Hops in the Rain

“Oh.”

The word hung heavy in the air as the sudden downpour trapped him in, splashing his hooves slightly from puddles. The awning above his head helped keep his head and torso out of the rain, but the high winds had other plans for the rest of his body. Of course this was the night he decided to stay out late, to try to stay till closing. The bar was loud and the music was blasting the entire time, so he hadn’t heard the storm begin. When things started to slow down, the problem was already obvious. There was no getting out of this dry. 

Putting a hand out to test it, the golf-ball sized rain doused his hand in an instant. Not only was it nearly a flood suspended in the air, but it was freezing as well. 

The door behind him opened, then closed back up. The sound of keys in the lock confirmed that Hops, the bartender tonight, finished closing up shop and was ready to head home too. “Still here, Nem?” she asked from behind, gaining a slight sigh.

“I mean, I was thirsty earlier, but even this is a bit too much for me,” he said, glancing back at the other doll. “It’s pretty much raining mochi.”

His deadpan and exhausted look gained a chuckle from Hops, who shook her head. “Didn’t you check the weather before coming out tonight? It’s supposed to be like this all weekend.” Her umbrella expanded out, clear and domed over. She tucked a flask into her jacket pocket, before stepping out into the rain. “I don’t know how far you are, but I know an inn not too far from here. They usually will give you a discount on nights like this.”

Nemisis looked at the doll, nearly eye-to-eye with her, and gave a defeated nod. There wasn’t any way of getting out of this with his pride fully intact. 

The two began their walk, hooves and shoes making a mess of the sidewalks and paths they had to take. Nemisis pulled his jacket closer around him, looking out at the street lights and fog ahead. It truly was a dark and stormy night, wasn’t it? 

“So… what kept you out so late?” Hops asked after a while, breaking the silence that had unknowingly settled between them. He looked over at her with slight surprise, before biting his lip in thought. What could he really say?

“Just, eh… to have fun, yknow? I’ve never stayed out much past midnight, and I wanted to see what it was like so late into it.” His eyes focused on the pavement in front of him, studying the way the stones fit together. 

“You only ordered two drinks that weren’t even that alcoholic,” she pointed out. “And you didn’t talk to anyone but yourself.”

Nemisis felt a flush come to his cheeks, annoyed that someone actually noticed. He figured two was enough- he was drinking them slow enough for certain. As they crossed a puddle, he kicked into it, sending some water ahead of them. 

“I just needed to get out of the house,” he said, changing his story. “And I really haven’t been to one of these places till closing. It was… interesting.”

Hops looked at the other, tilting her head slightly at his expression. It didn’t take an empath to know the other had a bit more than just ‘having fun’ or new experiences on his mind. She took a deep breath, putting on a smile. 

“Yeah, I know how that can feel,” she said, her tone light hearted. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s great staying in every once in a while, but there’s something great about being out until the wee hours of the morning. When even the nocturnal imps have had enough of staying up. I sometimes go over to hang out with Angora, but it’s nice to have some time to myself, too. Even if other people are around, I can just focus on me.”

Nemisis glanced over at her, his mouth opening slightly to reply, before he looked back down. “Yeah, I… yeah. I think that’s just what I needed tonight.” His grip on his jacket softened a bit, before he looked over at Hops again. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked, finally noticing that the ‘jacket’ she was wearing was just about as warm as a plastic bag- about as covering as one, too.

“Oh, I’ve been through much worse storms than this one with far less on. I’ll survive.” 

Nem shook his head, slipping off his dual-toned jacket and handing it over. “You need it a lot more than I do tonight. I still have a turtleneck on, and I put long sleeves under this too.” He seemed almost proud of his choice to layer so well.

Hops looked at the jacket that was suddenly thrust into her arms, before laughing softly at the gesture. She handed the umbrella over for Nemisis to hold, before slipping it on. While it was already oversized on Nem, on Hops it looked like a swimming pool. But it was certainly warm. 

“Thank you,” she said, shaking her head slightly as she took the umbrella back. “I’ll give it back next time you’re at the bar and I’m on duty. I’m afraid this is where I have to drop you off, though- Martha’s Inn. Tell her I sent you.”

Nem looked up, slightly surprised they were already there. That was a lot quicker than expected. “Oh, that was quick,” he muttered, before giving Hops a half-smile. “I’ll see you then.”