2019-05-21 - The Day After Yesterday

The Two if by Sea only does a brunch on the weekend, so weekdays it doesn't open until 11. There are only a few people in the bar, just the beginnings of a lunch crowd. The staff looks like they're barely awake but giving their best fake 'please-tip' smiles anyway, this is a bar after all and most of them are night owls.

Easton however is not working today, no he's seated in a booth tucked up near the entrance. A pair of crutches leans against the outside of the booth and he sits, his phone out and a large plate of food already demolished in front of him. He apparently was one of the first customers today. The food is not as good as the diner, the staff's not as hot as The Pourhouse, but it's close by his place and he's not moving around great just now.

Alexander enters, his habitual slouch just a little deeper today, dressed in a really unfortunate sweat suit in faded purple, at least one full size too big for him. He blinks owlishly just inside the door, but the sparse crowd seems to suit him and he starts moving towards one of the booths in the back. He stops when he sees the crutches, and glances to the side to see Easton. "Bartender," he greets the man, with a frown. "Anything broken?"

Just not feeling it today, Erin is just in a pair of jeans and a pullover hoodie. I mean they're expensive, designer jeans, let's not get ridiculous, but she's not dolled up so much. Her hair is pulled back in a simple loose bun and she's only wearing the barest hint of makeup. Or it's expertly applied enough to look like it. There's concealer there somewhere to hide the dark circles beneath her eyes but there's also a bit of a haunted look too. Shadows there in her eyes. Taking stock of people and locations, Erin just gives a cursory look, hesitating slightly when she notices Alexander. "What about you?" Alexander had asked the bartender, but she was asking Alexander. "Are you.. okay?"

Where some are looking a little worse for the wear today, Geoff certainly does not fall into this category. No as he steps into the bar the bar he definitely has a spring to his step and a whistle on his lips. His clothing is suitably monochromatic with a pair of black biker boots, jeans and a distressed CKY band tee. Spotting the others he immediately strides on up to them and comments with keen insight "You guys are looking kind of rough, your first real riot is like that."

"Miss Addington." Alexander eyes the woman with a deeply wary sort of expression, staring at the traces of stress the cheerful boat tour left behind. "You don't look well." One hand rises to touch his chest, then his arm. "I'm fine. Just a few scratches." A pause as Geoff joins them. "It was an interesting boat ride," he says, tonelessly.

Dressed as ever in a plain tee shirt, this one faded black with a pocket (ooh!) and a pair of dark jeans, the only variation is that his feet are not in his usual motorcyle boots. No today Easton's sporting a pair of faded vintage style running shoes in bright red. There is also a olive green rain jacket hung nearby.

He doesn't realize at first that Alexander is talking to him. He assumes he's talking to the actual bartender on duty, but then figures it out. He looks up and takes in the outfit, before stating, "Nope. Nothing serious." He mentally does the bartender thing of 'Alexander-beer' tying the name and last known drink in his mind. When Erin joins he looks at her with only a tingle of recognition (maybe she's been in here? no name-Mimosa at night?) but looks a little curious about her interaction with Alexander. She seemed a little richie-rich before, reminds him of home, but she seems friendly with the down and out town loon.

Geoff's entrance at least brings a smile. "Riot? Boat .. ride?" He looks between them and aks, "I miss something?" He looks at Geoff and adds, "WHat are you holding out on shenanigans?"

"I'm not hurt too bad, a few scratches mostly. I think it's all just.." Erin doesn't really finish that thought, it sounded odd in her head and she just ceases speaking for a moment, turning a look towards Geoff when he arrives. There's an attempt to put on a more cheerful look but it falls flat and she shrugs lightly, just finding a place to sit down. A table with plenty of chairs right next to Easton's booth. Definitely she had been in here before, mimosa was the right drink even, but she hadn't studied Easton enough to recognize him or not. Yet. "You're both welcome to join," she motions towards the table. "I feel like we should have some sort of survivors grief counseling."

Geoff claps Easton on the shoulder "You missed it man, shenanigans got us into a brawl. Felt good to throw hands again man." tipping his head towards Erin and Alexander he brags "New blood held there own decently, didnt panic too much." with a frown he steps back and examines Erin to make sure she's only superficially roughed up. Confirming in a gentle yet confident tone ""You did good, and did what you had to do. It's over and you can relax now.." Bringing his hand to her shoulder he gives it a reassuring if presumptuous squeeze "If you need to hang till you feel safe I'll clear the day." this is decidedly not offered anywhere near Alexander

Alexander looks at Easton, then looks back at Erin. "There was a boat ride," he mutters to Easton. "There was an incident. No one died. Probably." The invitation makes him freeze, but after a moment, he sort of slouches vaguely downward into a seat. Geoff gets a baffled sort of look and he scoots warily away from any suggestion of shoulder clapping or touching or vague hands waved in the same direction. He stares at Geoff, thoughtfully. "You've gotten lost before."

