2019-05-22 - Apologies and a Drink

After the events of the boat tour, Byron had reached out to Erin with a phone call and an apology. None of this text message stuff, he's far more professional than that. And it was a pretty big deal. He'd invited her over to his place for dinner and if she wanted to discuss all that occurred on that island, whether it were real or not.

Dressed casually for the evening, not having any more Business conference calls or anything of that nature, he dons a comfortable gray sweater, that one can tell was definitely not cheap, and a pair of dark jeans. His feet are tucked into a pair of black boots. When he hears the ring of the doorbell, he is quick to respond, swinging it open for his guest. "Thanks for deciding to stop by. I just got the table set, come on in." Stepping off to the side, he gestures for her to enter, before asking, "Any preference on drinks? I have a full bar."

While accepting the phone call and apology, Erin had gracefully as possibly declined the offered dinner. Drinks, however, were still on the agenda. When she had come over, she was dressed in something pretty, because almost everything she had was pretty. And expensive. The sedate little black dress with the tiny encrusted gemstones over one shoulder left one shoulder free of anything, the material clinging gently to her curves. On her feet were strappy sandals that suited her height by boosting it several more inches.

Stepping off the elevator into his penthouse, Erin does take a look around, admiring the lines and the view of the city and the bay below. Distracted momentarily from it by his question, she turns to face him and offer a slight smile. "Mimosa is fine, thank you."

While she may have declined dinner, dinner was served. Though he won't force her to partake of it. "Mimosa's it is." He says with a grin, "Make yourself at home. Unfortunately, as is the norm here, the weather isn't ideal for night sky gazing, but the view is still pretty good." He downplays just how spectacular the view from up here is. Standing at the bar, he fills a tall glass with the mixture of champagne and orange juice.

"If you change your mind about dinner, I've got pasta and salad set out. If you like, you can nibble on the appetizers." With his own glass filled with bourbon in hand, he closes the distance between the pair, offering up her mimosa. "Again, I apologize about the other day. Things got crazy and..." With this faint grin, he shakes his head, "There's no excuse." Looking at her thoughtfully though, for a quiet moment, he then asks, "Is this your first time experiencing.. that. Or anything similar?"

"I have plans later in the evening for self defense classes I've signed up for since that.. occurrence. I've realized in times such as those it is every man for himself." While there's no accusation in her voice, there's a sort of bleak acceptance as she reaches out for the offered drink. "Thank you," she murmurs softly before taking a sip of it. "Yes." She says finally when she speaks again. "My first time experiencing anything like that at all." Looking towards the view, despite the weather, she asks, "I trust your friends made it through okay? Because Larry did not.. but then he did."

Byron looks impressed by the mention of this self-defense class, his brows lifting expressively. "Good for you then and... " He's about to take a drink from his glass, but he pauses before then, that apologetic look can be found within his eyes, "It doesn't have to be. For the most part, we all worked together... I'm not going to say wonderfully, but we got the job done. Luckily for us, Tobin wasn't killed then." Here's where he lifts his glass for that drink, "There was a brief moment where I thought that he actually was."

Taking a brief pace around the large room, he nods with an affirmative response, "They're fine. Just a little battered." As he faces the large glass door leading out to the terrace, observing the darkness outside, he asks, "When did you know that you could any of that?"

"I understand, Tobin was wounded so badly, as was Alexander and Christopher. Each of them got hit by the exploding Ginger." Even to herself, Erin realizes how crazy she sounds by what she says. That view, even with the rain still holds beauty and she finds herself captured by it and the bay below. "We were all fortunate to live through it."

The rest of the question is mulled over for a moment as she sips at her drink, deliberately hesitating in answering "I had no idea the inclination I had always had to try and heal others could also be used to cut and destroy. I learned a lot about myself and I am not entirely happy with what I know."

"Yeaah. I still need to get into contact with Christopher. I ran into Alexander earlier today in fact." Byron informs her, his focus still looking towards the bay, before he withdraws and turns to face her more directly now. "This isn't the first time that I've entered something like that. The island. Whatever it all was. It's almost as if you're dreaming in a sense, but we were all there. We all have memories of it. That said," he makes it clear to note, "Nothing that I've experienced was ever that extreme, even if you had a sense that something was lurking in the darkness somewhere."

