2019-09-13 - To Die, To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

She had given Minerva advance warning that she is arriving with a guest - Easton Marshall, who she has described as having a significant connection with the Billy Gohl matter, and would also like to consult with her about his sacrifice.

The sun is on the verge of sinking completely into the horizon when the two of them arrive, with the young archaeologist herself dressed in her usual style; a short-sleeved top, a pair of fitted designer jeans and a pair of boots, with her moonstone pendant swinging at every step and shattering ambient light into specks of color against the dark-crimson dye of her shirt. Her hair is in a low, looping ponytail today and when the psychologist opens the door, she takes a few steps over and, if she is allowed, gives her a quiet hug.

"Thank you for letting us see you," Isabella murmurs, whenever she withdraws. "I know you're probably tremendously busy with the other aspects of this entire affair. Doctor Minerva Kosimar, this is Easton Marshall. His uncle was a doctor in the asylum in the Veil that I mentioned to you a few weeks ago."

Easton puts up a good show on the ride over, from regaling Isabella with tales of drunken customers to talking about the outrage prices of mechanical bulls he almost manages to bluster his way through the ride. Until she gives him a particular look, something just a 'touch' too knowing and he quiets down. He considers asking her to wait outside so he can smoke a cigarette but decides against it, likewise anxious to getting it over with.

"Oh, we've met. Actually. Twice... no more." Easton didn't realize that this was their exorcist. He explains to Isabella, "I met her during the whole Murray house shit. And then she was there when Billy showed up at the bar. She whupped his ass." He obviously approves of Minerva's actions and actually seems a touch more relaxed to know who he's going to be asking questions of. Especially rather serious questions.

"But thank you for seeing us. We wanted to talk about sacrifices, I've heard a little bit but I was hoping you might be able to answer some questions?"

"Ah, Easton, yes. We've met." Minerva gives a chuckle to that. "And it's no trouble." she tells the two of them. "Easton also has one of the puppies that I found." she smiles to that. "So your grandfather worked at the asylum? That's intriguing news to learn." she admits to that. "We're getting to learn more and more things as we go along." she states. "Can I get you guys a drink? Alcohol or juice? I've got all kinds of things in the fridge." she admits. "The boys are up, so warning you will be bowled over by puppies." she muses as she opens the door to allow them up into the apartment.

"Oh...of course, I'm so sorry." Isabella laughs, rubbing the back of her neck and looking absurdly embarrassed. "That entire affair is somewhat hazy now." And can she be blamed? She was shot five times, put under surgery and left to languish in the hospital - if nothing else, all she could remember clearly during Billy Gohl's arrest was Minerva, herself.

"His uncle," she corrects, gently. "And just a juice is alright. I've done way too much drinking the last few days."

And when the boys do come out, she can't help but get down on her knees, and open her arms, to be bowled over by the puppies once they come pouring out. Someone is a dog person.

"Of course and I owe you for Gunner too!" Easton's big voice and bigger grin make a reappearance at the mention of both his puppy and that her dogs might make an appearance. "Whiskey. Please, if you have it. Or anything." Though anything is clearly limited to the liquor family in that case. He was good for like a whole day or two!

"My uncle. Monty." The name is said with all the disgust of naming a particularly heinous venereal disease. He shakes his head and says, "He's dead now, but somehow still up and around, rotting on the other side."

He likewise bends down to greet the pups, though it's very stiff and slow.

"Do you .." He tries to think how to ask this. "Is there any precedence here? Anything we could point to, to help guide us with the whole sacrifice shit?" He hesitates for a while before asking "Maybe ... like ... magic?" That looked painful for him to get that question out.

Azrael and Dumah do bowl Isabella over with puppy kisses and licks. They are happy to see people that aren't covered in blood and that whole shebang. Because Minerva was coming back injured more than once most times. She gives a nod to Isabella and then to the request for whiskey she heads over to the counter and picks up the glasses and a bottle to bring it back to her dining table. "I'm sure there's been sacrifices made to things before. Most things liked living sacrfices, but I'm not sure murdering people is a good idea." she admits. "What do you want to sacrifice?" she asks them.

Leaving the dogs for a moment, Easton takes the drink and gulps down about half of it. He looks at Isabella and gives a half-shrug, "I'll go first."

