2019-08-08 - Prairie Fire In Your Eyes

Every night is a Saturday night when you're a self-employed writer. Dante Taylor wandered in to every place in town that looks like it might have a bar, and turned around and went right back out until he found this place. He's seated at the bar, one pint glass already empty. "This is what I don't get about America," he says to the bartender, "How can you not have a proper pub in every town? At least one. Every hamlet over a hundred people in England has a pub." He's still overdressed for both the venue and the town itself. He's wearing a robin's egg blue linen jacket over a white button-up with black buttons, and black cotton slacks. Like a true stylish gentleman, his brown leather braided belt matches his boat shoes.

A shooting near Two if by Sea? Except that damage was nonexistant to the building. Interior or exterior. It didn't add up to Kelsey and therefore, warranted a bit of a further looksee. Hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, a pair of dark blue jeans with styilized (or homemade?) tears in them, and a GNR T-shirt. Stepping in, notebook tucked under her arm, she looks wholly unsurprised to see Dante is here. She walks up to the bar, dropping into the seat beside him and opening up her notebook. "Get me a rum and coke." To the bartender. Without so much as a smile - but he seems to be used to it, because he doesn't even bat an eyelash at Kelsey or her attitude.

To Dante, "Because we're not all drunks, and there are better things to do?" Quirking a brow. Like it was a legitimate answer. Not that she knew anything about England.

Still on the last part of the time he's stuck at the desk, Rick finished the workday by going home, getting changed, and heading out again. Stepping into Two If By Sea, he looks around for a few moments, before he heads over in the direction of the bar. Overhearing what's said, he raises his eyes at Kelsey's words, "We're not? Could have fooled me," he remarks, a bit lightly.

August does have work tomorrow, but he doesn't plan on getting particularly drunk; he has to drive Itzhak home, after all, and he almost certainly is going to get smashed. August is here to keep an eye on him and snoop around some. A shooting with no evidence it happened, just a lot of bullet holes, has 'Veil' and other such shenanigans written all over it. So here he's come, in a dark red, Henley t-shirt, dark denim jeans, and black boots.

"Sure doesn't look like anything happened," he asides to Itzhak as they step inside. His eyes linger on a few people--Dante, Rick, Kelsey--pass over the others without interest. Then he heads to the bar to get himself a drink.

Itzhak grunts in response to August. He has mirrored sunglasses on and he doesn't take them off as they come inside. Maybe he's not a drunk in general, but today he is going to embrace his inner drunk. "What the hell was it Alexander was drinking. I'm gonna try to reproduce his results."

"Oh, hello sensei," says Dante to Kelsey with a wide grin. Something about his demeanor suggests he's had more than that empty pint and the few sips out of the full one in front of him. "There are never better things to do than to have a nice pint. Besides, a pub is about more than drinking. It's the heart of a community." He takes a thirsty sip. "And you don't want to be a heartless community, do you?" And then he sweeps his attention to the others nearby. "Ay?"

Kelsey looks towards Rick with a wry smile at his remark. "I mean, some of us are. Sure." She may or may not be one of them. Hard to tell. Her drink gets set down and this time the bartender is favored with a fleeting smile. Still no vocal thank you as she opens up her notebook to make a few observations about the bar. Glancing towards August and Itzhak when they arrive, catching the former's eyes for a beat and then focused back on her notes.

Dante's words make her laugh. "There are plenty of better things to do, padawan." Kelsey pushes a hand through her hair. "Like fucking, or eating chocolate cake. Or drinking rum and coke." She lifts her cup and then takes a sip. "But I suppose I'll concede the point that a heartless community is no community at all."

Rick grins momentarily, before he turns to consider what to order himself. Expression distant for a few moments, before he simply gets some beer. Craft beer, if possible. Seems like he at least have some taste, right? "All three of those can be combined, right?" he offers in Kelsey's direction, with a shrug. Looking around the room, there's a nod offered to August and Itzhak too.

"Don't drink whatever that crap was," August says to Itzhak on a scowl. "Have some pride, at least make it SoCo." For himself he orders a black and tan. He looks askance at Dante, mouth twitching in an almost smile. "Pubs and bars haven't been hearts in America since Prohibition. Our great-grandparents fucked that up for us pretty good." He bobs his eyebrows, murmurs a thanks to the bartender and nods at Itzhak. "And whatever he's having."

