[ Eddie has never held any normal person in such high esteem. Rock stars are like his superheroes, and it’s absolutely a very important thing when he compares someone to them. And then Steve agrees that he would be a decent teacher, and it’s his turn to feel touched. ]

Yeah? Thanks, man. Wanna tell that to the two times I repeated senior year?

[ He isn’t bitter. It’s not really a thing he has to worry about anymore, after all. In fact, he smiles because no one’s ever implied he’s a particularly intelligent person. It means a lot; it really does.

He paces the length of the counter, silent for a moment, until he pauses to glance at that absolutely awful door again. ]

Yeah, well, at the very least? It’ll keep curious minds such as mine from wandering too far. Sorry about that, by the way.

[ He knows by now that the Horizon isn’t in its normal state, and just about anything can happen. It doesn’t matter how good of a job they do boarding the doors up. Those sentient vines could find their way in here and pry them open again, but Eddie knows how this works. They’re people, normal people, and they do things to make themselves feel better, even if it’s not totally logical. Sort of like when you’re a kid and somehow, hiding under the blankets is enough to protect you from the monsters in your closet. ]

So…Scoops Ahoy, huh? Good gig. I think I’d have eaten my weight in free ice cream if it were me, though.

[ He absolutely knows that the sailor suit uniform is absolutely no one’s idea of a good gig, but he’s not aiming for mean spirited here. Just casual and slightly jokey. ]