"I mean I've never drank melted butter but there's a first time for everything. And entertainment I can do. I have so many topics for us to catch up on. Speaking of, what are you watching these days? I'm trying to think of a long show I can start and lose myself in for the next couple of weeks. And yes, there are always secret library perks. Ones you don't even know of until you make friends with one. Especially when it comes to finding out what new books are coming out. Or where the best places to read are. Access to employee bathrooms or snacks. So many things," he said with a growing grin as he thought about it. Honestly, he was thinking about applying for a job to be a librarian himself. "Oh no, has the infleuncer invasion started? Maybe you should mess with them by turning off off the wifi. See them really lose their minds." He looked at the bucket and laughed. "Do I actually get to be useful for muscle for once? Finally, my time to shine and show my yoga with adriene sessions are having an impact."

"And here I was thinking you weren't one of those boys who does things that will make them puke for fun." She was being facetious of course, she knew he wasn't actually that kind of person at all. "Mm, not a lot. I watched this anime the other night that lured me too close to an existential crisis so... I'm trying to find the romance of life in other places." A quest Nathan seemed to have mastered within the library at least, given how pleased he seemed about earning access to the employee bathroom. "So cute," she said as she saw that all too familiar smile of his. It always bloomed a warmth in her chest, thinking of how far they'd both come. Perhaps they'd always have a melancholic streak about them, but it was far less encompassing than it had once been. "Here I was thinking I'd put chilli paste in their jam donuts... The devil hath sunk his claws into me," she smirked, goofing around in her own, quiet manner. With a sweeping gesture of her hand she let Nathan have at it, showing him where the buckets needed to be stored in the cold room for the next day's prep while she went back to the dozens of macarons she'd been letting cool in racks by the ovens. "That doesn't seem right... I mean, I'm more flexible because of it but I haven't gotten super strength. Are you sure you're doing yoga?"

"You know tea with buttercream in it doesn't sound entirely terrible." Nathan laughed as he stepped further inside, taking off the hoodie of his jacket so she could fully see it was him. "Or maybe it does, I don't know if that actually works. We should try," he suggested and set his bag down. "I remembered you said you were working late, figured I could see if you need any help. I spent way too long at the library today, I need to do something useful. But I do think my mission of becoming best friends with one of the librarians is starting to make some headway. She brought me candy today. How was the weekend rush here?"

"Can't imagine there are any criminals walking around using that as their opening statement," Tessa noted, immediately realising it was Nathan who had entered. Probably even worse for her productivity than a stranger, but not unwelcome in the slightest. "In the interest of your cholesterol I'll decline that little experiment. Unless you enjoy drinking straight melted butter..." It was an unnecessary detour for him to take but it made her feel appreciated to know he'd remembered something she'd said in passing. "I'm just preparing for the morning. Nothing too strenuous," she waved him off, not one to accept help in general, much less when she was the one being paid to do the work. "You can entertain me though, that would be helpful. There's only so much I can sing to myself before I get sick of my own voice. Remind me why you set yourself this challenge with the librarian... Are there secret library perks?" Cocking her head so he'd follow her she went back to the bench where she'd been mixing literal buckets of buttercream. "Mostly smooth sailing, minus the table of influencers who tried to suggest they be fed for free in exchange for tiktok exposure. As if Magnolia's hasn't been an institution in this town since before we were all born. They were awful. Maybe even worse than the nosy old ladies who bring up the fire every chance they get. If you really want to help..." she drummed her nails on the side of the bucket sitting on the bench, then glanced sidelong toward the cold room.

Paramore - Playing God

Like a kid getting his way, he grinned and obliged to Tessa's wishes, holding his hand out for her. Patching each other up was just something him and his friends did, a natural act of affection, and he wondered if that sort of thing fit the Lisbons' love language too. "Sweet, salty, then sweet again, yeah thats the order I'd go too. What kind of ice cream?," he asked with a raised brow, obviously prepared to judge whatever she answered. "Mhm, that's a yes. I won't tell though, don't worry."

Tessa was precise in the way she set the bandaid on Marlo's hand, both a sign of familiarity with tending to split knuckles and an attempt not to come across with any intention other than patching him up. She was no longer naive to the way people could misconstrue her generous heart as something more and she sure as hell wasn't going to take that risk with one of Ace's best friends. "Cookie dough," she answered cautiously awaiting his judgment, patting his hand to let him know she was done. "Probably too cold to share that outside, but we can split the other stuff. We have to walk the same way for a bit anyway. Unless you rode to town on your little mission."

"Only?," he scoffed. "Those are the best ones. Second to Spongebob." The Lisbons were still as much of an enigma to him as they were to anyone else, Tessa's relationship to Ace leaving him with even more questions than it did answers. Whatever their connection was it'd earned his respect, as anyone good in Ace's book was alright in his, but more than that she had a spunk like she could hold her own. "Oh snack haul?" He pointed to the bag in her hand, curious as to what the quote-on-quote right snacks were. Marlo raised a brow at her implication and smirked back, shrugging one shoulder. "No offense taken. I am the best looking though, right? Let's just get that clear."

"Well, in that case–" she produced said Hello Kitty bandaid from her purse, gesturing for him to come closer and hold out his hand. She'd long since given up trying to come to terms with the Lost Boys' unique sense of justice, so she didn't bother asking if the other person deserved it or not. She just hoped they were an awful person and her moral compass hadn't gone entirely off the rails somewhere along the line. "Mhm, very precious cargo. Couldn't make up my mind so I got ice cream, gummy bears, and cheetos. I feel like that covers all the food groups though, right?" Fluffing his ego wasn't part of the deal, so she shrugged, "I'm not at liberty to say."

Hand to his chest, he made a show of gushing at her compliment, aforementioned lashes fluttering. "Thank you. Some of it." Shrugging in nonchalance, he finished wiping his knuckles off as best he could then tossed the towel he'd used into a nearby dumpster. "What're you doing out this late, not scared of things that go bump in the night?"

Even if she was trying to be distant, disinterested if only because she wasn't supposed to be finding herself anywhere near any greasers anymore, she couldn't help the way she softened at his reaction to her comment. Of the Lost Boys she had met, Marlo reminded her most of Scott when she'd first met him. Cocky, charismatic, and the most boyish of his little group. "I only have Hello Kitty bandaids," she said, figuring that would suffice as offering care at the base level her conscience would allow. "Couldn't sleep. Didn't have the right snacks at home so I thought I'd go to the convenience store. The things that go bump in the night seem to like me," she was trying to remain nonchalant, but there was a hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth when she insinuated that he was part of that category. "Besides, you're not even the scariest person I've come across in the dark. Sorry."

"What? There something on my face?" Marlo grinned as he looked up from wiping the blood off his hands. "I know I'm pretty but it's still not polite to stare."

"Seriously?" Tessa, always perturbed by the sight of blood even if she'd become less reactive to the sight of it over the years, cocked her head when she realised it was Marlo she had encountered. Had she been hoping it might be Ace lurking around? She wasn't going to entertain that thought. "Yes, I know, you have the eyelashes of a dairy cow. Is that your blood?"