He leans against the bar, takes up his drink, has a sip. He says to Rick, "They can," with a nod. "You can make rum balls, which are a bit of work but pretty damned fantastic once you've put in the effort." He glances at Kelsey when he says that, then focuses on Dante. "Visiting?" European tourists: not something they get a lot of here in Gray Harbor.

Itzhak's long mobile face is twisted in a scowl. He turns his mirrored sunglasses to Kelsey, Rick, and Dante in turn, and his expression doesn't change, except possibly to get more pinched. "Nah, who knows if it'll work on SoCo--" then August burdens him with knowing he's going to force August to drink it too. "Fuck you, Roen," he hisses at him, and stalks up to the bar. "Fuckin' SoCo with lime and soda, on the rocks."

"Ahh, prohibition. That makes depressing sense, yes," says Dante. He takes another healthy swallow from his pint. "No, I've got a part in the local community theatre production of Noises Off," a beat, "Yes, visiting. Researching. Taking in the local colour. You lot do enjoy your bear motifs, don't you?" He leans back and looks around the place. "...or your sea motifs. Motifs in general."

Cole makes his way inside and heads over toward the bar, finding himself a seat and settling onto it with a smile to the bartender, waiting his turn to order before getting himself a Pyramid apricot hefeweizen. It's only once he's settled in that he takes a look around the bar, recognizing August and Itzhak. He smiles in their direction and offers a little salute in greeting with a twist of his wrist. He chuckles at something Dante says. "It's a little Twin Peaks, that diner."

Kelsey eyes Rick a moment, like she might have something even more inappropriate to say, but refrains. And thankfully August chimes in too so she has something else to distract her. "Those do sound fantastic. Wonder if I can get someone to make 'em for me." Because Kelsey wasn't gonna put in all that work! A few more notes scribbled in her book.

Itzhak gets a side eye. "Jesus, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bad." Even she couldn't get that grumpy. Well, not without some real antagonizing. "If there's no Motif, how will we know where we are?" Kelsey adds innocently, offhandedly, taking another sip and underlining something a few times before closing her book. Glancing to Cole briefly at his arrival.

Rick considers his order for a few moments, then turns to order himself a vodka in addition to his beer. Shrugging a little as he turns to look at the various people present for a few moments. "Country's full of motifs," he replies to Dante, with a brief grin. "Interesting to see how some areas have their own different ones, when you travel from coast to coast." A brief shrug, as he looks between the others, unable to hold back a grin.

August shrugs at Dante, tips his head at Rick. "Exactly. It's a tourism thing, small towns like this rely on 'motifs' to get people to stop and spend their money. Country's awful big, there's a lot of people jockeying for visitor cash." He nods to Kelsey, salutes her with his black and tan. "Good luck with that. Though the uh, local bakery sometimes carries them."

He upnods at Cole, looks askance at Itzhak and smiles, rueful. "Don't mind him. He just needs to tie one on, then he'll be right as rain." Or worse. Take your pick! "So, research. What are you researching? If you don't mind saying."

Everyone is so chill, except for this guy. "Don't gimme any shit, lady," Itzhak growls, taking his drink. "I ain't in the mood." Yeah, don't mind him, he's just gonna brood the place down.

"Oh, I'd be ecstatic to see a Double R. That show is brilliant. And completely, completely fucking bonkers. Did you watch the Return? Gave me the most marvellous headache." That's Dante's capsule review of Twin Peaks. He slurps from his beer, then looks around at the others. "All right, Dark, Gray, Striped, Pinstripe Harbor. Who wants to do a shot? My treat. I know it's early, but it's not in England. And I've brought the timezone with me tonight. Have some of this visitor's cash." He leans a bit towards August. "Mhmm? Oh, I'm a writer. Writing a book about your fair town and the places nearby. If anyone will tell me their spooky tales, that is."

