2019-09-19 - Interrogation Time!

There was a cat in the house! Isolde hadn't met it yet but she had heard it and was very, very curious to see it. But Luigi would certainly not react well to it being out in the open...and was likely being obstinate at just knowing the other animal is there! So instead of trying to play with the new cat, Isolde is stretched out on the couch, Fred as a pillow, working on putting things back on her new phone. She was a little upset that her texts and such were lost but it was okay. Some things could be resent, or the memory at least was there.

Isolde was in a decidedly better mood than she was the other day, and not hungover! Which was a plus. Idly twittering back and forth with Luigi while she finalized things and then messed around with Google, searching for jobs and the like.

Alexander has given Isolde some time to recover from her hangover, leaving her without haranguing her or interrogating her. But now, he comes out of his bedroom, where the cat has been locked up, as well. He's been doing research at home today, so he's got a t-shirt and sweatpants on, and a fluffy white cat is trotting at his heels, looking up at him with large, blue eyes and going miaaaoooww miaaaaaoow in a conversational sort of way. "No," Alexander tells her, with a bit of amusement, "Luigi is not a toy."

You know who is NOT amused? Luigi. He shrieks at the appearance of the cat, and flies to Alexander's shoulder, sidling up so that he can give the man an urgent peck on the cheek. Like 'get that thing out of here'. Alexander winces at the pecks, and at the way the cat immediately turns to start climbing up his leg, and there's a flicker of power from his mind, embracing both animals. Who...immediately calm down and start ignoring each other. He reaches down to disentangle the cat's claws from his sweatpants, then heads over to the couch. He smiles down at Isolde. "Mind if I join you?"

Isolde lifts her gaze from her phone when she hears Alexander's door open - glimpsing the kitty and grinning a touch. Until Luigi is shrieking and going over to tell Alexander how it is! She props herself up to get a better view, laughing. "You're like Dr. Dolittle." Then she shifts a bit more, curling up so there's proper room on the couch when Alexander comes over. "Sure." It was his couch anyhow! "How is your research?"

"Dr. Doolittle?" Alexander snorts. "Amateur." He grins back at her, briefly, and takes the seat she cleared for him. And just as quickly, his lap is full of white cat, although it peers with interest over towards Isolde. He strokes the cat between the ears, and says, "Isolde, meet Blue Bell. She used to be," a hesitation, "she was with Violet. I don't think you ever met Violet, but she was - is - a friend of mine." He smiles, a bit sadly, then moves on, nodding to the phone. "How's that working out for you?"

Isolde leaned forward a little as the cat jumps into Alexander's lap. "Hello pretty kitty." She cooed and would carefully reach out to scritch her if Blue Bell allowed. She gave Alexander a sympathetic smile. "I don't think I did. Still no news?" She asked softly, then looked down at her own phone, exhaling. "It's fine. Can you send me the frog pictures again soon?" Sliding the phone back into her pocket and relaxing back on the couch. She was mostly just happy that her fit of rage hadn't left even a little dent in the wall.

Blue Bell allows. In fact, Blue Bell headbutts the offered hand after a couple of cautious sniffs and leans into the touch with a blissful expression. Alexander grimaces. "News, of a sort. Blue Bell told me that they went Over There through a door that opened up. I think Violet heard something from her sister. It's unlikely that I'll be able to find her - I've never known anyone to really come back from there. But...we'll see." Alexander sighs. "Anyway. That's a problem, but not urgent, at this point." He studies her. "So." A pause. "Not to try and be...pushy or intrusive, Isolde, but you seemed to have had something happen."

Isolde is more than happy to give Blue Bell all the scritches she wants as she listens to Alexander. A soft frown. "I hope she returns." Or at least somehow manages to not die in the Otherside. Then Alexander is asking about everything. The frown stays for just a minute and she looks down at Blue Bell. "I called my parents. I shouldn't have. It was not a good thing." She finally looks back up at Alexander. Already knowing his follow up question would likely be along the lines of 'Why? What happened?

"It's like they don't remember me Alexander. They said they had two kids. Twins. And none of their names were my name. Why don't they remember me? Am I not real? I'm real, right?" Isolde asked, ceasing her petting, looking a little distressed at the notion of not being real.

Alexander reaches out when she asks if she's real, and takes her hand in both of his own. He holds it between his, smiling at her, squeezing it gently. "You're real. I believe that, Isolde. You're real." There's no doubt in him. "No wonder you were so upset, though. I can't imagine what I'd break if my parents didn't remember me, but I probably wouldn't stop with a phone." He sighs. "It could be a lot of things. It's hard to tell over the phone. Do you want me to look into it? I can check newspaper archives, find birth notices, maybe missing flyers when you left. I can even make my way up to Seattle for a day or two and see exactly what's going on." His voice is bland as he makes the offer, perhaps hoping she doesn't think too hard about what he means by that.

Isolde looks down as Alexander takes her hand, a little surprised maybe, but his words do reassure her. A little bit at least. "If...I approached it different. Maybe more things would be broken." She admitted. "I...was posing. As a census person. I didn't actually. Tell them who I was or nothin'..." Maybe if she had things would have gone different but that was...well, Isolde hadn't been ready to do that. And now she didn't know if she'd ever be ready to try that again.

"Thank you Alexander." She gives him a little smile but then shakes her head. "No...no. I don't...they're better off. Without me. It's safe. Without me." Isolde murmurs. "I know I left...I just. Wanted to talk to them before I started trying to get my papers and stuff."

