Nothing But Bones

8: Modesty Mouse

Elton tosses on yesterday's jeans and a Modest Mouse t-shirt his brother gave him like a decade ago. It's very comfortable and, fittingly, very old.

Ten minutes later, he pulls into the Beaverdell Hotel's small parking area, unsure if Tiff will be waiting or if he should go inside. Dingus pants happily in the backseat of his Ford Focus.

He could spot her from a mile away if he wanted to. Leaning against the trunk of a maroon 2003 Honda Accord with exactly zero bumper stickers; bag slung over her shoulder, leather jacket unzipped, green hair unbrushed; that's all there is to it. Paint-stained jeans and scuffed black boots: Tiff Cain.

She watches him approach; waits until the car slows to a halt to walk up to it; waits until the front door unlocks to wrench it open. She raises her eyebrows, like that's a way to say hello, and supplements it with, "Hey there."

He smiles and waves to her as she pulls on his passenger side door handle far too hard. "Hey! Hop on in. Don't mind Dingus, he's a good boy. He loves other... dogs... as well. He's very friendly!"

"I'll, uh— I'll keep Kepler up here." She keeps the comment about him not playing well with others in her throat. There's no need to sound like a file kept on a child pre-Kindergarten.

Without much hesitation, she ducks her head, gets in, and closes the door, swinging her bag over her head and onto the floor in one quick motion. Tiff tries not to wince at the sound of glass against glass and hopes against hope that nothing broke. She doesn't belt Kepler in against her but, with the way he's been acting these past few days, she does consider it.

"I suppose," she says, struggling to find the seatbelt buckle without looking, "that, since we don't actually know each other, I'm some random American who showed up here out of the blue yesterday, and I'm in your car, introductions past names might be a good idea."

Elton eyes the rat on her lap while she speaks. It seems to know more than it should. He catches Dingus in the back, also staring at Kepler like he hopes the rat will want to play.

"But, you know— Up to you in the end," Tiff concludes, still not looking up.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Hmm. An American, eh? I guess I should have figured. That's pretty much all we get as far as people stopping into town." Elton backs out of the parking spot and begins their drive. "What do you want to know, exactly?"

She chuckles a little, turns her head to the side, looks at his eyebrows instead of his eyes. "Who are you, Elton Lastname?"

He glances sideways at Tiff and smirks. "Right. Right. Well, it's Elton Castle."

"That's certainly a name."

"Son of the owner of the Big Beaver—"

"Tracks. You look like her. "

—The Beaver's been in my family forever."

Dingus noses up under Elton's arm as it sits on the arm rest. He pets the dog's snout.

He sighs. "Beyond that, I mean... I think I may be the only queer person in Beaverdell. At least the only person who's open about it. There was a rumor that Don Rogers was gay, but I doubt it."

"You never know," she mutters. She tugs at her jacket under the seatbelt.

"Um— I have a YouTube channel that has a relatively decent following... in certain circles. I don't like mayonnaise and I once wrote to Justin Trudeau to ask him on a date as a dare."

"Good thing it was a dare. If it were serious, I might jump out of your car."

Kepler reaches up to the rearview mirror. Elton moves his hand gently and fixes it. "And you, Tiff Cain? Strange American woman with a great interest in a random haunted house in the middle of fucking nowhere Canada? I may also add to that... with a really, really giant rat."