"No," Cole admits. "To be honest, I hadn't even watched the first one until last year." He chuckles a little bit and nods his thanks when his beer arrives. There's a glance over toward the growling Itzhak, and then he takes a sip from his glass. "I wouldn't argue against a shot. I don't have to work again until Monday, and I plan on not getting up early tomorrow if I can avoid it." When Dante mentiosn writing about the town and spooky tales, he can't help but glance in August and Itzhak's direction, but he doesn't say anything, at least for the moment.

There's a flash in Kelsey's eyes very briefly. Like she might just give Itzhak the shit he doesn't want. Then her eyes close and takes a few slow breaths, as if she has some kind of technique. "I'll take a shot." She says before her eyes are even fully opened again. Leaning against the bar. "I told him he should just get the hell outta dodge. But he doesn't want to listen." She mused. "So, I told him he better be prepared to regret not leaving when he had the chance."

"Writer, hmmm?" Rick offers to Dante, shrugging a little. "What kind of a writer?" Draining his vodka, he mutters something under his breath. "A shot sounds quite nice," he agrees. "Far better than getting shot, anyway." Nodding to the various people, as he listens to what's said, for now.

August gives Kelsey a look which treads the line of apology and wry humor. 'Itzhak's never in the mood,' that look telegraphs. An invitation to bring on the shit, or a suggestion to avoid? Maybe some of both.

Turning to lean back against the bar, August declines the shot, shaking his head. "Driving," he says, "but thanks." He nods at Itzhak. "He can have mine, though." He mulls over the notion of writing a book about Gray Harbor. "Spooky tales, huh? So it's nonfiction?" He looks askance at Cole, vaguely amused because as someone from Oregon and Washington there was no way for him to avoid the original. Ah, the perils of being from the area chronicled in a beloved TV series.

Lilith was walking and the time crept up on her. So did the location, she'd heard a couple of things, and while those things weren't right now of course, she could also detour for a drink. It's been a while since she's been out and in a bar and for certain reasons, she's definitely avoiding the Pourhouse for a while. When she gets inside, she pauses near the doorway a moment to survey, wearing a little violet summery dress and pair of lacing silver flat sandals. She has a smoked gray cardigan pulled on loose with that dress, though, to ward evening and ocean chill despite the summer season and her hair is currently loose and a little windblown considering how long she's been wandering to occupy on her walk.

Her head tilts a little bit when she sees August at the bar as at least one familiar face and presence, and while paused, she gets out her phone to send off a text before leaning on the doorframe to let some others pass in and out. While posed like that, she looks up from her phone toward August, waiting with a hint of lopsided, semi-fond smile.

Itzhak finally notices Cole is there. Sunglasses are still on, so the look he gives him is indecipherable except for 'good and pissed off'. But Cole gets an upnod. So gracious. He holds up two fingers to the bartender and jerks his head in Dante's direction. But don't expect him to thank Dante or anything outrageous like that. He doesn't realize Lilith is there and so she gets to smile at August without getting snarled at--FOR NOW.

"If someone told you, yes there's a mystery but you don't want to know what it is, would you go?" he asks, pointing an accusing finger around the bar. He slaps his palm on the bartop. "Right, what's your poison? Have you ever had a prairie fire? The only rule is...no sweet stuff. No kahlua or anything like that. Has to be something proper that burns your insides on the way down." He sips from his beer, eyebrows waggling at Rick. "Have a guess what sort of writer I am. Go on." He nods once to August. "Yes. Well, as much as local legend is and is not non-fiction."

Kelsey catches the look from August and she may or may not heed the possible warning/encouragement. We'll see what happens after a few drinks. "I'm surprised you ain't here cause of what supposedly happened the other night." Kelsey comments vaguely to Dante, while adding. "Tequila sounds like a good shot drink to me." While she knocks back the rest of her rum and coke.

"Of course," Cole says when the question is posed whether or not one would want to know the mystery, particularly if told they didn't want to know. "That's just basic human curiosity." He winces a little when Kelsey suggests tequila, but nods, apparently down for it, even if he'll regret it in the morning.

"I'm not one for digging into mysteries," August says, tone dry. "I have way too much other shit to do." Like dig into...well...mysteries. "Anyways, lots of places like this have weird, spooky stories. Kind of the idea of a small town on the coast, right? From here clear down to the Bay Area." He seems about to go on, stops and pulls his phone out. He arches an eyebrow at it, looking amused, glances through the bar's interior towards the door. He nods a greeting at Lilith, taps out an answer, and pockets his phone again.

