2019-07-05 - Going Through The Door

Having already made plans with Isolde to take another crack at investigating things at the house, Easton spent the afternoon psyching himself up again for it. He contemplated more times than he would like to admit on paper if having just one drink or maybe half a pill would help settle his frayed nerves. But he managed to make it out of the house and onto his Harley without anything in his system. Having already sent a text to Isolde, he pulls up in front of the house and waits. He takes off his helmet and motorcycle jacket, revealing the usual plain gray tee-shirt to match his usual dark jeans and scruffed up motorcycle boots. He sets the helmet on the back of the bike, lights up a cigarette and waits for Isolde.

August is closing up the shop with his employees when they all feel it, each in their own way. August wants to just go home and pretend it didn't happen, but Finch and Ignacio are having none of it. So here the three are, walking up to the house from where August parked his black Outback down the street. "Usually when I get a feeling like that I move away from it, not to it," he's muttering. He wonders for the tenth time how he let them talk him into this.

Isolde arrived not too long after Easton's text. All she has in the way of supplies is a flashlight. Because those were important. She was looking forward to taking a closer look at the house and hopefully uncovering more clues or ways to help the girl. Spotting Easton she gave him a wave. "Hello again Easton." Offering up a smile. She smelled like dirt and lavender. Her flannel was tied about her waist and she wore a gray tanktop with a pair of blue jeans. Then her gaze is focused on the house. "...We should assume there will be more ghosts." She murmured to him.

There was something about the house that nagged at Cole. He didn't want to believe that there was no hope. He's a hopeful person to his very core, and so he had to go back, look around some more, see if there was some way that he could help. And so that is why Cole is back again, texting Lyric on his phone to let her know where he is -- maybe so she can come rescue him if he gets eaten. He notices the familiar faces of Easton and Isolde standing outside the house and says, "So did you guys feel it too?" That pull to come back.

Finch is still in the short-sleeved coverall she wears for work, olive drab with lots of pockets, and a purple long-sleeved tee under it, with work boots. Her hair is blue today, and her goggles are perched atop her head. Her eyes have been wider than normal since the incident, and they remain that way in the Outback of the boss. "Shit, a house creepier than mine. That bodes well," she mutters to August and Ignacio.

Itzhak had texted August wtf was that, you heard that rite, and now he's here, too, jogging swiftly up to the house. He doesn't have a flashlight, or anything, save for the brass knuckles tucked in a pocket. Surprised to see August has brought his employees along, he shoots him a questioning look.

Ignacio is stuck to Finch like glue. His face isn't that outwardly expressive, but being he's not making funny faces and looks wide awake is really the subtle indication of how very worked up he is about this. There is a pause and he says to Finch, "So you admit your house is creepy as hell. Thank you. I was trying to be super polite about it. Thank you for being on the same page." Dark eyes take quick inventory of others gathered, and he asks not at all subtly, "Right so the fuck was that?" Yeah, let's address the ghost elephant on the possessed lawn or whatever.

Isolde briefly looks towards the new faces. Brow furrowing. It was a good thing or a bad thing, yet to be determined. Then she looks back to Cole. "We want to help the girl. And figure out the house." Because the house was a badddddd thing. Very bad. "Is the pretty girl not with you today?" Referring to Lyric. She gave a little tug to her hair and then looked to the new people as the door creaks open. "Be careful. There's ghosts." Not even telling them to not go inside the house. Just...don't let the ghosts get you! Then she looks back to Easton as if to ask him if he's ready to do this. Whatever 'this' ends up being.

Greeting Isolde with a wave, Easton nods seriously "Hey, yea. I'm gonna go ahead and assume the house is upping it's fucked up game." He nods at Cole as he walks up too, and looks a bit confused at 'feel that too', he says, "I actually thought that was just me... I don't think it makes me feel better that it wasn't." He takes a contemplative drag as he starts to move towards the house before half-turning back to confirm. "Nope. Worse. Definitely worse." That doesn't stop him from approaching the house though. The creaking door causes him to stop short for just a second before pressing on. Those behind him might be able to see the outline of something tucked into the waist band of his jeans under his tee-shirt.

