Mordred extremely does not look like he's here under duress to Zoe.

In fact, he looks less stressed than he's looked to Zoe........ possibly since Savannah, definitely since Los Angeles.

"If I were on Nectar I would be in charge of this mission."

...oh. So she's not on Nectar currently. That's... more of a relief than he would have expected it to be.

"Okay, I can work with that -- you giving official signoffs on things will probably make everything go smoother but we can handle the rest."

(Zoe PLEASE observe the non-hostile body language and the fact that we were just hugging, he thinks as hard as he can.)

"It's just that I've been on it so long I don't know how to make plans without it."

"I look at my books and the words just swim in front of me. I do what Dr. Solazzio or Peter says because... I just can't think."

"There was a person I was before, I know. She was smart. I just."

"You're just grieving and scared and constantly under threat from everyone you talk to who's over the age of eight?"

"I just don't know how to think without consuming the spit of an inhuman monster."

"Because I lost everything that mattered."

"And that, yes, that isn't helping either."

Zoe takes deep breaths. If Mordred is mind-controlled or having some sort of weird Nectar effect that makes him hug cultists then her trying to save him right now would just mean she'd have to fight him too. He doesn't seem to be in immediate danger. If they're holding him captive she can grab him when they go to leave.

She does her best to communicate "seriously what the fuck" and "the plan is going to shit and you're sitting here hugging cultists" and "what am i supposed to DO" purely through the dilation of her pupils and the fixation of her gaze and the tension around her eyes.

From what he sees in his peripheral vision he can tell she is extremely stressed; from the fact of her presence he can tell that the plan is in tatters; he makes brief eye contact when he gets a chance to and nods and really hopes this conveys 'I am fine I have a plan my branch of this situation is going fine.'

Zoe cannot stand and watch and do nothing. She has no idea where Oswald or Anita went. She told Lev she would be here. Mordred is here. There is no other place it makes sense for her to go. She is probably not helping by standing here distracting Mordred from whatever genius cultist-hugging plans he has devised. Zoe is USELESS and probably her people are DYING because she was not WHEREVER THE HELL THEY ARE.

Is the taxi still here?

Yes.

Zoe is going to get back in the taxi and tell the driver to go back to the hotel and yell "FUCK!!!" at the top of her lungs and kick the seat and then apologize to the driver and tip him really well.

I hate this I hate this they are going to kidnap Mordred and I will have no idea where HE is either.

Zoe apologizes to the taxi driver again and has him circle back and wait down the block from the coffeeshop and tips him even more.

"Well," Montgomery says. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I guess I can. Just get someone else to make my choices for me?"

"The me of two years ago would have had such contempt for me."

"I'm so sorry," he says to Montgomery.

"....for what it's worth I think you're doing remarkably well in a terrible position and if I had lost everything I cared about I would not be nearly this good at reevaluating, and I think that the you of two years ago is just wrong. But I understand if that isn't worth much."

"I am. Tired. Of this."

She stands up. "You may visit me at my office tomorrow when you have more of a plan."

"Okay." And he leaves.

Looks around. There's a taxi down the block from the coffeeshop; he heads toward it.

Deep breath. How is this harder than talking to Montgomery was.

"Hi Zoe."

"Hi Mordred! What! Were you doing in there!"

He's not answering that until they're in private. Sorry.

"FINE," she says, and vibrates with frustration for the duration of the drive.

Once they're outside the hotel, and no longer in a small enclosed space with a stranger:

"I was talking to Donovan. --she showed up having obviously been crying, I took a chance, it worked better than I could possibly have hoped for, I am guessing things on everyone else's end went way worse but for my part we have an ally who is an extremely powerful sorcerer and can sign off on basically anything we want to do and is willing to help us close the Mouth."

"Great and I'm certain that super powerful sorcerers in charge of cults are very trustworthy if they're crying. Because no one ever lies while crying."

"You know, I am in fact aware that people sometimes lie when crying."

"Fine. You can explain to me later in more detail why you believe Montgomery Donovan is your ally in destroying her life's work after you have spoken with her once."

"I was stuck at the door of that party for HOURS fending off weird conversation from creepy cultists and bored out of my mind. I have no idea where Oswald or Anita is, there was no sign of them at the party when I finally got off shift. They are probably dead or kidnapped or fed to a mouth or something and I have no idea where to look. That is what's actually important right now."

"...........Anita wanted to grab the kids immediately, right? Have you looked at the hospital?"

"How does everyone else keep track of these things! No, I haven't, let's go to the damn hospital." And if they're at the hotel they can update Lev on their whereabouts first, and then to the hospital.