Gray Clouds

Chapter 10 - Mocha?

Mocha. Mocha.

Eli sat down next to the person talking to Emmanuel, and the person next to him turned to face him. Their bobcut hair was half-coloured, right side black and the left side a light blonde.

"Eli, how are you?" Emmanuel greeted cheerfully. "Did you get a good rest? I hope the noise here wasn't much of an inconvenience."

"It was alright," Eli answered, leaning his arms forward comfortably. "The room is very small, but it's good enough for me."

"That's good, then—"

"Uh, Emy, who's this?" The person sitting next to him interrupted Emmanuel, who didn't seem too miffed. "Are you new to Delafield or something?"

"Oh, yes, right... You two haven't met yet." Emmanuel put down a cloth he was using to wipe a spill from the counter. "Eli, this is Mouse. Mouse, meet Eli."

"...Mouse?" Eli repeated, staring at the person next to him, who was also doing the same. "I have a friend named Mouse on Discord. We've never met, though."

Mouse raised an eyebrow, their lazy, obsidian eyes widening a little in interest. "...Are they an art major in university? Do they have a friend named Mocha?"

"Yes... Yes!" Eli replied, while Gray stared at them in confusion.

A gasp escaping Mouse's mouth, suddenly grabbing Eli's hands and jumping in their seat. "No way! You're Mocha?!"

Mouse pulled Eli into a rib-crushing hug, the strength coming from completely out of nowhere for their skinny and short stature.

"Where were you? I've been calling you for days! Sei proprio un coglione! I thought you had died!" Mouse cried in shock, pulling away while still grabbing Eli's biceps and shaking him vigorously. Gray stared in silent shock and bewilderment. "Jeez, you look more scuffed than I thought you'd be. You need a hairbrush."

"Oh, shut up..." Eli rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile. He would've been offended by Mouse's Italian vulgarity if it weren't an inside joke between them. "You're a lot shorter than I thought."

"Oh, vaffanculo!" Mouse chuckled, finally letting go after playfully punching Eli's shoulder. "So, finally got to learn my friend's real name, huh? Eli, very cool."

"...They remind me of your mom." Gray commented in an un-needed whisper.

"So your name is actually Mouse?" Eli asked.

"Of course it is." Mouse replied smugly, their hands on their hips. "It's a fun name."

"...Yeah, it is." Eli couldn't stop himself from agreeing.

Emmanuel smiled as he watched the two friends talk to each other. "So, you two already know each other? I assume this is your first time seeing each other?"

"Yes. We've never met since I've been in Ramora for my whole life." Elliot confirmed, his smile faltering as he answered Emmanuel's question.

"Uh- What?" Mouse raised an eyebrow, looking a bit perplexed. "Ramora? Like, Ramora Lane?"

Elliot nodded silently, and he could see the lightbulb switching on as they realised what that meant. "Ohhh! So you've been with those freaks this entire time? No wonder why you never agreed to us meeting up!"

Elliot smiled a little as Mouse pulled him into a hug. He felt choked up in a tearful happiness he hadn't felt in a while. It made him realise just how much he had missed out on a normal human life because of The Community.

"I'm glad you finally found a way to get out of that shady community shit." Mouse pulled away, turning to Emmanuel. "Get us two glasses of lemonade. I'll pay for it."

"You got it." Emmanuel took two glasses of freshly cleaned water, pulling out a bottle of lemonade from a fridge.

"So, if you're not busy later today, I should give you a tour of Delafield." Mouse offered confidently. "You need a change of scenery!"

"I'd like that. It would probably be good to go looking for a job as well... I'm a little short on money, and I left all my stuff back at the house."

"You know," Emmanuel cut in, putting the lemonades in front of Eli and Mouse. "You could come work here. You're going to have to start with the cleaning jobs before the kitchen and bar work, though."

"Oh, that's okay!" Eli shook his head. "I don't mind cleaning if it means I get money out of it."

"Pfft. Looking at what happened to your room back in Ramora Lane, you're going to need a bit of help with cleaning." Gray snickered, meanwhile Eli shot the angel a subtle glare.

"Well, that's something crossed off your list." Mouse shrugged, taking a big sip of their lemonade.

Emmanuel gave Eli his familiar warm smile as Eli took the lemonade glass from the bartender. His interest was caught by something on Emmanuel's finger that glittered in the barlight.

"Oh, is that a ring?" Eli asked. Emmanuel glanced down at the ring on his finger and his eyes softened fondly.

"Mhm. It's my wedding ring." Emmanuel answered gleefully.

"When did you get married?"

"Five years ago. 2020." Emmanuel replied. "Still remember it like it was tomorrow."

"His husband's a tailor." Mouse grinned, joining into the conversation. "Italian, just like me. The three of us met in Uni."

"Really?" Eli's eyes sparkled in awe. "So you guys have known each other for a while, huh?"

"Mhm. Got to meet Schuyler through Emy."

"Who's Schuyler?" Eli and Gray asked in confusion, though it was only Eli who could be heard.

"Oh- That's Sky's real name." Emmanuel answered sheepishly. "We call him Sky."

"It sounds like Skylar, but his name is a pain to write." Mouse scoffed, shaking their head. "Parents modifying normal names to make it 'unique' is akin to torture, I swear..."

"I think it would be fun for all of us to meet together for a night out." Emmanuel suggested. "Maybe once all this Ramora Lane mess is dealt with, we could all visit a restaurant?"

"Oh... That sounds nice, actually." Eli said, a smile on his face as he imagined what it would be like to freely go out with friends.

"We'll make sure not to waste our time going to Nathaniel's again." Mouse replied. "I still think it's cazzata that they didn't allow service dogs at their joint."

Eli heard Gray grumbling behind him, wrapping his arms around him and leaning his weight on his back. "Ugh... Eli, please, you're killing me! Hurry up and go on that city tour already, before I lose it!"

Eli was about to elbow Gray, but managed to ground himself.

"For fucks sake, Gray... Fine." Eli hissed, his whisper unnoticed and blending into the bar's talkative atmosphere.

"Mouse, we should head out now. I'd like to be a little more familiar with the place if I'm going to be staying here..." Eli mumbled, and Mouse jumped out of their seat with a confident expression.

"Got it!" Mouse beamed, slapping down a ten dollar note onto the counter in front of Emmanuel. "Keep the change, Emy. Come, I've got lots to show you!"