He then nods to her response, his head tilted slightly giving him this curious look. "I knew something was happening when I was a kid, but I couldn't explain it then, nor can I explain it now. Seems that some of us develop these abilities at varying points in our lives. Either way, like with what Geoff said, you really did good that day. I'm glad that you didn't get hurt." A pause, "Heck, I'm still guilty as hell that I lost you in the mix. But I'm glad that you were on our side."

"Did you?" The answer surprises her and Erin turns more to face him in return. "A dream," she muses, considering it. "I have had dreams before that were of something I would never do, yet it seemed so very real. Are you telling me that something really happened in those dreams, like what we experienced?"

More of the mimosa disappears in a long drink and when she lowers it again she runs her fingers through her hair. "I want to know how I can distinguish what is real and what is not." Another drink of the mimosa and she finishes it off only to leave the glass on the counter where he had made it, a small shake of her head as to a refill. "I am driving and learning tonight, I want to keep a clear head."

"As kids," Byron start off saying, "Tobin and I knew that something was strange. Different. His... mother knew about these things as well, but as Tobin was told not to talk about it," he then lifts his shoulders into a shrug, "I followed suit. It made us feel that it was dangerous, in a sense. And from what we've seen, I guess it can be." Taking another drink from his glass, he's considering long and hard whether he should bring something up, but decides to anyway, "You know that Tobin's mother disappeared one day, while we were still on in high school? He thinks she's lost in one of these dreams. Or this darkness. Or /something/. Which is why he could never leave town."

"Funny thing is," He continues, "I'd mostly forgotten about it when I left for college. Everything. I had some inkling of knowledge of things, but it's not something my mind would settle on. That is until I returned and then I was hit hard with the realization that I remember strange occurrences going on here." Following her to the bar, he looks prepared to make her another glass until she tells him otherwise. "As for distinguishing what's real and what's not? I'm not sure if it matters. If those things in there weren't real, we still felt the brunt of it all even after returning home."

"I knew his mother disappeared, I did not know the reason for it. That's really unfortunate." Erin tries not to think more about it, nor does she add anything else for a long moment, choosing to listen instead. The news of the reason why Tobin remained in town shows no surprise though.

About the time she is to answer, Erin gets a text message and checks her cell phone. A message is tapped out briefly before she hits send. An apologetic look is offered, "Maybe it is this town. You left and were fine, maybe it is just the town."

Oh, Byron doesn't miss her checking her phone, but he also doesn't look offended by it. In fact, he graces her with a smile of understanding. "If that is the case, though," he starts, "does that mean that you would consider leaving town just to get out of the madness?" He finishes off the rest of his own drink now, tilting his head back, before finalizing that question with, "I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"Before you go tonight," He knows that their time together is short just by the texting alone, "I have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind. It... has to do with what your family knows about this town. Your family has lived here forever and..." He rolls his eyes now, coming right out with it, "Someone had the idea that maybe this feud between the Addingtons and the Baxters, you know the ones, they were run out of town and your family bough up their property? Anyway, if whether the Baxters were run out of town because of something that may have sparked all of this or if that feud and the rift between families was somehow caused by whatever is lurking here."

He then stops himself and blinks, before he cracks into a grin, laughter in his voice, "I know. That all sounds crazy right now... and I'd hate to be the one poking around, finding info for it, myself."

"My family?" Erin does hesitate there, and while she is protective over her family name, she isn't used to having someone question it either. "No, my family left town, my parents. I remained here with my Grandmother and I have no regrets. I am loyal to her and I always will be. I could never leave her. As for the Baxters, I could ask my grandmother, providing she is in a good or talkative mood, and find out what there is to learn of it. If I anger her though, by questioning her, or if I even stand a chance to, then I won't ask her anything of the sort."

Byron nods slowly, meeting with Erin's gaze directly. "That's understandable. And I don't want to cause any issues with you or your family with these questions in truth." Setting his own empty glass down beside hers now, he says after brief consideration, "Ask only if you want to and there's no need to push. I'm sure if anyone wants to find information on your family's past, they could just as easily head to the museum and speak to the curator."