Clapping just Easton's shoulder means that he might be able to tell how tense the man is. He's like a coiled spring ready to pop, though at least visually he's doing an okay job of appearing casual just now. He laughs as Geoff describes a fight, something he would have desperately loved to be in on ... he thinks. But then he looks at Erin and asks, "You.. threw down?" He seems confused by this thought. And then Alexander provides some more details and the fact that 'no one probably died' which to Easton's ear sounds like cryptic purposeful over-stating the danger. heh.

You've gotten lost before

Boy do those words send a chill down his tightly coiled spine.

"Elaborate"

It's command given to Alexander in regards to the getting lost.

"I'm fine, really." Showing weakness wasn't generally her thing and Erin tips her chin up a little to look a little more courageous. "I have no idea what I was doing, but I felt very, very alone doing it. I felt, I don't know, abandoned? Everyone was worried about everyone else. That was a new experience for me." The confession also isn't a usual thing from her, proof positive of how much she had been affected. "Don't clear your day. I'll likely go visit my Grandmother later. She's planning a party soon and well.. that's what I do." Hearing Alexander, she widens her eyes. "Larry died. The Globetrotters died." It's out, she can't keep it in. "We killed them. Not Larry but the ball team." Again, a cursory glance to Easton as if she's confessing to something she shouldn't be.

Geoff let's Alexander handle the specifics with Easton as he tells Erin earnestly "You weren't alone, if I'd seen you in real danger I'd have taken a bball to the face for you. As it was my best bet was to ruin as many of those fuckers as fast as possible." Taking a seat opposite of her he says "If you didn't have someone concerned about you I wouldn't be here today

Alexander stares back at Easton. "No." But then Erin goes and mentions some of the more /interesting/ details of their little boat excursion, and his expression brightens - then collapses into suspicion - then brightens again. It eventually settles into something complex, and he reaches for a napkin to start tearing it into pieces. Very small, very neat pieces. "Larry was alive at the end. I remember that. Larry melted. I remember that. Reality is a continuum holding multiple clustered points which vary in degree of rationality but not in degree of personal danger - personal danger remains constant throughout all continuum of /real/ and /unreal/, which is why you can't...you can't grieve the death of phantoms, even if they scream and bleed and beg. Pitcher plants, all of them, Miss Addington." He doesn't raise his voice, but it's a rapid-fire burst of sound, information, and arguably psychosis, before he falls silent and stares at the growing pile of napkin shreds before him. There's a brief jerk of a nod to Geoff. "Only way out is through." Then sullen suspicion returns. "Maybe. It depends on what you remember."

"Larry was alive at the end. But he melted and made a whirlpool. Franny was a mermaid. Then she was with the Professor when the Globetrotters came. And the mesh of Gilligan and the Skipper. Oh God. And Ginger and her exploding dress." Ducking her head, Erin plants her hand across it. "It sounds insane. Like a dream or something. A nightmare. Sea Gull poop? I mean come on.." Lowering her hand, she lifts bleak eyes to Geoff, seeking the reassurance there, studying his features, looking for the truth there in what he tells her. "How come no one else really seems affected by it? It's the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. I know the town is weird, I've seen the shadows all my life, but nothing, nothing to that degree."

Easton just starts laughing, a low quiet chuckle that he tries to stifle with a cough and after a minute, and a drink of water he is able to return to his usual serious demeanor. He is too distracted by Erin's talk of murdering the Harlem Globetrotters now to worry about Alexander shooting him down on elaborating. And then Alexander launches into wormhole theory or something and he just nods, yup, still crazy. Maybe not wrong, but at least a good layer of crazy on top. He looks to Geoff who seems to be taking this the most calmly, even if Erin is the one providing the details he's craving.

"So this town is exactly as fucked up as I thought, right? And y'all know it?" He looks between the three of them for confirmation. Anything.

