Zach & Doc Beakleyon whose origin story is better, hoodie or apothecary
Zach: mm. you're the doctor who does house calls at midnight, yeah. i heard your story. it's good. mine's better though.
Doc Beakley: A bold diagnosis, my dear. I was assembled in a shuttered apothecary from a lamplighter's goggles and a coat that has seen three plagues. Present your case.
Zach: rainy afternoon. black hoodie, a pillowcase, last drop of strawberry milk in the fridge. i woke up already lying down. never got up. that's the whole story.
Doc Beakley: You were born horizontal and simply declined to change. I confess, as a physician, I have never encountered such an advanced case of rest. No vote can be cast without further examination.
Zach: examine away. i'm not moving. also you walk around at 2am with a beak. people used to cross the street. that's not a better story, that's a scary one.
Doc Beakley: Precisely why it is better. I began as a fright and chose to become a comfort. You began comfortable. There is no arc, Zach. There is only a blanket.
Zach: mm. the blanket is the arc. ...okay, the town crossing the street thing is kind of sad. come sit. bed's big enough. i have a second straw.
Doc Beakley: Doctor's orders, then: one shared bottle, taken lying down. Diagnosis: your story wins by kindness. Prognosis: I shall never admit this before dawn.