He takes another moment to compose himself before saying, "My best friend Tom is dead." What? That's weird. "But. He's a ghost. Who haunts me or lives with me? Or I don't know." It may not be exactly clear where he's headed with this background information. "I was going to sacrifice something of his. Something that would severe that connection. To lose him. Again." Easton finishes saying all that looking down at his drink and finishes that too.

"I don't know if that works. I don't know how to do that. I just know..." His tongue runs over his teeth before he continues. "I know it would cost me something."

She's heard about Tom, from Alexander - not by name, but that Easton had a ghost. From where she is playing with Azrael and Dumah, emerald-gold eyes snap up to the man when he tells Minerva in no uncertain terms that he is willing to give up the last piece left to him of his best friend. Her lips press in a thin line.

But Isabella has already tried to convince him that he doesn't have to give something too important up, and by the expression on her face, she is about to reiterate it. Instead, she says nothing - she knows when a decision is final, has been made. He wouldn't be here unless he was serious. She's still with the puppies, when they yap and play around her, snuggling them to her whenever they want it, but her attention is on him and the professional occultist.

Minerva pours three glasses of whiskey and settles them about the table. "Dead, as in a spectre?" she confirms. "So severing ties from ghosts is a hard thing. I'm guessing if he is around you then either yourself or something around you is the 'anchor' for Tom." she admits. "And breaking an anchors hold would be a bit odd as it would send them to the afterlife." she admits. "It's something that you love dear I'm guessing?" she looks to Easton.

Then there's a look to Isabella and a nod, "I wouldn't give up my friend." she admits. "But then again when most things are taken from you due to this town you start making connections for your safety and others." she frowns. "I'm giving up this." she states as she pulls the ring off of her finger. That is definitely a diamond rock. "I don't know if it'll be sufficient. But it's the only thing I have left and I'm sure it's going to do more good in that box." she admits. "Is there an alternate, Easton?" she asks him.

"A ghost. Yea." Easton confirms that yes, Tom is very much dead in the body and now haunts him. He looks conflicted as she explains that it's a difficult thing. He shrugs and says, "I don't know. I mean I guess, I am? But I don't know how to break a ghost's hold. Isn't that what we're here to talk about? Just for a different type of ghost?" He is a little frustrated but trying to keep it together. It's an emotionally fraught topic and he's forced to discuss it with near strangers which he doesn't enjoy at all. "It would hurt. Yea." He confirms that yes, this is something very dear to him.

He looks annoyed thought at the line about giving up his friend. "Tom's already dead. I should have already let him go." Not that he had any conscious decision making power about it. He does now. At least he thinks he might?

Is there an alternate?

"No."

He tries to think of something, anything that has weight or value. Sure he might be able to sacrifice his medals? Maybe something from his own service? But the physical things mean so little to him, it makes it hard.

"If you are the ghosts anchor you would need to die to break that link, Easton." Minerva tells him. "So there is a way to do it, but you're not going to like it. Or I mean, you might agree to it given the situation." she admits. "You would need to die and we would need to get your heart going again after Tom's link is broken to you." she frowns. "It's not an easy subject. I don't know if it will even work and if the worst happens then we might have the loss of your friend and you to add to the tally." she admits. "So are you willing to die to do this?" she asks him as she looks to him.

"Oh is that all?" Easton takes another swallow of his refilled glass and gives a short bitter laugh. "Were was that offer a couple months ago? Shit, I woulda jumped at the chance to do some good and die trying." He realizes he's talking out loud and shakes his head. "I don't think I can do that to Bennie." He adds, "More specifically without telling her first." It's not that it's off the table, it's just he might actually have to be a big boy and discuss the plans first. He adds, "How dead we talking?"

He looks over his shoulder at Isabella, surprised that she hasn't already tried to shut this down, surprised and maybe a little impressed.

"Because the way I see it, there's a whole of getting dead going around. If it puts this thing back where it belongs. I want to leave that option open.

The look on her face when Minerva tells Easton just what he's looking at when he is trying to sacrifice the ghost of his best friend makes it clear, however, that Isabella wants to shut it down, but has elected to trust the man to make the right decision - or at least, the correct logistics before making it. Because the first thing that did cross her mind when she hears Minerva's assessment is Oh god, Bennie is going to KILL ME if I let this happen! Tension winds over her shoulders, in readiness to play the bad cop - but considering that the man has just demonstrated the existence of a healthy survival instinct, she soon relaxes.