August sighs at that look from Itzhak, rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "This was not my idea," he says. It's probably all Itzhak needs to hear in terms of why Finch and Ignacio, of all the people, are present. He looks among the others, not recognizing them, but then, well, they're upon the house proper. "Christ," he says, voice low. He's been here three years and never seen something this bad, but maybe he just doesn't get out enough.

The door opening makes him grimace. "Well that's fantastic," he remarks. "It's inviting us in."

Finch snorts at Ignacio while still staring at the house. "Dude, you have NO idea how creepy my house is. For real. I'll tell you about it someday." Like everything else she says she'll tell people someday. She takes in a breath. "I think something is happening maybe. In there." She tips her pointed chin towards Murray House with a gulp. "Like the weird shit I told you guys about." She gets out of the SUV and heads up onto the lawn, pausing as the door creaks open. "That's not freaking me out at all. Nope. Not. At. All." The fact that is said with clenched hands and gritted teeth is totally ironic.

Itzhak walks right into a magnificent web strung in an unlikely place. "GAH! Frickin' orb weavers!" He hasn't been here long enough to understand that in the summer, a stick to wave around is essential equipment. The handsome spider scurries around on his shirt, and he's distracted by gently nudging her onto his hand instead and ever-so-delicately urging her on a nice bush. "There ya go, good girl." He dusts spiderweb out of his hair, looking at the others.

Ignacio leaves his eyes locked on the house. "And you let me 'stay' there?! Yoooou are a real pal ya know that?" Then the door slowly opens and secretly? he's grateful for the damn distraction from Itzhak so he can swallow hard enough to keep his heart in his chest and try to play it cool. Operation fake it til ya make it is a go, folks! "Very smooth, Itz. Real smooth." Finch's shoulder gets a squeeze and Ignacio moves past, right leg pulling the rest of him forward rather than moving at an even gait. "Didn't want to interrupt your haunted house tour of the stars and all, but what's up? Girl?"

Cole nods his head to Isolde and seems to be on the same page about helping the girl. "Me too," he says to them both, on both counts -- wanting to help, and not sure that the shared feeling is necessary a good thing. He heads over to join Isolde and Easton since they are familiar faces, and follows them toward the house. There's a glance toward the other little crowd gathering, but for the moment, he just gives them a nod in greeting.

Something in Isolde's expression reads that she isn't really sure how well these new faces are going to fare. But at least she keeps quiet about it. "A missing girl." Is offered to Ignacio though before heading inside. The flashlight goes on because she's already expecting the house to be darker. Literally and figuratively. Hopefully they all came out alive. And maybe even with the girl. Or at least some answers.

Easton realizes at Isolde's words that there are other people, somehow with the house and impending sense of doom he kind of blocked out the other four who were not here before. That's probably a good sign, he's hyper focused! Right? He looks at them as he stands on the porch, ready to go into the now open door. "Yes, there's ghosts. Yes the house is haunted. Yes it's super fucked up. Anyone wants to scream or shit themselves when things go sideways, please just do it quietly and try not to get in others way." He's not judging and really means to be helpful in giving them a heads up that this is about to get super weird, but he could probably be a little more friendly about it. He then nods at Isolde and Cole before entering the house.

He actually considers calling out and taunting the ghosts or the house or whatever, but that tightness in his chest causes any such ill advised taunts to remain silent, at least for now.

August eyes Isolde, pulls out his flashlight. He grimaces. "Right. Lost girl. Got it." He tries to ignore the sensation that they're hopping right out of the frying pan and into the fire, clicks his flashlight on as he follows Isolde in.

"Shut the hell up, de Santos," Itzhak snaps, glaring at Iggy. "Who asked you?" Sure, a spider gets gold-star treatment, but Ignacio gets snarled at. That's life in the big city, baby. Itzhak eyes the people gathered who he doesn't know. Easton has the 411. "...Great. You had to tell me." And then he goes to head right on in, like he doesn't feel anything terrifying at all.

