#❝ —— interactions; it's all just small talk 》 zarah.

[eliashawthorne]

elias smiles, nodding a bit, “you’re not wrong there. it would be so tempting to use that power to visit old memories, or create new ones with your vision versus how they are intended to be created, but the right thing to do would be to use it for some actual good in the world. to make some difference that will affect the lives of millions in a positive way.” he wondered about the possibilities, what he would do. mostly he wondered if he would have the strength to use that power for actual good and not selfish reasons like the ones he stated. he would like to think he would use it for good, but there was no way for him to truly know. “change wouldn’t be too bad in the world. i know they say that people are supposed to die without interruption, but does the same go for blessing the less fortunate? i guess it would, huh?” he tried not to over think it because it’s not like they really had a time turner, tardis, or delorean of any sort of way to go back to the past. but still one did have to wonder.

most of the time when elias was planning future plans, unless they were revolving around someone’s birthday party or something else important, chances were eli was simply just planning. he had wanted to do this type of road trip for some time but had never had anyone who seemed interested in it, and he felt bad asking people to join him. but he was starting to feel like life was passing him by, everyone else seemed to be forming the memories he wished to form too, and he was tired of sitting on the sidelines. at least, in terms of traveling. “i assume they do too. in my head i just picture a very excited employee with a camera hanging around their neck just ready to snap the first picture they can. blinding you with a flash before you even get to step one foot in the actual place. if not, i guess i should invest in a good selfie stick. even if i have a good road trip partner i would feel bad making them my personal photographer, and i would them in the pictures too.” then he could create a nice scrap book of memories, the idea made him smile a bit more. “i will also invest in one of those savings books, you know? the kind that like start at a dollar or something and keep adding on until a certain amount? apparently it’s actually a very helpful tool, if you’re responsible enough. we can definitely make it happen.”

“oh, i bet.” even though he has been out of college for some time he can still remember the mountain of homework and reading he had to do during the semester. and during finals week or midterms? forget about it. he would be buried in a sea of books just reading things ranging from how to properly help a cow give birth all the way to assisting with a delicate surgery. by the end of it all, it was a miracle anything stuck. his smile softens when she says she’s glad for his support, it made him feel good to know he could support the dreams of his friends in one way or another. he grins at her night driving comment, playfully replying, “whaaat. no, of course not.” now summer 2025 had officially gotten exciting and his mind buzzed with all the places they could visit. “i’ll have to check in with my roommates to see if they would mind taking care of mochi while we go off on our adventures. i don’t think mochi would be up for any alien body snatching either, though i have not yet had this type of conversation with him. maybe i should do that tonight and give him the option.” he looks over to her, “just in case he gives me the meow of approval, how do you feel about traveling with a cat? he’s mostly calm, but he does get randomly affectionate and suddenly needs all the head scratches in the world.”

“If you had a time turner, we might be sort of selfish to take that route with it,” she couldn’t help but say thoughtfully. As much as a calm night in with cats seemed like a pretty remarkable way to bring in the end of the year, she couldn’t help but think it might be wrong to have that sort of power and not use it for the good of humanity. “I mean, I know that you’re not supposed to mess with time or you end up changing the whole course of history but if you actually had that power you could literally change anything – I mean, think of the good you could do?” They could literally save lives and prevent wars. They didn’t have time machine, time turners or anything else so they had to settle for here and the now. “I can definitely accept that sort of rain check though. It all worked out in the end. I’ve been honestly struggling to stay awake between me and you. Guess I underestimated my ability to rally tonight.”

It was always fun to think forward and come up with future plans whether she was included or not. When it came to her friends, she was absolutely on board with encouraging whatever their flight of fancy might be. Life was far too short to not do what someone wanted to do. Her arm didn’t have to be twisted hard to do something that didn’t involve studying for her courses or uploading reports about the latest calls that the fire department had responded to. There was only so many times she could read about the fact there were in fact no cat skeletons to be found in trees because they literally always came down with a can of food left at the bottom. “I always assumed the majority of roadside attractions can get you a free photo with a cell phone, the trick is trusting a stranger to take it or having a good road trip partner,” she said with a nod, brushing some of her dark hair from her face. “I feel like summer would be better though you want to schedule it when it’s not tornado season or going to fry you like an egg. It’s definitely doable though. A few bucks aside a week, a few tanks or gas and a dream – we can make it happen.”

“Sometimes, it feels pretty endless,” she admitted. Zarah had her moments where she wasn’t completely sure about the trek she was on. She loved to learn, loved to test hypothesis and see where things went but she hated feeling confined by the structure of it all – the endless lessons, the tests of the knowledge. It sort of zapped the passion out of it. It was a conversation she’d had with her own mother plenty of times since she’d decided to study to be a teacher. “I know it’ll all come together in the end and I’m glad to know I’ll have your support when I get there.” She nodded, letting out a laugh at his formal invite. “I mean, I feel like you might be using me for my night driving skills but I’m in. Since you’re thinking summer, that’ll give me some time to sweet talk my brother to babysitting Marmalade… he’s not a fan of alien body snatching. Marm not my brother. I haven't really asked him, his opinion.”