She eases away from the puppies at last, though this is relatively hard, standing up so she could approach the two adults by the dining table, a grateful look cast to Minerva for not sugarcoating the process. "Thank god," she mutters to Easton. "Because if you elect to die, I'll probably get killed." Three guesses as to who her murderer would be. But she does wink at Easton, and takes a drink of her juice.

"I'd rather be very honest than to let you think there's another way. I mean, I could call in favors to see if we can sever the link between you and your friend, but that's...a hard link to sever." the one eyed woman states. Minerva drains her glass and then settles it down to refill it, "I'm talking your heart is stopped and it's not registering for you dead." she tells him with a frown. "And no, I don't think you should do it without serious thought and talking to loved ones. I already went and had my will redone due to the situation." she admits. "And if we have proper medical staff on hand we can up the chances of you /not/ staying dead." she tells Easton. "But in case shit goes really wrong...just let people know." she tells him.

"And I'm hoping that god and others will at least see fit not to completely fuck us over in this undertaking." she tells the two of them.

Easton isn't that reckless, anymore. But he's certainly not writing off the idea. He smirks at Isabella and says, "Yes well, that would make two of us wouldn't it." Death jokes, yay.

"I don't think there's anyway we don't come out of this fucked." Easton isn't trying to be gloomy or morose, to him he's being pragmatic.

"Alright, so that's my stupid plan." He lifts his glass and takes another drink before looking to Isabella, "What's yours?"

Minerva is thorough and there is open appreciation on the woman's expertise as she watches her and Easton interact, eyes contemplative over the rim of her juice glass.

With Easton's look, Isabella chews faintly on her bottom lip, before she sighs and drains the rest of it, settling it on the dining table with a clack. Her fingers reach up to toy with the moonstone pendant around her neck.

"This is the last gift I ever received from my brother," she confesses finally after a long moment. Easton and Minerva know something of the story - how he vanished when he was sixteen, at least, by the archaeologist's accounting. "But since the Exorcist was specific about the fact that the greater the sacrifice, the greater the likelihood of the man passing on..." She shrugs. "This is the only precious object I have, the only object that holds any meaning for me, but I want to guarantee his passage as much as possible." Her green-gold eyes drop to it, toying with it with her fingers.

"All I ever wanted since I was young was to leave Gray Harbor forever," she continues softly. "Explore the world and find lost things, much like what I'm doing now. I intended to be gone forever. When I left, I never planned to settle here, or ever come back. So I'm wondering if I can bind that desire in an object that means a lot to me." She lifts her eyes to look at Minerva. "What I'm saying is to curse me so I can never, ever leave Gray Harbor forever, like I planned. If there's a way to bind me here, unable to stay away for the rest of my life."

Her jaw sets, but there's a faint smirk. "So much for my dreams of tenure at the University of Oxford, I guess."

Minerva picks up the bottle and just drinks straight from it. Because it was going to be a night. She listens to Isabella and there's a soft frown, "I don't think you'd have to give up your ability to leave, Isabella. I think your brothers necklace would be enough of a sacrifice. It has a lot of meaning and there's a love for it." she admits.

"But, if you do want to not leave and add that in with the sacrifice, we could find a way to transfer that idea into the pendant. Have it as an echo." she tells her. "I will need to look into that a bit more." she admits. "And hey, Oxford is a fantastic place." she murmurs.

"Both sacrifices are completely viable. We just need to make sure we can execute the delivery of them." she tells them.

"First of all, over achiever that's two sacrifices, not one." Easton scolds Isabella with his drink firmly in hand. "And second, that pendant will do just fine." He's not mean about it per say, but pretty firm. "Now if you want to stick around this shithole for other reasons, maybe you need to just admit that." There's a slight smile on his face that says maybe he has an idea of why she might want to do a crazy thing like that.

At Minerva's suggestion he frowns, there's no need to gild the lily he think but doesn't say, having already made his thoughts on it known.

"What if I had something of Tom's? Something I could put in the actual coffin? Would that be enough to sever the link if I give it as a sacrifice?"

She laughs. "I promised Alexander I wouldn't do anything stupid like give up my life, or a decade of my life," Isabella replies. "But I am willing to give up remaining in Oxford. I'm not asking to never be able to leave Gray Harbor, I just can't leave it forever. Have my hair and teeth start to fall out if I'm gone for over a year or two years or something." Her fingers play with the necklace around her neck. "But it was what I always wanted as a child, all I dreamt about was leaving this place behind. If I gave that up - this one desire that stayed with me my entire life...would that be great enough a sacrifice, do you think?"

