2019-06-10 - Dancing and Invisible Books

It's evening, now, and Alexander has been home for a little while. Nothing that Isolde was out, he's gone through and tidied up the living room, with her blanket and pillow neatly stacked at one end of the threadbare couch. Plants have been watered, and he's pacing in the living room as he mutters to himself. Luigi is perched on his shoulder, swaying back and forth every time he turns, with the occasional affectionate peck at his ear. The pacing is intent, not frantic, and Alexander's voice is soft. He even reaches up occasionally to give the bird a scritch, but it's clear his attention is elsewhere. Music is playing from his bedroom; the dulcet tones of Megadeth can be heard throughout the house.

Isolde had indeed been out, probably a good thing considering the mood she'd been in lately. Today was a good day though. She felt a little better at least. Hearing the music, Isolde paused briefly before heading inside and closing the door. In her hand is a set of 5 blue Iris flowers tied with twine. "Hello you two." A bit of a smile and a wiggle of fingers towards Luigi. "Are you okay Alexander?" Taking a couple steps closer- though still giving him plenty of space to do his pacing.

Luigi, being the more socially adept of the two, greets Isolde's return with a cheerful whistle. He launches himself from Alexander's shoulder, and zooms around her once, before heading back to his cage - the parrot is still a little wary of the new woman, but slowly warming up to her. Alexander stops the pacing and turns to face her. He smiles, just a little. "You're back. I'm glad. How are you feeling?" A touch of wariness, there, and a quick once over on her for signs of her previous temper. Or, let's face it, a new pill supply. "I'm good. Investigating. I like that."

Isolde was confident that she and Luigi would be besties soon enough. Maybe one day he'd even sit on her shoulder! That would be fun. Focusing back on Alex, she nodded. "I am! I brought these." Showing him the flowers. She looks worn out but otherwise calm and in good enough spirits. "Is there something I can put them in?" She rose a brow at his words. "Whatcha investigating? Something spooky?"

Alexander stares at the flowers. His brow furrows. "I...flowers. Right." He runs a hand through his hair. "Probably? Let me see." Then he's heading into the kitchen to rummage around. Eventually, a plastic carafe is unearthed from the rear of a cabinet, washed out, and water is added. He thrusts it at her. "Here. You can, uh, put them wherever you like, Isolde. And," a smile blooms, "yes, actually. Arson, murder, small town secrets, occult conspiracies, maybe. The whole damned thing. It's interesting."

"Color is good. Blue is a good color." Isolde nodded emphatically, accepting the carafe when Alexander returned. "Thank you!" carefully untying the flowers and setting them inside it after she had placed the carafe on the coffee table. "There for now." Listening intently as he talked about his investigation. "That sounds neat!" A moment of pause before asking, "...can I help with it?"

"Blue /is/ a good color," Alexander agrees, easily enough. His head tilts to one side, watching with a bit of bemusement as the flowers are placed on the coffee table. He glances towards Luigi. "You can't eat those." The bird gives an innocent sort of bob of his head. "I'm serious." And there's a moment where he locks eyes with the parrot and that feeling of...something electric...fills the air. Luigi flips his wings, and moves over to shake his bell with vigor. Alexander's attention returns to Isolde, and he smiles. "Yes. If you would like. There's research to be done."

Isolde feels the brief change in the air, brow furrowing and looking towards Luigi, then back to Alexander. "...What did you do?" More curious than anything. She sits down on the couch finally, curling up on it. "I can do research! You just tell me what and I will try." She pushed a hand through her hair. "What's that thing they're doing at the school? I saw flyers when I was walking today. And in the newspaper."

"I," Alexander hesitates. He watches her go to sit down, and after a moment, follows, sitting on the opposite end of the couch with a graceless sort of thump. "I told him not to eat the flowers. In terms he can understand. Animals are easier. Than people." An embarrassed sort of shrug. "And I'm looking into a mortuary that was burned down, the Johnson Family Mortuary. And a family that was around before there was a town, and now isn't around at all. The Baxters. If you want to try to look into either of those things," he offers a half smile, "I'd be grateful, Isolde." A rusty laugh is surprised out of him at the other. "The dance? It's a fundraiser. They do it every year - chance for the townie queens and kings to relive their glory days."

Turning to focus on Alexander better when he sat down, she nodded. "Is that from the...glitter?" She asked. "The control things you were talking about?" Toying with a lock of her hair as she pondered on that. "Johnsons and Baxters. Yes! I will go searching!" She confirmed, blinking a bit when he laughed. What was funny? "A...dance? I remember those. A little. Well hearing about them. Can we go? I like dancing." Even if she couldn't really dance at all.