He looks directly at Kelsey, now very interested. "What happened?"

Itzhak snorts in obvious derision when August says he doesn't dig into mysteries. "Since fukkin' when," he mutters. August looks over at Lilith, and so does he. "Heh. You foolin' around on me, Roen?"

To Dante, Itzhak gains a little interest. "Never had a prairie fire. Gimme one a them," to the bartender.

Lilith pushes off of the door frame and wanders over, starting to eavesdrop on public company with mildly unabashed interest while going to settle up with a drink from the bar. Before that, though, the smile at August seeing her spreads some into full lopsided blossom and it's maybe a touch self-deprecating there for a beat, considering certain context exchanged on the text-sly. She puts her hand down with gratitude touch and small squeeze on the plant guy's shoulder in passing, then eyes Itzhak with his question to make a little hands up, hands off gesture of fair, good-natured silent play afterwards.

Eventually, though, she gets a drink while leaning on the bar edge and waiting for a jump point in conversation. She takes the time to play with the lime shoved on the edge of her glass and rims it around the end, and whatever she ordered is clear with splash citrus soda.

"Ye-ees, that's why I've written a series. The trick is to find an area that is sufficiently grouped together to convincingly make a book. If there's only one weird town and the neighbouring areas are fine, that doesn't work. Unless the town itself is so strange that it can fill a whole volume." Dante chuckles like he doesn't think that's quite possible. "Tequila it is!" he declares, when some kind of rough consensus is reached. He slaps his hand on the bar. "Hand's up, who's in? Ah, good man, good man, prairie fire for this gent," he points at Itzhak. Then he presses a finger to his lips to the bartender, so he won't reveal what's in said shot.

"Are you kidding me!? I don't give a shit!!"

Loud yelling can be heard when the door to the back office opens. The waitress who just made the mistake of walking in on something that she absolutely wants no part of makes a 'meep' noise not unlike a road runner and shuts the door. Sadly she isn't fast enough to leave a little dust cloud as she books it far, far away but it's not for lack of trying.

The very loud conversation might still be overheard in rising tones by people in the bar.

Awkward.

Kelsey shifts a bit, looking to August again with a shrug. "Heard there was a shoot out. 'Cept, there ain't no evidence of it - aside the people in the hospital." Fingers drumming lightly on the table. "Half the reason I came here tonight. See if I could dig anything up." Is all she manages to get out before hearing the loud conversation from the back. Eyes going wide with curiosity. Notebook opened, quickly scribbling in it further. Then it's shot time! She doesn't elaborate on the fact that she fully believes Dante can write a whole book about this place.

Rick shrugs a bit as he hears Dante's words. "I took a wrong guess once, that cost me my entire life, and someone else's too, so to speak," he replies. "Let's just say travel guides, hmmm?" There's another pause, before he adds, "As for the shot, I tend to like vodka..." It's offered a bit thoughtfully, before his attention goes to the yelling from the back room, and he narrows his eyes, almost looking like he's about to head over there.

"I'd never," August says to Itzhak, feigning mild offense, has a bit more of his beer. He watches the interaction between Itzhak and Lilith, plainly trying not to outright laugh. He only half-succedes, has to clear his throat.

He looks back towards the door when he hears Easton's voice, cuts a glance at Kelsey. Could a possible shootout and yelling in the back be related? Who knows. Of course, nothing looks shot up. He makes a low sound, nods and has a drink.

"Wait, something happened. What happened?" says Dante as he starts to shift over the tequila shots and lime wedges and salt, handing them out to anyone who is in on that ill-advised experience. There's one reddish-brown drink that gets nudged down towards Itzhak, brows waggling. "Good man," he snap-points. Then, "No, not travel guides, how boring. No, I write horror. And...books about local myths, legends and unsolved mysteries. Which is what brings me here." He glances towards the area of shouting, but shouting is counter to the ~good vibes~ he's trying to exhude.