Cole nods in agreement with Easton when he says as much to the others, "There was a girl who went missing here. We believe that the house.. uh, took her. There are definitely spirits in here, and they're not friendly, so just be aware." Then he goes ahead and follows Easton and Isolde into the house.

Finch startles just a second at the touch of Iggy's hand on her shoulder, but she gives him an apologetic smile for it. "Hey you offered to stay there til Gran got back. If I told you the house was haunted would you have left me there to fend for myself against all the ghosts?" She may be kidding. Maybe. "Anyway, this feeling isn't gonna vamoose until we see what that house wants. So let's go." Pause. "There better not be living poo emojis in there," she grumbles as she strides forward to head up the stairs and into the house.

Ignacio takes a deep breath and tells Finch, "Naw. I'd have brought reinforcements." Such a guy. Pulling out his phone to get the flashlight app on he nods to Easton, Cole, and Isolde. "Right. Missing girl. Crying goes that way. Shitting over there. Don't trip no one. Avoid getting eaten... sterling advice." He ambles up with so much damn practice having the limp it's just a pronounced strut now. With some sympathy he follows the 3 returning veterans in, "If some kid got stuck we can't leave her either."

"Yeah, no shit," Cole mutters when he hears that familiar raspy voice inform them of what was just painfully evident, even though he does flinch at the sudden slam of the door.

Isolde is prepared for the darkness, though isn't sure if the flashlight does much to help. The door slamming shut does cause her to jump and there's a started gasp BUT she manages to hold it together for now. "No upstairs." She suggested. "We should see if there's other places..." Like a basement or something. Something not the ghost room with the ghost lady.

The slamming of the door just causes Easton to grit his teeth. He has a small tactical flashlight that he pulls from his pocket that he clicks on. He looks over Cole with a smirk at the remark, appreciating the humor and any sense of levity right about now. He nods at Isolde and says, "Agreed. There's a basement, I found it last time.." He doesn't sound thrilled about it though. "I bet it's really nice and bright and airy and not at all full of dead children."

Into the silence, August murmurs, "If we survive this you are both fired." He snorts in amusement at Cole, glances to Isolde. "Sure hope that's not the kid who needs saving doing the giggling." The implication being it might be far too late.

He glances at Finch, Ignacio, and Itzhak to make sure they're all holding up alright, then nods at Easton. "In that case, lead on."

Finch pulls a small flashlight out of a pocket and clicks it on, just in time for the door to slam and startle her again. She wheels around to look at it, and gulps when the voice announces the obvious. "Should have expected that," she whispers shakily. She huddles closer to her boss and coworker and mechanic, as if proximity might mean safety. Her neck cranes at the sound of the giggling and she looks sad. Being a ghost would blow. Being a child ghost? That would blow chunks. Then August is firing them. "Really? Really?" she asks, giving him a LOOK.

Itzhak flinches pretty hard, hands going over his ears and cussing. He's annoyed rather than spooked, however, and actually turns to give the door a nasty look. "Cheap fuckin' trick." He snorts over the reactions of Cole and Easton. And then, all of the ancient light fixtures begin to glow, coming to temporary life. While the room lights up, Itzhak hums something under his breath. He jerks his chin at the others who have been here before. "Let's get a move on."

Ignacio is finding himself in Baltimore all. over. again. Fan-fucking-tastic. He's not going to nope on out when the door is closed, and some kid is missing. It's a turning point for him. He says nothing but reaches into his jacket pocket, pulls out a pill bottle and pours out something, and pops it into his mouth. Chemical courage. Right. He murmurs for himself with a tired sigh, his breath catching in his chest, "no se desmorone ahora." Looking up as the lights warm a glow back on he says, "There a closet under the stairs? Kids hide there like Harry Potter right?"

As the lights come on, Easton at first sucks in his breath expecting that to be a very, very bad thing. But then that gut feeling kicks in and he glances over at Itzhak and just nods, saying in an approving tone "Well that's fuckin' handy." He heads for where the basement door was and thankfully it hasn't moved or anything like that. He opens it and turns to says, "Pinch point." And then realizing that might not mean much, he explains "Single file down and up, which means it's a great spot for shit to happen." And with that cheery thought, he's headed down stairs. Yay dark creepy basements!

