Tick Tock Part Three - Dock

Incognito

Gavin snickered quietly as he turned from his place at the bar and looked across at the faded old door that had just opened. Elijah had arrived incognito, and by incognito, he meant like an edge lord. His hair was in its usual bun, slicked back and neat, and he was wearing large dark sunglasses, keeping his head relatively low as he looked around. He'd chosen dark colours. Black jeans and a T-shirt with an expensive blazer tossed over his shoulders like a cape, and matching leather driving gloves. Since he couldn't see, he tugged the sunglasses off, hunching his shoulders almost self-consciously as he searched the dimly lit room. Gavin held a hand up from his stool, and Elijah nodded and hurried over.

They'd chosen to meet at a small bar. It was a lot like Jimmy's, only a little dimmer, with younger clientele. None of them paid Elijah any mind besides a small chortle at his choice of outfit. The bar was mostly empty, just a barman a little further down, talking to an older guy about something or other. A few of the small round tables were surrounded by people just out of work. It was mostly labourers and maintenance workers in this part of town. Office workers tended to stay a little closer to the station. Gavin had come alone. He'd wanted to meet Elijah in private to talk over a few things. It wouldn't feel right to have Nines sitting right there, so Nines had strategically suggested he head over to Elijah's estate with Connor and Colin to keep Chloe company for the evening. A sort of sibling sleepover, but without the sleeping. Before parting, Nines had suggested that perhaps, if all went well, Gavin might return with Elijah later. Gavin had made no promises, but Nines hadn't expected him to.

"What'll it be?" the young barman asked as he walked over. It was a small, casual place, so there was no uniform. The guy was probably a student and definitely worked out. He was wearing a white tank top to show off his toned arms with tight jeans that hugged his slim legs. Not a fan of leg day, I see...Elijah looked around the bottles cluelessly before looking at Gavin for help. Gavin chuckled as he pushed his half empty bottle towards the barman suggestively.

"One more of these and whatever fancy-ass red wine you've got back there, and get me two shots of the smoothest whiskey you have." The barman almost scoffed at the idea that there would be any fancy-ass wine back there, but he did his best in assuming fancy would equate to the most expensive. He poured out a large glass for Elijah, uncapped a fresh bottle for Gavin, and poured two generous measures from a large crystal bottle from the back shelf. It wouldn't be up to Elijah's usual standards, but Gavin was pretty sure he didn't expect it to be. Elijah kept the jacket across his shoulders as he sat on the stool beside him and gingerly sipped the wine. Gavin hid his smirk in his own drink as he grimaced in distaste.

"I'm glad you called...I was worried when..." Elijah trailed off suggestively without bringing it up. Gavin nodded his understanding. He must have known Chloe had disappeared. She'd probably sent out a distress signal or some shit the moment she was snatched. Maybe Elijah hadn't noticed it right away, or maybe he hadn't known until Chloe shut down, but he'd found out about Chloe's disappearance and that Gavin had been with her. He knew what happened later, too. Gavin's jaw tightened at the thought. "How have you been? Chloe's been asking after you...She was worried," Elijah continued softly, doing his best not to press the subject.

"Yeah...I'm...going through some shit..." Gavin dropped whatever front he'd been trying to keep up. He couldn't help feeling lost and nervous where android death was concerned. He looked worn and tired, dark rings creeping in beneath his eyes. The problem had been keeping him up at night, despite Nines' best efforts. "I was talking to my therapist yesterday," he began as he eyed Elijah over his bottle. Elijah hummed his acknowledgement and leaned on the bar fiddling with his sunglasses as he waited for Gavin to continue. How this conversation went would go towards shaping their whole future. How they'd interact from then on. Whether Gavin would go to the mansion. Whether they'd have family gatherings. Maybe even whether they stayed in touch at all. It was somewhat painful to find that Gavin was so hesitant to accept Chloe for who and what she was. "She said I should talk to you...that maybe you can make this whole new body, same person thing make sense."