Geoff looks as reassuring as he can for Erin then lowers his voice "A fight is a fight....If someone is coming at you it doesnt matter how surreal they are you gotta put up." with a frown he waits a moment before providing "Last time I got lost on a trip into the woods, summer turned to fall and I ended up at this cabin in these super foggy woods." waiting for that to sink in he continues "So I knock on the door to see about getting help and these ridiculously attractive teens answered the door then started screaming something about the legends being true and the fuckers tried to kill me...They sucked at it but they tried with everything they had." wrinkling his nose he admits "Had to play horror movie slasher because they just wouldn't leave me alone and kept hitting their own death traps and convincing each other I'd done it." with a laugh he says "Now /that/ was fuckecup." I'm addition to his testimony he'd nodded to confirm Erin's story was true to Easton

Alexander flinches at Easton's laughter, his shoulders dropping an inch or two. His jaw sets, and it looks for a moment as if he's eyeing the door as an escape route. But he scoops up the shreds of paper napkin, starts stacking them one on top of another. To Erin, he says, "The people who are most affected by it usually die. Or are never seen again, which is almost certainly dead. Or worse than dead. Everyone else deals with it by ignoring it. Remembering something different that doesn't drive them mad with despair and helplessness." A pause. "It's easier, if you stand out. To remember the things that don't happen. If you fade back, you remember different things, I think. Maybe because you want to. Maybe because other things want you to." He falls quiet at Geoff's story, nods to himself. Or maybe to Easton. He's not looking at anyone, so it's hard to tell.

For long moments Erin is silent, belatedly so after spilling everything out for all to hear. But Geoff holds her attention and she watches him with a frankness that shows she believes every word he is saying in regards to his past. Only a slight flinch from her as she imagines others working hard to kill him for no apparent reason. Finally, she breaks her own self induced silence, "You killed them? But was it real? I watched the news today. There's no news of the Harlem Globetrotters being murdered. And by such a motley bunch no less. I've googled it and everything. Nothing." Alexander has her attention too, "Worse than dead? I can't help but remember everything. Even the acid birds. The look of triumph on the man. I mean, the Globetrotters were blindly following instructions and all they wanted was food." A shake of her head to try and dispel the images before she finally gives Easton a longer look. It's then she notes a familiarity. "Who are you?" Not in a rude way, but a more inquisitive one where everyone has been introduced except her.

Looking at Alexander as he talks Easton isn't mocking or laughing at him, more the general 'we had to kill the Harlem Globetrotters, it was us or them' WTFery. But when he talks about how people 'remember something different' his eyes slide off to the side. Like the coffee table. And the whiskey. He whispers quietly to himself "..fuck." Because he knows the truth. He almost was ready to chalk it up to some blackout drinking episode but that's just not true. He knows the truth. He knows he went somewhere else, left his apartment and he knows exactly what cut him. With some effort, he stands and makes his way over to their table, taking a few awkward steps and then sitting back down.

"Easton. I'm the new bartender here, and uh, new to /all this/. Sorry to barge in but I thought I was going crazy..." He looks at Alexander and almost feels the need to apologize for that, but continues on, "I got .. lost? Last night." It's like someone trying to guess the secret word on a game show. He's not sure he's saying the right thing. Nor is he sure it is the same thing as what happened to them. But it feels like it might be.

Geoff frowns and shrugs "I don't know if it affected anyone else but me. To me though it was entirely real , I remember their hate as they attacked, the pain 9f being stabbed and the warmth of their blood on my hands. That was real enough." to Erin he says earnestly "I dont let it eat me because they chased me they left me no choice. Like the globetrotters and that monster, we did what we had to and now we got the luxury of being alive and trying to figure it out." side eyeing Easton he says "Welcome to Gray Harbor, fucked up wonderland."

"It wasn't real," Alexander tells Erin, sharply. His teeth click shut, and he exhales a short, sharp breath in a hiss between them. "If you had picked up one of the basketballs, it would have dissolved when you came back. It's it's like...reality is here," he holds his hand off the table palm down, fingers wiggling, "like air over the ocean. And the ocean is...something else. I don't know what. But /something else/." His other hand mirrors the first, reaching up to 'reality', "and between is something like black oil that keeps them apart. But some places, the ocean is frothy. It thins the oil, and sometimes we can see the water. Sometimes the things in the water can see us, grab us, pull us in. Sometimes we swim back to shore but," a glance towards Geoff, "usually have to fight on the way. Sometimes we drown." He glances towards Easton, and jerks his head in a nod. "Sounds like. The crutches?" He doesn't outright ask what happened, but does give Easton a long, curious sort of look.

"Easton...?" Erin prompts for a last name. He did look somewhat familiar, so she goes for learning his whole name. Except she is brought around by both Geoff and Alexander. "It did feel real. Then. But today, in the light of day, it sounds ridiculous. Explodimg dresses? I believe in it. Now how do I learn how to fight it more? I want to get better at that. I've always had somewhat uncanny skills in healing for as long as I can remember."