He does remark to something spoken earlier, "Just remember, if things start getting bad? I'm not sure whether they would agree or not, but you might need to take your family elsewhere for safety. It's just a hunch I have."

"I am flattered by the control you think I hold over my family when in reality I am probably the lowest on the tree of us. My grandmother happens to value me and that boosts my status enough. It helps that I adore her also. I suppose what I am trying to say is, if things started to get bad, I am very sure that would be the last thing my grandmother would do. To leave. So, to explain my own situation a little further, where she goes, or stays, is where I shall be also." Erin offers a warmer smile. "Which is another reason why I need these self defense lessons. Which just got canceled on me as the teacher had other things to do this evening instead." It is with a look of chagrin she returns to face him. "But this gives me the perfect opportunity to go and speak with my grandmother and so I will."

The edges of Byron's lips quirk up into a broader smile, "It's not about control, but it is about communication." And here the smile very slowly begins to fade, his eyes staring down at a random collection of wine bottles that are set on display at the bar. "But even that can be difficult when it comes to family." Pulling himself away from these thoughts, he turns to her once again, "Well, if you are staying, that probably makes the both of us. Wherever Tobin's mother is, we're going to try and find her." Even if Byron, himself, isn't even sure that's a thing that can be done or whether they were already too late.

Then, he is told of the cancellation of her lessons. "Dinner is still on the table if you want some." Literally, it is. He even lifts his arm to observe the shiny watch on his wrist to check the time. "But I won't hold you back. I mean, your speaking with your grandmother was a request of mine and I'm grateful that you're still even considering it."

"While I sympathize with Tobin's quandary, she has been missing for quite some time has she not?" There is a brief hesitation though and Erin adds more to it. "As we learned previously, there is safety in numbers. I would go and help, if there's indeed a way to deliberately insert onself into such dreams to seek her out. If you're willing to take my assistance." It was not an easy offer, but it was given all the same.

With a glance to the table, Erin looks uncertain before giving a shake of her head. "While everything looks and smells good, I really shouldn't. I thank you for the offer and I should be getting home for now so I can do a few things before calling up my grandmother and feeling her out a bit. I appreciate the apology."

Byron looks genuinely surprised when Erin offers her assistance. His initial response is a slow nod, but this is followed up by a warm smile of his own, "I'm sure Tobin will pleased to hear that you're willing to help." Turning to stare idly at nothing in particular, he says with that slow, dismissive shake of his head, "Whatever we have to do, it's not going to be easy." He then quickly returns his dark gaze to light upon her, "We're all still coming into our own as well. Learning about everything that each of us can do. We've got a... Club House." Yes, Byron feels a little foolish for calling it that, "It's really Tobin's house, but it's been a club house to some of us since we were kids. That self-depreciating smirk soon fades, "We'll probably be meeting up there for further discussion and finding ways to help one another out. If you'd like come and join us one of these days, you're always free."

Alas, looks like he'll be dining alone this evening. No matter. He gives her this look and nod of understanding, but that mention of his apology, that's when his gaze lowers a moment, "Thank you. For saying that. I really messed up back there. But, how about I walk you to your place? It's the least that I can do for now?" It's just an elevator ride and a few steps down a hall away, but it's something.

Surprise again registers on her features and Erin him a lopsided smile. "Safety in numbers," she echoes. "I know I can help expedite healing. I'm very good at that. I learned it younger by accident and have been working through that. I wasn't aware the very same power could hurt. I would like to work on developing that and maybe if we all get together we can discover things as a unit instead of individually. Please do let me know when you meet again, I'll go with you, if you're quite serious about it."

Erin glances towards the door at the offer and she finds herself smiling a more genuine one this time. "I would like a walk home, if you're sure. Thank you."

"I'll speak to the others about it, but I'm sure they won't mind." Byron says with confidence. "We experienced that mess on the island together and in that time, alone, we really did come together. To the aid of everyone there." Even if Tobin was his priority. Yet, he failed to protect him. "I'll send you a message when we're thinking on meeting." With that said, he offers her a smile once more, "I'm sure about it. It's no problem at all. I just want to thank you for coming... and it does make me realize that I need to take better care of my guests." This is partially said in jest as he's beaming this smile. Moving to open the door for her, he gestures, "Ladies first."