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It was perhaps flattering just how impressed Ever seemed by it all: the easy way Melvin summoned help, the searching on the internet, and Uber above all else. He sat across form Melvin in the restaurant, with a bland vodka drink at his elbow and otherwise a bit of a stunned expression, mostly watching the other man instead of the menu.

"...what? Why?" His fingers settled at the corner of the page, pulling it in toward him distractedly. "I've got cash."

Ever hummed just a little, watching Melvin for another moment before he gave up on it and just looked down for what to order. A quick flick through and he shook his head. He'd probably end up ordering fries; just enough to mop up some of the alcohol from his drink.

"...I don't have a problem with crowds. Malls are...weird, though." He hesitated over the word, closing his own menu slowly. "I don't really fit in."

For just a moment, Ever thought about that -- eyebrows knitted and fingers scraping over the back of his head, where it had been shaved down to a fuzzy stubble. It was, apparently, a complicated question, and one he had to muse over. Ever wasn't sure if that was normal.

"...dive bars?" But he sounded uncertain, even as he said it. True, once upon a time. Maybe not now. So his tone turned dry. "Life labs?"

Smoke and stale beers was an assessment that made Ever blink for a moment, startled by its sheer accuracy. That was, it seemed, how he thought about himself, and after a moment a quirk of a smile slid across his face. He scraped fingers through the mess of his hair, dragging it back out of his face, and looked around the place.

He still didn't fit in here, either, no matter what Melvin said. He looked too shabby, with holes at his knees and everything just a tiny bit too big. "...whatever you want, Melvin. Especially if it's on you, right?"

"Four." He quirked just a little smile at Melvin's expression, crooked and humorless, as he toyed with the edge of his menu. Absently, he settled his chin into his free hand.

"Three older brothers and a younger sister. And I'm just going to eat some chicken fingers or fries or something."

Ever wasn't completely oblivious, at least. It only took a moment of staring, long and lingering, before he figured out at least to some degree what was going on. He sat for another moment with his chin in his hand, leaning in on the table, considering Melvin, and then gave in.

"Oldest brother's basically a clone of my dad, and took over the family business. Next two are twins, they're also in the family business. Sister's a lot younger than me, she was always smart, but I haven't seen any of them since I was like eighteen."

A beat, assessing.

"So almost ten years, I guess."

Ever hesitated over that range of questions, chewing them over -- his eyes sliding past Melvin to take in the decor. This was probably not the best location for serious thought, which meant he had to think about how, exactly, to answer.

"My dad and I didn't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things. So I escaped to college, which took some doing, but did something really stupid my first semester and ended up in some trouble he also didn't approve of and either had to go home or figure out how to manage on my own." He paused just a little, waffling over that. "Carpentry wasn't for me. Nor was the rest of it."

Ever hesitated over that just a little -- realizing, maybe, that being vague or tactful wasn't exactly a successful tactic when dealing with Melvin. He was too direct, too curious, and too demanding.

"Actually, my dad was, uh, kind of an a*****e." He dug a little, trying not to dissolve into bitterness, still fussing with the corner of the menu. "...I don't think going home would have been safe for me, once I was out."