Lilith grew up and lives on Elm, random outburst yelling from back rooms in establishments? Flavor. She casts a distracted and maybe semi-nosy glance in the direction of the door and noise as the waitress pops out, then her eyebrow raises a little. She doesn't dwell, though, she looks back at nearby company and current conversation, especially with what Kelsey and Dante are talking on in their own respective turns. Her head tilts a little. Then she wonders, finally breaking her silence to pipe in.

"Do you know who ended up at the hospital?" It's Kelsey she wonders this of with a little more than passing curiosity.

Cole falls quiet as the conversation bounces around, and the shouting begins in the back. He looks in that direction, a quizzical expression crossing his face as he takes another swig from his beer and awaits the shots. But it's back toward Dante and Kelsey that his attention drifts, curious, perhaps, to hear more about this suppposed shoot-out.

Itzhak nods menacingly at Lilith, smirking. How do you nod menacingly? Like that. "S'right. Hands off my man." He squints over at the yelling, but it doesn't interest him as much as the murky liquid the bartender sets in front of him. Taking it up, he eyes it. "Christ, what the hell's in it? It smells like chemical fertilizer." He knows he won't get an answer until he drinks it though. So he hoists it in a sardonic toast to Dante, mutters, "L'chaim," and downs it.

And his face turns a brilliant scarlet and he starts coughing convulsively, almost gagging.

Kelsey has been around Grey Harbor for about a year and a half. Generally keeps to herself but always seems to be on the very fringes of the strange things going on in town. Taking notes mostly. Never really venturing to talk to primary sources, at least not as of late. Her gaze lingers on Lilith for a moment, curious. Scrutinizing her maybe. Then picks up the tequila shot Dante's handed her. "Keep up Taylor." Is said to Dante. "A mysterious shooting with no bullets or bullet holes to be found."

Then back to Lilith. "Couldn't get names, but there was three people. One of 'ems a police captain." Then she's knocking back her tequila shot like a pro, following it up with the lime. There's a grimace as it burns and a "Whoo!" setting the shot glass back down. "Lemme get another one a those." To the bartender.

Lilith bats her lashes and does a bit of a double take at Itzhak after that particular comment comes from her little harmless gracious pat with August and backhandedly playful placating gesture afterwards. Then she looks at August like she's not sure whether she wants to laugh or kind of empathize with him. In the end, though, she just kind of snort-sniffs a little and goes, "Uh huh."

Because really, what else do you do with that? Catfight?

After pulling in a short little breath of air through her nose, she looks back at Kelsey answering with a little inclining lift of her chin and 'ahh'. Then her brows knit downward a touch and she checks her phone from pull at her cardigan pocket like she's going to send some kind of text. After pause, though, she just puts it away in favor of drinking from her own ordered glass and foregoing tequila shots, definitely, "Ruiz, then. I wonder... mm. Thanks." She smiles some with brisk twitch of lips at the other woman, then looks at Dante with consideration during her drink.

"Oh reaaalllly?" says Dante with a grin that verges on the wicked as Kelsey explains the incident. "Fascinating." Without saying anything, he nudges a pint of water down the bar towards Itzhak - a pint that the bartender preemptively poured. "Welcome to the cult of the prairie, my friend. Baptism by fire." And then, lest it be said he was simply trolling, he motions for the bartender to put a few shots of tabasco in one of the tequila shots. Then he downs his like a pro, salt and lime ritual and all. He coughs, his eyes water. "All natural cure for sinus..." cough "...congestion."

Cole takes his own tequila shot and downs it, setting the glass on the bar after wincing and making a bit of a face. It's clear that tequila is not his drink of choice. Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he reaches for his beer. The combination of beer and tequila doesn't seem to be all that much better. When he notices the tabasco going into Dante's shot, he looks relieved that he didn't try one of those. "Ugh, nope. I think that's one cult I won't be joining."

Walking with crisp if uneven steps, Easton doesn't slam the door to the office so much as shut it very quickly and securely. With a face that doesn't invite questions he makes his way behind the bar and pours himself a double of whiskey. He downs that quickly in large gulp, only then seeming to realize that there are paying customers about. He offers a very fake smile that doesn't even come close to touching his eyes before he grabs a bottle of beer from one of the coolers below the bar, pops the top and makes his way out to the deck with a more obvious limp than usual.