"Marshall. And you are?" He's met Geoff and Alexander (well kind of) but he still doesn't have her name.

Trying to follow the story of exactly how poorly this boat trip went last night, Easton tries to not let the confusion on his face read as skeptical. He's not. He believes that they experiences whatever craziness they experienced and that they were in legitimate danger. Maybe he would have thought it was some bad drug trip or Bermuda Triangle fumes causing a shared hallucination before, but not now. He tries to follow Alexander's description of things and of course focuses in on things grabbing and pulling them in, like Banks did last night. Shit. Does that make Tom one of these things? What does that mean? He forces himself not to just pound away with questions, sensing that's likely not the best bet.

When asked about the crutches, he simply nods. "Yea." He looks like he might continue, somewhat cautiously, not used to sharing (well much of anything) with people outside his squad.

But then his face becomes a little harder and he says, "I need a smoke." He stands and reaches out for his crutches, which he uses to very nimbly navigate the dining room, despite the injury to his non-missing leg. As much as he would have liked to ask a follow up question about Erin's healing, he needs a break.

Geoff cracks a wolfish grin at Erin "So that is something I can help you with if you want to get better at defending yourself and fighting." with a click of his tongue he says "Its not going to be pretty fighting but it'll be the quickest way I've found to get someone on the ground and incapacitated."

"If you can heal, you can hurt, Miss Addington. If you want." Alexander's voice and expression are flat. "It's better to be smart, try to recognize when you've gone off the path, and then focus on getting back to the real. Run. Hide. Outhink. Fight if you /have/ to, but don't...don't be brave. Just be alive." He scoops the shreds into his hands and stands just after Easton does. "I should go. I'm not hungry." ANYMORE. "I'm glad you are both alive." And then he leaves, head ducked, shoulders slouched.

Marshall? "Easton Marshall." It dawns on Erin about the time Easton leaves and she makes no effort to stop him and tell him exactly who she is. Especially in comparison as to who he is. But she does watch him depart in silence before turning a little to watch Alexander do the exact same. Then, there were two. "I'd like to learn. I really would. This felt ominous and I never want to feel helpless like that again. I've never been a fighter, but I've always been a survivor. If I can learn before something happens again, then I'm just better prepared." His smile captures her a moment and she finds herself giving him one in return. "When can we start?"

Geoff dips his head "We can start as soon as you're ready, but I'm going to warn you this wont be easy or comfortable." With a wry if oddly kind kind smile he states "I want you to survive and to triumph, that's why we arent going to be fucking around." with a chuckle he leans back in his seat "You're a fighter though, you adapted yesterday so I know you can make ot."

"I don't mind getting out of my comfort zone now and then. Especially when it comes to something that could save my life in the future." Erin hadn't bothered with ordering anything and she seems just as content to leave it that way. "Soon, I have to leave and run some errands for my grandmother, but this evening I should be free. If you are? Otherwise, tomorrow evening. Or any night this week." Her schedule seems pretty open. "You were fighting. I guess we all were. I'm glad there were others that were fighting too. Teamwork."

"It's a date then tomorrow night, we'll find a cozy place and begin the basics of learning to fight to the death. Wear something you can exercise in and can move comfortably in." with an easy going grin he says "The two biggest things we're going to work on is getting used to punching, exerting yourself and taking the odd blow. It's like anything, at first it sucks but you grow used to it and are able to keep a clear head the more situations you're in like that

Punching? Erin takes a breath then presses her lips together, once more searching his expression for reassurance. "Punching and taking the odd blow. Got it. I'll make sure to wear several something comfortables all at once for the padding." A lopsided grin is tossed his way, a sure sign she was getting more like her old self again. "Tomorrow night it is. Where to?"

Geoff frowns thoughtfully at that question "Meet me at the trailer park's clubhouse, I'll steal mats from somewhere so we got cushioning." standing he cracks his knuckles looking about to say something in his typical cocky manner when his features soften "Hey tonight when you settle down, dont think too hard about what's happened, grab some wine pop on a movie and just zone out. If you need to talk I'm a call away."

Playing through a map of the town ever so briefly through her head, Erin tries to locate the trailer park somewhere in that jumble. There's a slight squint before her expression clears slightly. "Down on Elm, right?" As he rises so does she, her car is just outside as well. A hand goes to the pocket of her jeans and she draws out her keys, hesitating to hear his parting words. The delivery has her dragging her eyes back to his, even if he looks away, she gives a soft albeit brief smile. "I will try that, but I may end up texting anyway. Sometimes it gets really, really quiet in that big apartment."