Alexander makes a thoughtful noise. "Sort of. I mean, yes." He frowns at his knees as he tries to figure out how to explain. "Most of us who stand out, or who glitter, as you say, can do things. Certain things. I can't tell what it is you might do. I often can. Not in detail, but," he shakes his head, "some people can make things move without touching them, or heal, or hurt, or set things on fire with their minds. It's. There's a lot." He studies her, then, frowning. "I don't know what you do. As you learn to focus, something might change with that." He grimaces at the mention of the dance. "I don't...really dance. And have no desire to return to Addington High, for any length of time." A long pause. "You really want to?"

"Interesting..." Isolde murmured as Alexander tried to explain. "Maybe I'll do nothing? Or maybe things will happen like you say. We'll see. With focusing." She leaned her head on the couch lightly. A barely perceptible frown passed over her features at his grimace, a little furrow of her brow. She was disappointed that he didn't want to go, but she did want to go. Maybe just a little hesitant at the idea of being surrounded by strangers. A touch of confusion caressing the edges as she peered at him. "...What are you doing?" Not quite answering him yet on if she really wanted to go.

Alexander's head jerks as she asks that question. He looks abashed, and the touch on her mind withdraws with a snap. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have." He stands, starting to pace again. "I was reading you. Your feelings. I try, I try not to. But I was afraid you might say that you didn't want to, when you actually did. Just because I didn't want to go." He looks down at his feet. "Just because I don't want it, doesn't mean you wouldn't have fun. You might have fun. You should go. And make friends. Frogs to count, when things get hard."

A little tug at her hair before letting it go. "It's okay." Isolde assured him. "I would like to go. I would like you to go but, I know not wanting to go places. So I will go." Nodding. "Friends are good. Maybe the library lady is going to be there. Or Allie." Trying to think on the few people she'd met so far. Then she refocused on Alexander. "Just. Ask. Before you do those things. It's rude to do them without asking."

"You're right, Isolde. It is rude. I apologize." Alexander turns and gives her a little smile. "But I'm glad that you'll go. Allie? Who is Allie? I don't recognize that name." Even as he asks, he turns away, to head into his office. There's the rattle of steel as he opens one of the filing cabinets, which has a small safe tucked inside of it. He unlocks it, and reaches in for a small stack of bills. Returning to the living room, he offers it over. "Here. The tickets cost about fifty dollars, I think. And there's always a theme, so you'll need to find a dress that fits. This should be enough."

"He's with the magenta girl. I met him on the bridge." Isolde explained, watching him go. When he came back with the money she looked at him a little wide-eyed. "...Are you sure?" Not that it was enough, but that he wanted to give it to her. She hesitantly reached out to take the money. "Thank you Alexander." It was very possibly the most money she'd ever held at one time. "I'm going to pay you back." Chewing on her lower lip before looking back up at him. "I will." The money gets carefully set down on the coffee table, near the vase. "Is the library a good place for researching the things?"

"The magenta girl." Alexander frowns, suspicion and wariness touching his features. It's not like he knows EVERY person in town. But. "...there are a lot of new people in town, lately. Be careful. Some of them have worked for Them," the emphasis is clear to hear, "and I'm not sure we got them all. So just be careful. Especially around people who, uh, glitter brightly." He smiles. "And I'm sure, Isolde. Have some fun. And when you can pay me back, I'll accept it." He thinks about it, then nods. "Not a bad place to start, I think. I'll give you a list of books I already checked, and you can take over from there."

"I thought she was a bad thing. The magenta girl. But Allie said she hates the bad things like I do." Isolde pondered on that briefly. "But I will be carful. Because good things can be bad things and bad things can be good things." Frowning and shook her head. Trying to focus back on the research at hand. "I'll do that then! And tell you the what's learned." Brightening a touch.

Alexander frowns. "I see." His hands twitch a bit, as he thinks about something. He huffs out a breath. "As long as you're careful, Isobel." It's almost said more to himself than to her, and he rubs at his temple a bit. When she focuses back on the research, so does he. "I'd appreciate that. It would be very helpful, actually - I'd like to focus my own energies in another direction, but the library is always useful." He smiles warmly at her. "Thank you."