Rick frowns as he hears what Kelsey said. "The things I miss when on light duty," he mutters, before he takes a sip from the beer. There's a look over towards Itzhak, then towards Dante, and he shakes his head. "Crazy people," he remarks, a bit lightly, before he glances around again. Downing his own tequila, he grimaces momentarily, then turns to look over towards Easton as the man walks out. "Everything okay there?" he asks.

Itzhak wipes his eyes. "Jesus fuck, that was nasty. You asshole." But...he's actually kinda laughing. When Dante takes his own medicine, Itzhak really does laugh. "Okay now that it's down, it's actually not bad. Hate to think of it comin' back up."

"I'm with you, kid." Kelsey says to Cole - though he can't be too much younger than she is. Tequila was one thing. Adding Tabasco? No thanks. But she does give the bartender a grin when he sets her down another shot of tequila. "Thanks babe." Her gaze cuts to Easton curiously, but she doesn't ask questions. Rick's taking care of that! Another couple notes scribbled in her book and then it's closed once more.

Those ocean blue eyes turning on Dante with a smirk. "And that ain't even the half of the shit that goes on in this town." While others may be reluctant to talk about the strangeness of Gray Harbor, Kelsey doesn't seem to mind it. Well at least not with Dante, since he's already decided not to heed the warnings given. Then she's knocking back her second shot.

August has a look of forced neutrality on his face, like he absolutely cannot believe this is happening with Lilith and Itzhak. Should he laugh? Get embarassed? Well hey, Eleanor's not here at least. And then Itzhak's choking on his prarie fire! Whatever that is. Distractions are great things.

"You okay?" August asks, smiling. His hand hovers over Itzhak's back, to see if he needs to have the booze pounded out of him, or maybe offer congratulations for choking it down.

He glances at Easton as he comes out to pour himself a drink, but returns his focus to Itzhak. "That you asking for another?"

Dante grabs up his pint and swallows a large mouthful to wash down the tabasco. He grins at Itzhak. "Mhmm, see, that's why that is definitely not an all-nighter drink. But ia perfect thing to shock the system if you're feeling a bit rough 'round the edges. Or you just feel like playing a bit of a trick on someone." He grins toothily, then coughs again. "And look at me, a rare Englishman who can actually handle his spice." He winks, though it's hard to say to who. Then he's motioning to the bartender for another pint. He glances at Kelsey, mirth in his eyes. Or maybe he's just getting drunk. "Tell me all the dark, twisted tales, darling. I can take it."

Lilith pushes her tongue hard with pressured smash against the point of an eyetooth when Kelsey makes mention of how screwy things are around town and then looks at the writer again. She might well have her own stories with how quickly she seized on that simple off the cuff advising, then looks a bit unamused with Dante's open mirth about it all. After lifting her free hand to rub at one side of her neck under her hair, her attention is snagged by Easton's emerging. Her eyes kind of follow the hard-needed drinks and pop out to the deck with a hint of an expression that silently says she knows the feeling.

But then she turns attention back to see what Kelsey is going to present for Dante's delight in story form after a glance at August checking up on Itzhak. Mostly, she nurses her drink between sips and stays with her bar lean against the edge.

"Just. Peachy."

Comes Easton's clipped response to Rick's question without the short former marine even slowing down or bothering to turn his head to whoever asked.

And just like a short angry limping ghost, he's gone, out to drink on the patio and if that proves too crowded, the beach beyond.

Cole shakes his head, an amused smile on his lips when Itzhak seems to recover from the drink, wincing a little at the thought of it coming back up. It's obvious in the grimace in his expression. He watches Easton as the man comes out, gets his double, and beer, and heads to the deck. He takes another sip from his beer, seeming to have recovered from his own shot before saying, "So you're writing a new horror book? A novel? Or a collection of stories sort of a thing?"

Kelsey slides the empty shot glass back towards the bartender, leaning in close to Dante for a moment. "I heard we got our very own Lock Ness in the pond. Might wanna check that out." Laughing, then she leans in a little closer, as if to murmur something to him. Then she's pulling back, ordering another rum and coke and a water. If she knows anything about the real screwy stuff, she isn't going to be talking about it here, surrounded by strangers.