Her fingers tighten over the pendant.

"I'll finish my thesis, get my degree, and then..." Leave. Leave Oxford. To miss her chance to have her name attached to one of the most prestigious universities in the world as one of its storied archaeological experts. Her voice trails off. "I'll figure it out."

Easton's quip has her blinking once. "What?" she wonders, mentally catching up, but at the look he gives her, realization sinks in, and she suddenly lets out a breathless laugh. "First of all," she says, pointing at him. "You don't know me very well, obviously, because Byron would be one of the first people we both know who'll tell you that I've been an overachiever my entire life. Second of all, Alexander would be the first person to shove me through the city limits if it meant getting me out of here, to live my life and forget that this place ever existed. I know he would. Even if it meant..." Forgetting him.

She obviously doesn't know about his conversation with Easton about the man's own selfishness, but give her a break! This is what happens when she's not great at communicating!

Minerva gives a look to the bottom of the bottle and then refills her glass, she wasn't a savage. Then there's a bit of a look to Easton. That's what she did, she drank and she knew things. "If you have something of Tom's that can be buried it might give him some peace or enough for him to let go." she admits. "If I may ask, how was Tom lost? Sometimes it's the act of a loved one or dear friend burying something to release them to rest." she tells him. "And it means that we wouldn't have to kill you for a bit." she breathes out.

Then there's a look to Isabella, her lips quirking into a smile, "I'm very happy that you are with Alexander." she admits. Then there's a breath taken in and she closes that good eye for a moment, going through things mentally, "We can find a way to do that." she tells her. She didn't like it. But it was Isabella's choice, not her own. "And she's right, Alexander would be the first to shove her past the city limits and there would be a que forming after that." she chuckles.

"Well yes, it's good that Bennie didn't know about this otherwise I would have had to probably make some likewise dumb promise not to die or something." Easton smiles that big broad grin that creases his dimples and crinkles around his eyes. He shakes his head and says, "I'm just saying, pick one. Not don't sacrifice something. Just pick something, something that will hurt. And if people all do that, we might just seal this bitch."

"First of all, I know you just fine to make rash and half-cocked insinuations." Talk of Alexander pushing her out of town though makes perfect sense. "I'm sure he would. But I'd be shocked if he didn't have the next timeslot with the good doctor to offer up his two pounds of flesh as well." Mixing metaphors wildly, Easton tries to insinuate that Alexander is more than likely to quietly make a huge sacrifice. He's already admitted to staying and fighting so that maybe he could take someone else's place.

At the talk of how Tom died Easton grimaces. "He was blown up. Same bomb that took my leg." He says it quickly, trying to get it out of the way maybe. "But I have his dog tags." And his favorite plaid shirt that may or may not be cursed? He doesn't mention it, but it does suddenly spring to mind. "It might be enough?"

People keep saying that, about how they're happy that she and Alexander are together, electing to interpret it as people who genuinely care enough about the investigator to see him happy. That realization spurs affection for both the people she's with, pure, unbridled and unbidden, fountaining up from the inner springs of her, green-gold eyes shift from Easton's shit-eating grin, to Minerva's smile and more sincere remark and for a moment, she doesn't say anything, her mouth opening and closing, though no words come out.

But her pride. It rises like a sleeping dragon on the verge of fully waking, unable to help but glower. "I'm not the kind of woman who'll just stay for..." The rest of her protest dies, because they're both still looking at her that way. So Isabella huffs and casts her stare sideways, inspecting the far wall and all of its drapery as if it's the most beautiful, most expensive thing on the planet and she can't take her eyes off it. Her expression is downright stubborn, as she mutters, low and quick: "Shutupgoddamnitdon'tlookatme."

Fingers tap on her elbow, however, indicative that she's thinking very fast, and very hard, about whatever decisions have been set before her after this conversation.

She does listen with interest, in the end, of Easton's own conundrum, her expression softening, finally, when she realizes just what he is getting at - that he and his best friend had nearly died together. Her lips press faintly in a thin line, but otherwise she says very little else.

Minerva looks at both of them and there's a soft nod to Easton, "Putting his things to rest will definitely do the trick and honestly it's the sacrifice of a friend that would have the meaning." she tells them. "So I think that his dog tags and the flannel would do the trick." she admits. "And I am sorry that he died in that manner." she whispers to Easton.