[eliashawthorne]

"aw man. i wish i had a time turner now that i know you'd have joined us, i would use it right now to go back and properly ask you over. mochi is going to be bummed when i tell him later of what could've been." after a brief pause, he playfully adds, "i guess we will just have to marathon the twilight zone with our cats, under some blankets, very soon. i think it's the only way to make things right. for the cats, of course." he softly laughs, playfully grinning. "i'm glad they did too. they pretty much marathon the show the entirety of new year's day anyway. plus, i wouldn't be here talking with you if i had been a hermit tonight."

his eyes light up with a twinkle of excitement at the mention of a giant ball of yarn and a random ufo museum. she nailed it right one the head, elias was an absolute sucker for those kinds of things. "oh, you know it. i would pay to get one of those cheesy photos taken in front of the giant ball of yarn too, thumbs up and everything. i was thinking maybe during the summer? that should give us enough time to look for some places together, map out the course, and gather some extra spending money."

he lifts his cup to sip his drink, listening to her resolutions for the new year. eli nods at her response, lowering the glass again, "it does feel like you get stuck on auto piolet, doesn't it? but just remember that every second of every day you are further to being done with it all than you were five minutes ago. before you know it you'll be walking across that graduation stage and i'll give holding up a giant foam number one foam finger with your name on it in to cheer you on." again his eyes light up with excitement when she mentions stealing his idea. "i'd be okay with you stealing it. i'd also be okay with you joining me on the road trip. if you want, i mean, of course. although, i must admit, i am not the best with driving at night."

Zarah smiled warmly, leaning on the edge of the bar as she listened. “Twilight Zone marathon with your cat, huh? Honestly, that doesn’t sound half bad. Though, if I’d known that was your backup plan, I might’ve just invited myself over with Marmalade instead of showing up here. Clearly for the cats.” She laughed softly, a playful glint in her eye. “But I’m glad your roommates twisted your arm—it's only one night in the year and you can always do that later.”

She tilted her head thoughtfully at the mention of his road trip idea. “The Grand Canyon and quirky roadside attractions? That sounds like a fun adventure, especially if you do the whole Brady Bunch camping thing. I can totally see you pulling over to check out a giant ball of yarn or some random UFO museum. You’ll have to let me know when you plan it—I could probably help you find weird things to check out.”

At his question, she swirled her drink absently, the light catching in the glass. “Resolutions? I guess I do. Nothing too crazy, though—just finishing my degree and maybe trying to slow down and get outside more. Sometimes, it feels like it's all work and school.” She paused lips turning upwards. "Though now that you’ve mentioned it, a spontaneous road trip might just need to go on my list. I think 2025 could use a bit of whimsy. Maybe I should steal your idea."

[eliashawthorne]

elias's night instantly got a bit brighter when he realizes who he's next to. he smiles at the comment, "i'm happy i can brighten up your night even just a little bit. it makes me even more happy that i came." he can't help but to softly chuckle when she mentions that she hadn't expected to run into him here, "truthfully if i didn't think my roommates would probably kill me if i didn't come out to celebrate the new year's i would be at home under some blankets, watching a marathon of the twilight zone right now, with my cat somewhere curled up either on or next to me."

he shakes his head at the questions, still smiling, "no resolutions. i kind of gave up on those a little bit ago, mostly because i usually failed to keep up with them. and i'm afraid i don't have anything big or exciting planned for 2025. i think the most exciting thing i am thinking about is a mini road trip somewhere. maybe to visit the grand canyon or visit some of the craziest roadside attractions in america. i've always wanted to do something like that." the bartender comes to put the ordered drink in front of him, reassuring he would return shortly to check in. he reaches for the drink, taking a sip of it. "what about you? do you have any big resolutions?"

Whoever decided to make New Year’s Eve a day of work and the day after a day off hadn’t given it a lot of though. Zarah was used to balancing work with her social life but she was shocked to discover that her social battery wasn’t as high as it normally was. She would have normally been content to flitter from place to place, dancing with whoever was willing to dance with her and just enjoying the pre-new year excitement. She was more than ready to kick off her shoes and crawl into her bed but she wasn’t a quitter. There was still a little bit of time before they were officially in the new year and she could sneak away to bed without feeling like she’d missed out.

She’d definitely zoned out over her cocktail, only being stirred out of it by the sound of a voice making conversation with her. Her gaze moved toward the person, eyes moving over his features. “More so now that you’re here,” she offered. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you tonight which is kind of funny but it isn’t our normal haunt. I’m definitely looking forward to what the new year has in store. What about you? Any big resolutions?”