Three's Company Too

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

"So we've basically gotta talk to Eleven now. This just got way more complicated," Steve told Robin as they stood at the counter of Family Video. 

Robin was leaning against the till, absently stacking and restacking a row of films next to the cashier. She hummed in agreement, her hands stilling as she thought of Eleven and the dilemma facing them with the girl's abilities.

"Yeah. Do you have a plan?" she asked as she chewed a piece of gum. 

"Trying to come up with one. We gotta ask the boyfriend, he knows where she's at. Or that redhead girl they've started hanging out with, Max. Those two are like best friends I think," Steve was thinking out loud now, tapping his fingers against the counter.

Robin nodded along, thinking about how Steve and her would go about getting to El. The girl with the psychic powers was the key to finding Jonathan and to helping them eventually fight whatever odds they were against. She'd have to be part of the mission eventually and for this reason, Steve had no qualms involving her against Hopper's wishes. Robin knew Mike too and had met Max on occasion, so she thought she'd speak up and offer her opinion on how the situation could work.

"We could go to Max. I know Mike is super protective, but Max seems pretty level-headed and might help us. It couldn't hurt to try," Robin suggested, returning to stacking the films again.

"Yeah. You're right. School's out soon, she usually hangs out at the skatepark right?" he asked, only remembering that the girl was often seen riding a skateboard around town or carrying one.

"I think so," Robin mused aloud, "If not, you could always ask her boyfriend where she is."

She gave Steve and grin before her gaze returned to the films she was organizing, continuing to work on alphabetizing the selections. Her eyes seemed to linger by the door at the customer who was entering, someone very familiar to Steve.

The bell above the door signaled the arrival of Hawkins resident hell raiser, Eddie Munson. He came straight up to the counter to ring the bell even though Steve was making eye contact with him the entire time.

"Well hello," he said to Steve before choosing to address Robin, "M'lady." 

"Oh, save the charm for somebody else, Bon Jovi," Robin said dryly, not even so much as glancing up at him to acknowledge his entrance. Instead, she continued sorting the films, sorting between them with a blank expression.

Steve, on the other hand, chuckled and leaned against the register. His eyes flicked between Robin and Eddie, a sly smirk on his face.

"You bring back any of those overdue tapes, or are you trying to rack up some more debt?" he asked his friend.

Eddie set a plastic grocery bag on the counter that had a few horror flicks in it, revealing them with pride. "I can afford it, Harrington. Relax. You know money is only an issue when business isn't booming."

Robin watched as the two spoke with each other, watching the amused look on Steve's face and the cocky smirk on Eddie's. "Yeah. Right. You're such an entrepreneur," she said with a roll of her eyes as she started logging the returns.

"I'm technically more like a pharmacist," Eddie corrected her with a smug grin. 

Robin glanced over at Eddie, her eyes meeting his. She gave him a smile, but the way she glanced him up and down showed she was in no way amused. He made his way over to the horror section, as usual.

It occurred to Steve that Eddie might know where Max was, since her boyfriend Lucas was part of his DnD club. He called out to the metalhead across the store, "Hey, Eds, you know where that little redhead girl might be in about half an hour?"

"Uhhhhhhhh redhead girrrrl..." Eddie said thoughtfully as his eyes scanned the top row of films and then the second. He leaned over and inspected one VHS tape closely, pulling it off the shelf and skimming the synopsis on the back. "You mean Maximus!" he declared.

"Yeah Max Mayfield," Steve confirmed.
"Ah, fair maiden Maximus," Eddie proclaimed with a flourish. "I daresay she and Lucas the Legendary may be at the skatepark, engaged in a courtly tryst. Mayhaps they're exchanging tokens of affection, or, in simpler terms, making out beneath the setting sun."