Isolde's gaze sharply turns towards Itzahk when the lights all flicker on. Useful. "Thank you..." She says to the man and then turns her flashlight off for the moment. Falling in step behind Easton, she would descend down the stairs with him. Flashlight at the ready though, to turn on again if the light trick didn't extend down here.

It's the sound of the voice at the top of the stairs that distracts Cole as the others begin to head down toward the basement. So while they are going down, he doesn't quite go up, but he does approach the base of the stairs and peers upward to see if he can see anything. He's not splitting the party, as it were, but he does call up, "Yes, we're here. Can you come down? We're here to help."

The lights flare to life, and August says, "Not bad," looking askance at Itzhak. He lowers his flashlight and clicks it off for the moment. "If you swear to never talk me into something like this again I'll consider rehiring you," he asides to Finch. "But we do need to live through it. Keep that in mind."

Like Cole, he doesn't head down into the basement, instead waiting up top to make sure nothing comes in behind anyone. He makes a face at the voice upstairs. "Great. Is the one who was giggling holding her captive?"

Finch looks at the lights coming on, and at everyone looking at Itzhak, but she got nothing off him. She blinks a few times then sees Easton heading into the basement. "Really? The basement? Of a clearly haunted house? Isn't that something we make fun of characters doing in horror movies?" she mumbles to the others. At the sound of the little girl's voice she sighs in relief and moves to the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, we're down here! Can you come down and we can get you out of here?" she calls.

Ignacio has not left the living room and only answers August, "No promises." He's not taking to single file stairs. That's a bottleneck waiting to happen. The voice from up at the top of the stairs draws his attention. He murmurs to the stairwell, "a dude, wait up. We got somethin up here." He doesn't address the kiddo. Finch and Cole are on that but he's now aiming to get a good look around to see what this situation is. This is the point in movies shit sneaks up on people. He steps putting his back to Finch and Cole so they're not snuck up on and looks for either something of interest, or something that's a potential threat... oh yeah and the ceiling. No one ever looks up. Why don't people look up? That's why things fall on people, for fu- oh yeah, focusing... Focus, Nacio...

Even Itzhak seems surprised that so much light happened. He mutters, "That's new," but tries to play it off like he totally meant to do that. The little girl appears, and Itzhak reacts by joining Easton at the head of the basement stairs. If something's coming up them, it'll have to get by them.

Hearing the noise and voices back upstairs as he finds nothing of interest or use in the basement, Easton turns and says to Isolde, "Shit. Back upstairs." He shakes his head and says to no one in particular, "I would have bet money on the basement." He exits the basement just in time to see the little girl coming for Cole and he stops, unsure of what that means or if it's a good thing. He looks around wishing desperately he could communicate a thought to multiple people at once but the best he can do is try to communicate mentally with Cole <<Take. Her. Out.>> His mental voice is rough and loud and probably not the gentle calming thing he's going for. He also gets a look of panic on his face as he clarifies. <<Outside. If. Can.>>

When the basement yielded nothing, Isolde came back up. She stared for a moment at the girl. Amelia. She just watches for now. Trying to assess the girl. "Who is the mean man?" She asks. Trying to think if any of the research she'd been doing earlier might give her some ideas of who the man could be too.

"Hey, Amelia," Cole says when she suddenly runs up toward them. He crouches down a bit so that he's more on her level or below instead of looming over her. "Yeah, we're going to get you out of here and back to your mom and dad. Will you come with us?" He furrows his brow at something and says aloud, "Yeah, that's the plan.." not quite realizing that nobody /else/ heard what was in his head.

August considers the girl on the stairs, eyes narrowing and expression going distracted. This lasts for a few seconds before he focuses on the girl again. "Well then we should get you the absolute hell out of here, yeah?" he says, trying for a reassuring smile and only sort of succeeding. "So why don't we do that." He doesn't do anything like beckon at her, leaving that to someone who might look less imposing, like Finch or Cole.