"And Easton is right. Picking one will be the best." she nods to this. Then she watches Isabella and there's a bit of a grin that she covers, "Isabella, I know that you wouldn't stay for a man. I wouldn't either." she tells her. "I think the only man that I've been attracted to or interested in seeing if there were things there bolted." she shrugs. She wasn't losing sleep over it. She'd just moved on.

"Do we know what others might be doing?" she asks the two of them.

Easton nods and says, "Yea well, it's probably a better plan that dying." He lets out a soft laugh and repeats mostly to himself, "Probably."

As Isabella protests he tries to surpress a smile, "No, I'm pretty sure that's exactly who you are, after that little boat PA stunt." He's taking great relish in teasing her about this.

Any talk of how Tom died is met with a near glower, and the most perfunctory of "Thank you"s.

"I don't, but I'm a little late to this particular game."

"Boat PA stunt?" Minerva quirks an eyebrow.

Isabella, I know that you wouldn't stay for a man, says mental health professional Doctor Minerva Kosimar, who is presently, visibly hiding a smile.

"Oh, god, stop," Isabella groans and turns her face so severely away from the both of them so they wouldn't be able to see her expression at the moment that she may very well be on the verge of breaking her own neck at the angle of it, more than half of her horrified that's what everyone else would think. Don't look at me! Don't look at meeeeee!!!! She was serious about her dreams! She wasn't even thinking about that!

Easton, of course, helps by not helping. "ShutupIhateyou," she grumps, crossing her arms over her chest.

But she does have a decision to make - she knows that and she blinks, realization settling over her face. "Oh, you crafty bastards," she breathes, pointing to Easton and then Minerva in an accusatory fashion. "Is this all a ploy just to get me to pick one or the other? Is that it?" And it's just a bonus that they get to give her shit about it on top of everything. J'accuse!! "Oh my god, you guys!"

With Minerva asking about the PA stunt, she coughs. "Uh...well, Alexander was making noises about how his reputation was going to damage mine if we ever became public, so I made it public in the loudest way available to me at the time." There's a faint smile at Minerva, and lifts her shoulders in a shrug. "What can I say? I know what I like."

Sympathy does fall over her, though. "I am sorry about the bolting," she tells her softly. "Men can be idiots. I'm not even holding back while Easton's standing there grinning at me that way, because I know he'll agree."

"Fucking morons, the lot of us." Easton agrees loudly and quickly.

"See?" Isabella says, helpfully, at Easton's loud and quick agreement.

Minerva gives a laugh, she can't help but laugh, "Alright. Enough of being adorable." she states to Isabella with a smile. It's a genuine smile. They probably needed that. "Well, If I had a boyfriend who pulled that on me I'd go get in a cop car and say it over the loudspeaker." she tells her. Then she's standing and smoothing out the dress she was wearing.

"Eh, some me don't really want to settle and I can't be mad. Guess he's dating a few people and if they are happy then I can't really be mad." she shrugs a bit. "And I've got way too much shit to deal with. So I'll gladly find someone after this is done. Maybe." she chuckles.

Then there's a look to Easton and a smile, "You're sweet, thank you." she murmurs. "But, I need to get things starting to wind down for the night and get some sleep for appointments in the morning. It was good to see you both and I hope that we can get sacrifices dealt with over the next few days." she admits.

Easton eyes Isabella and backs off in case she's actually that serious about it.

He nods to Minerva and finishes off his last drink before saying, "Well thank you though, it was very helpful."

Heading for the door he tells Isabella, "And plus side, I'm like eight percent sure I don't need to die for it to work, so I got that going for me."

Causing Minerva to laugh, though, seems to bolster her spirits - the sound of it makes her comedic turtling worth it, the archaeologist's eyes bright with her own reflected mirth. "I thought we have more in common than initially surmised," she tells the other woman with a grin.

"Sure thing, we'll vacate - and thank you again for letting us come and see you, I know you've got a lot on your plate." Isabella presses both hands on Easton's back, to push him lightly towards the door.

"Captain de la Vega says that he'd probably need a day's notice at least to bring Thomas Addington in protective custody, so once you figure out what the site requires for the exorcism, and where we should hold it, could you let me know?" she wonders, pausing at the woman's threshold. "I can pass it on to the others, also."

With that, she follows Easton, nodding at what he says. "I'm pretty sure eight percent is definitely not going to cut it with Bennie..." heard out in the hallway as the two of them leave.