"You've helped me. So I help you. I like the library." Isolde shifted, relaxing again and sighed softly, offering him a smile in return. "And it would give me more time to find the invisible books." Whatever those were. Her eyes widened like 'Hey! Maybe you know!'. "Have you heard of the invisble books? Have you seen them?" How you could see something that was invisible was anyone's guess.

"Invisible books?" Alexander rests the back of his head on the couch, turning it so that he can watch her. There's this look on his face, for just a moment, like 'ah, so this is what it's like talking to me'. But he just shakes his head a little. "No, I'm afraid I don't. Tell me about the invisible books. It certainly sounds interesting." And that is entirely serious.

"I don't know." Isolde frowned. Looking a little crestfallen that even Alexander didn't know. Harper certainly had to hold the answers then. "Harper said she had too many books so she wanted me to ride with Nicholas. To the beach for the picnic!" Which Isolde may or may not have told Alexander about. She couldn't remember. Lots of things just blended together. "But there were no books! So they had to be invisble, right? You can read them but not see them! I wanted to read one."

"Harper the librarian. And this is when she mentioned that I was worried about you, at this picnic." Alexander nods, slowly, starting to put together a timeline in his head. "And...riding with Nicholas. Who is Nicholas?" A faint smile. "And she said she had too many books...in her car, I'm guessing? So you had to ride with this Nicholas?"

"I think he's a good thing? But I think I scared him. Or surprised him? I don't know." Isolde rubbed at the back of her neck. "I don't think he understands the Gray of the Harbor. Someone should explain it to him." Sitting her head a bit. "Mmhm. Too many books in the seat. So I had to ride with him."

"I see. Well. It can be a lot to understand," Alexander allows. "I'll talk to Harper. Find out who this Nicholas is, and whether he is a good thing." It's very, very bland. Alexander is definitely not planning on subjecting whoever this poor person is to a thorough background check and possibly a brief but enthusiastic round of stalking. Nope. "Did you have fun?"

"You should do that. I would have talked more about it but I had to go. But I talked lots with Harper. She's nice, I like her." Isolde paused for a moment, "...Do I need a phone?" A seemingly random interjection of thought. "I did!" Have fun that is. "There were sandwiches. And I had a muffin too." Tapping her chin lightly. "Picnics are fun."

"I'm glad." Alexander blinks at the interjection. "You might want one. Especially if you plan to look for a job. On the other hand, the GPS can be used to track you, and there are those that believe that modern phones are constantly listening and recording everything we say in their presence, in order to monitor and ultimately control our communications." He fishes his phone out of his pocket and looks down at it. "But I find it more useful than not." There's a downward jerk of his chin. "Picnics are fun. I'll remember that."

Isolde shifted a bit to peer at his phone. "Yes. A job. I need one of those. Can I use some of the money to get one?" Looking back up at him. "A phone. Not a job. Jobs don't cost money." A little giggle at the thought. "Not sure who will want me. But have to try at least."

Alexander displays it to her when she peers - it's locked at the moment, so just shows a blank, black screen asking for a password. He shoves it back in his pocket as he stands up, and returns to the office. More rattling, and he returns with another small stack of bills. He offers it to her. "Get a prepaid phone from this. And interview clothes." He grimaces. "It's a small town. Looking like a WASP will open more doors than not, even for under the table work, if that's what you need." A frown. "Be careful of anything connected to Felix Monaghan. He's a bad thing. I don't really have any connections to open doors for you, with gainful employment. I've sort of cobbled together something I can handle."

Isolde looked maybe just a hair uncomfortable when more money was handed to her. "Okay." Spoken softly as she placed this money on top of the other money. "...What's a WASP?" Looking a little puzzled by the terminology. "Felix is a bad thing. I'll remember that." Settling in her seat again. "You're a good thing Alexander." Stifflng a little yawn. "Can we have pizza tomorrow?"

Alexander offers a smile to her. "It's okay. You having a phone will make me more comfortable. Just in case you get lost. Or /I/ get lost. Nice to have someone to call. And, ah, it's 'White Anglo-Saxon Protestant'. Someone who looks middle-class, normal, and boring." He laughs, quick and muffled, but the expression gets more complex as she calls him a good thing. "I would like to be a good thing," he says, softly. Then rises to his feet. "Pizza it is, assuming you can eat anything at all after dancing. But, for now, Isolde - I should let you get some sleep. I'm glad that you'll be helping me with my research." His smile is quick, but sunny and bright for just a moment, before her turns away and heads back into his room.