And speaking of Cole, August frowns at him, confused for a moment by the seeming non sequitur. He shakes his head and moves back so the little girl won't feel crowded by all these strangers.

As the lights start to go out, Finch steps between the little girl and Cole, and the thing coming down the stairs, even though the little blue-haired woman is shaking like a leaf. "Back off, Skeletor!" A hand raises into a fist, and then turns palm up as she whispers her glimmer out of the air and throws her hand out at the dead thing, lighting it on fire!

Ignacio turns to look at the voice as she approaches. Both eyebrows go up. Wow! Alrighty then. A rare won, earnest sympathy surfaces with agreement as Cole says it. "Hi, Amelia. First let's get you outta here before the mean guy gets back. Then? He looks to Cole and back with a nod. Then there's THAT thing on the stairs. His eyes get HUGE. "Dude, get her out of here... now." Pivoting on his good foot he puts himself between the kid and the... thing. Holding up a hand one might expect him to go all John Constantine saying I banish thee into the light... not so much. Instead it's the New Yorker going, "Buddy, we need to have a long talk about consent man. NOT... cool." Can he fight? uuuuh no. cna he sling a fireball? No. Is he armed? Not even close, but he can help the kid get some distance and that's a no brainer for him.

Easton snerks in stifled laughter as Cole 'duhs' at his 'plan', hey it was worth 'saying'. Yes that's a lot of quotes. And then the lights start to flicker and something dark comes down the stairs. With a practiced hand he pulls the Colt M45A1 from his back pocket. This is not the compact gun from the first time, this is honking handgun that leaves big ol' holes in things. He squeezes off two rounds in quick succession aiming for center mass on whatever the hell that is, and hoping it too isn't a ghost.

Cole reaches out and grabs Amelia reflexively as soon as he sees the lights starting to dim, wrapping his arms around the girl and lifting her up as he turns toward the door with her and makes a bee-line for it. No pithy commentary, not stopping for anyone while Finch steps between them. Grabbing the door with one hand, he tugs, and provided that it opens, rushes out with Amelia as quickly as possible.

Itzhak's eyes go real, real wide. He says something in Yiddish, his tone shocked and disbelieving. Then Finch is lighting the place up and Easton is shooting and for some reason, a significant portion of the rotted ceiling comes down on the crawling dead thing. And the roof. And a couple of tree branches for good measure. All these things come crashing down with a roar on the bad man, plummeting straight down like gravity loves the more than anything else. CRASH. Itzhak just stands there, hands clenched into fists, muttering, "Don't. Get. Up."

Isolde knows when it's time to leave. She is not cut out for this kind of stuff currently. So she follows Cole! Racing towards the door with them to help him get the girl out of the house.

One can all but hear the record scratch of August's prior plans being cast aside when Finch just, sets the thing on fire. It's not something he would have thought of. Except, now she's right there, in front of the thing, and someone is shooting and the ceiling is caving in. So he acts on instinct, grabbing her by the shoulder, not to pull her but almost like he's trying to steady her.

"Iggy Run!" Finch yells to the guy who is swiftly becoming the best friend she's ever had. She doesn't want to see him get hurt. Ironic coming from someone who looks like she weighs 100 pounds soaking wet. Then the floor falls in and she feels a surge of steadiness conferred by August. It helps for a moment, but she output a whole lot to set that thing ablaze and she staggers back against Ignacio, shaking. "Time to go?" she asks woozily.

Easton looks at his gun as it apparently causes the monster to catch fire? He then looks around and realizes that other people are rightfully stomping it with all sorts of other methods and then parts of the house are coming down and he yells, "You heard the disembodied hell voice, e'erybody out!" He tucks the gun back into his waistband and waits to make sure all the others are exiting before he does.

Cole is already halfway down the walk and getting as much distance between he, Amelia, and that house as possible. He hasn't even noticed that her hands are bleeding or that she's got blood all over his shirt. "Okay, we're going to get you home," he reassures her. "Someone mind giving us a ride? I want to stay with her til we get her home."

