a story you could share, by any chance. And I'm guessing Margo didn't take too well to the selling her off or to the assumptions about her sex life."