Rick nods a bit as he hears that, before he goes back to his own beer. Can't fault people for seeming a bit grumpy, since he was the same for the long time he just drifted across the country, after all.

"I am writing the next installment in my series, called Dark Heart. I've written one about Wales, the South of England where I'm from, and New England, where...my ex is from. It's a collection of cold cases, myths, legends, et cetra, from various areas. But my main series are horror novels. I sometimes find the research in one leads me to ideas for the other, so I wouldn't rule out something inspired by your town," Dante says this to Cole, then reaches up to undo the button that latches his linen suit jacket together. He leans on the bar and smiles out at the gathered. "Now, this is more like it! Though all of this would have happened earlier if we'd been in a proper pub. But you can carry a proper pub in your heart." He touches his lapel. Then he's canting his head at Kelsey's whisper. He smiles in that way of his that can't help but be a bit sharky. "Excellent. I look forward to it."

August watches Easton depart, openly curious, but makes no move to follow. He catches Lilith's eye to give her a brief, apologetic smile, has a bit more black and tan.

"Probably just a bear or a wolverine," August says of the pond monster. His tone's mildly dismissive, a local tired of hearing rumors spread. Or maybe just tired of hearing about it. "That's usually what that sort of thing is. Though," he nods at Dante, "Probably an idea way to make a seed for a plot."

Itzhak snorts, raising a hand to fend off the very idea of another one of those shots. "Learned my lesson." He downs half the pint of water in a go. "Alligator gar," he suggests, helpfully, for why there's rumors of a monster in the pond. "They're huge and ugly and they bite nasty. ...I swear I'm not related to 'em."

After a while, Lilith drains the rest of her glass and hitches one shoulder in at August with a slight twitch of smile. Yeah, drunk happens. She knows well. But not tonight. After knocking a couple ice cubes from her drained glass into mouth, she puts the glass down, pays, then turns to wander out the way she came in. But she does pull out her phone while walking and adjusting the shoulder bag she's wearing as a loosely styled purse.

"You guys have fun. I hang around, I'm going to start in on that tequila and no one sane wants all that from me. Have a good evening."

Cole listens as Dante talks about his writing, and smiles a bit. "Interesting, I'll have to check out the series. Taylor, was it?" That's the name he thought he heard Kelsey mention when she'd addressed Dante. He pulls out his phone and pulls up Amazon, looking for the last name nd the series name, apparently intending to nab copies out of pure curiosity. "I've always liked horror, though I haven't read any in a while. Been too busy lately. But I'm finding I have a little more time now that I'm settled in."

August nods at Lilith as she goes, gives her a small shrug of 'it happens'. He keeps nursing his beer, in no hurry to finish it. Seeing Cole wisely take down the name, August does likewise. He's always looking for things to read.

"Definitely check out the Merrymeet Series." Kelsey nodded, standing up. "I hear music. Do you guys hear music?" She drops a few bills on the counter. "I think there's a festival goin' on tonight."

"Oh, that's right, that's tonight. Well." August settles up, finishes off his beer. "Ought to be some killer empanadas and pupusas." He bobs his eyesbrows, says to Dante, "On the Boardwalk, by the way. Nice to meet you two." Even though he didn't give his name. He's a professional at that. And then he's out the door.

When it seems everyone is departing, Cole lifts his glass to those heading out and says, "Nice to meet you all."

"Dante Taylor," says the writer, for his full name. A quick Google search would find A) an author photo that doesn't really look like him. It's all curly hair and soft lines, not slicked back hair and finely cut suits. B) that he's written seven novels and three nonfiction books. Then he wags a finger at Cole. "Do not buy my books online. Support your local shop. It's only an extra dollar or two but without local shops, I'd have nowhere to sign." And then, what? Party?! He lifts his chin like a Meerkat. "Where? Lead the way!" He motions to the bartender for a tab, which he pays without really looking at the total.

"Catch ya later." Is offered to August and Cole and then Kelsey's grabbing Dante's hand so she can drag his drunk tipsy butt to the boardwalk!