Once outside, Isolde stays near the front door to make sure everyone else gets out okay and to make sure everyone is okay. She doesn't have a car so can't help C. But does stare very hard at Easton as if trying to do something. It...doesn't seem to work. So she gives up after a moment longer and then - once everyone was out, would slam the door shut if it didn't slam shut by itself.

Now August tugs at Finch's shoulder, reaches for Ignacio's elbow as well. "Yep. Girl found, monster dealt with, let's go." He starts trying to steer them away from the stairs and out the door. "You're both provisionally unfired. For now." He says this on the off chance it will get them out of the building faster.

Ignacio catches Finch with an arm so she doesn't fall forward into the newly manufactured hole. "Uhhh yeah. Right on that." Running is something he doesn't do but drag his bad leg with some immediacy? Yeah totally. Is Finch up? Yup! All accounted for? Cool. Cole and Kid? Out the door. Perfect! Outside and out of breath he nods and points to August. "We have... a car." Once on the other side of the walk does he stop push-shoving Finch, looks at her, and just hugs her. Deep breaths there. Job and people in tact! The back of her shoulder gets a pat and he lets go. Remembering Easton's words he points to one side of the lawn and then the other, "Which side was for crying and which one for shitting one's self? Right. Cool." Deep breath. Well no one got left behind this time. This is a nice switch.

Finch has her stumbling ass hauled out and she finally can breathe again, as some of the fear let's loose and her throat unclenches. She returns Ignacio's hug tightly, and nods to August. "Thanks, Boss. Everybody ok?" She looks down at her own hand, the one she used to direct her glimmer at the...thing. "Did I do that?" she whispers.

Itzhak leaves backwards, covering Iggy and Finch and coincidentally August. He's shaking with adrenaline, his expression furious, and when everybody's out he drops to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. He makes a hoarse keening sound through his teeth.

Exiting the house, Easton's face shows little to no sign of stress from that incident. In fact there is a small smile on his lips as he nods to Isolde on his way out the door. "That's all of us." He makes his way down the steps, this time prepared for a ghost or two to pop up for one last 'gotcha' scare but instead finds an Itzhak. He looks around silently asking if someone knows him or cares about him? He then squats down next to him, in front of him and asks, "Hey. You good? Here's not a good place to fall apart. Let's get clear and then we can have our breakdown, okay?" He reaches out a hand as he stands offering to help him back up and get him farther away from the house.

With Finch and Ignacio accounted for, August moves towards Itzhak and Easton. He stops a few steps shy, knowing better than to crowd someone in that state. Instead he takes in a deep breath, lets it out slow, and reaches towards Itzhak as gently as he can with a simple thought: the calm sense of breathing in, and out. It's summer, somewhere in the distance frogs are chirping at one another. Nightjars are stuffing their faces with bugs. It's fine, things are fine. Time to go home and have a beer. Or six.

Isolde retuns the smile in a fleeting manner, hurrying down the stairs and getting towards the edge of the property. She send a quick text before looking over to Itzhak, but she's weird and kind of hands off. And Easton's got it well in hand! So she's just stays where she is. The house gets another hard look and then nodded to herself again. Turning to start leaving with a purpose - because also no one wanted her talking to the police.

Itzhak's shaking calms down. He looks at Easton, and then at August, swallowing. "...Yeah," he says, in English even. "Okay. I'm okay." Everything that was overwhelming is suddenly perfectly cope-with-able. He grabs Easton's hand to haul himself to his feet. "C'mon, let's get outta here, yeah?"

Finch takes Iggy's hand and pulls him over to where Cole and the girl are. She lets the man go, crouching in front of Amelia, and her fingers move, not touching the child, but like a puppet master pulling strings only she can see. She weaves her glimmer in and out, binding the things torn in the fingertips of the little girl, healing them some, to help her be less scared. "Not as bad as it looks, right?" she asks the kid with a small smile.

Cole goes with August and the others, so that he can see Amelia safely home, and deal with the cops and their questions. He smiles gratefully over to Finch for her help as well. "Thanks."