"Isolde..." Alexander stops himself from saying what he wants to, studying her. He squeezes her hand one more time, then lets it go, gently. "All right. If that's what you want. But if you change your mind - I don't even have to talk to them, just to look up old records and things. Or I can talk to them, and just give you the high notes afterwards. Just so you know." He sits back, then, sighs, and reaches up to scritch Luigi on his shoulder while the cat kneads his thigh with tiny little knives. "But it's fine. I was worried, and Itzhak was worried, but you've got as much right to go on a bender as any of the rest of us." A brief little smile. "Did you enjoy it?"

"If I change my mind, I'll let you know." Isolde assured him. She likely wouldn't. The last thing Isolde wanted was for Alexander to go digging and turn up things she didn't want to know. She'd had her fill of bad things for a few days or so at least. Isolde blushed a little at the mention of the bender. "Uh. Yeah. I ended up under the Boardwalk after all." She laughed. "With a pretty witch. She can do what we do. I told her I'd help and maybe other people couldn't help. Like you or Itzhak or others maybe. I didn't name names yet. Her name is Cameron."

Alexander arches an eyebrow. "Ended up with a pretty witch under the Boardwalk, hmm? Well. I suppose that's harmless enough. And sure. I don't mind meeting her one day, if that's what she wants. I doubt Itzhak would, either, but I won't answer for him." Alexander teases Luigi with light taps on the beak until the conure's head is bobbing and he starts making excited little grumble sounds. Blue Bell looks up around, her ears twitching, and he hastily settles another hand on her back. "Luigis aren't food," he reminds her, "or toys." The flick of her tail seems to doubt it but she settles.

"Are you feeling better? Afterwards, and now that the hangover has gone away?"

Harmless. Yes. She didn't remember much, but the pictures on Cameron's phone were proof enough. They had been anything but harmless the other night. Painting the town various shades of red...and probably some blue and purple. Whatever. That was totally their little secret. "I think he would like her, yes. You both would. Perhaps." Isolde nodded and smiled again. "I am feeling better. More or less. Especially now that there's no head pounding.

"Your hands are full. With those two." Isolde smirked a little bit. "Maybe they will become friends. Eventually. Like in Secret Life of Pets!" Because of course she's caught that on TV at least once.

Alexander chuckles. "Good. I'm glad." At the mention of becoming friends, he looks...well, a little dubious. Like maybe an animated film isn't the best possible guide to how animals coexist in the same home together. Still, after a moment of studying her, then the purring cat in his lap, and the chuckling conure on his shoulder, he sighs. "We can hope. I can't abandon Blue Bell. She's decided she's staying," he says, voice rueful and dry. "So I guess she is." He just doesn't have the heart to send her to live somewhere else when she's radiating happiness at him.

"Fingers crossed!" Isolde says rather cheerfully, taking her phone out again and snapping a quick picture of Alexander covered in pets. Then showed it to him. "Cute!" She takes the phone back, totally not sending it to everyone in her contacts. Totally. Not.

"At least it is a cat and a not a frog. Luigi would definitely eat the frog. It is harder to eat a cat...and harder for the cat to get him...like Tweety and Sylvester!" Isolde is full of cartoon references today apparently.

Alexander doesn't protest the picture being taken - she's too quick for him, anyway! But he does take out his own phone from the pocket of the sweats and say, "Give me your new number? I'll send you your frog pictures back. And I don't know if Luigi could eat a whole frog, but I'm afraid I've already offended him deeply as it is, so he'd probably try." He lowers his voice. "Honestly? I'm more worried about Luigi than Blue Bell. He's a /schemer/. A veritable mastermind." A grin flashes out.

Then, in the next moment, as he checks his phone, he goes serious. "Oh. I should warn you. I'm looking into a couple of the recent murders, and I think they're tied to organized crime. I hope it won't happen, but I can't guarantee there won't be consequences. If anyone hassles you, just get away from them as quickly as possible. Don't go anywhere they tell you, and head for someplace public. Off Elm, if possible."

Isolde sends Alexander a text message with her new number before she puts her phone away. "There you go!" Then looks to Luigi with a thoughtful noise. "He is very sneaky." She agreed in a conspiratorial whisper. Then settled back again as Alexander went on about the murders. "Okay. I will do that. You be safe as you can too." So many bad things. They'll need to start calling it Bad Harbor soon.

"Thanks," Alexander says. He checks his phone, updates the contact information, and then starts sending her frog pictures, until she has them all back. Then he puts his phone away, and nods. "I'll try. I'm actually getting paid for once, though, so I want to give value for the money, you know?" A slow breath out. "And I don't like it when people die. So trying to stop it, or at least figure out what causes it...that'll be good. I'll feel better." A flash of a smile. He gently shoos the cat down, and rises to his feet. "Next time, Isolde, when you're feeling like breaking things and going on a bender or something, give me or Itzhak a call, first? Just so we can make sure we know what's going on, in case you don't meet a pretty witch, but someone less pleasant?"

"Money is good. You are a good detective! So I know you will do a good job." As he starts standing up Isolde shifts and wiggles a little again so she can stretch back out once he's on his feet. Looking a little sheepish, she nods. "I will call. I promise." And she will, but she doesn't break her promises! Isolde knows full well she got lucky running into Cameron and not getting into another bar fight, or worse. "Thanks for sending the frog pictures!"