2019-10-13 - Preparedness for Flu

Gabriel opens the door when Erin knocks, grinning a little bit when he sees her. "Hey, Erin. Come on in. " He is in some sweat pants and a University of California, San Fransisco t-shirt. He has some cop show on the TV in the living room. He looks ... tired. "I want to kiss you but not sure I should."

It hadn't taken her long to get over when driving the Maserati, but she had stopped by one of the diners and gotten a bowl of to-go Chicken Noodle Soup, gone by Redbox and got a couple of movies and sequels, some disinfectant wipes, Vicks, NyQuil, DayQuil, tissues and a small trash can with a box of scented bags. She knew the drill. First thing is the soup and Sprite which she offers. "I have another load to bring in if you'll leave the door open, I won't be long." She puts those things down on a table near the sofa before going back to her car. When she comes in again it's with a couple of plastic store bags of things. She uses her hip to close the door behind her. "You will, at some point during being sick, need all of this, but I hope you get over it quickly." The items are placed on or near the table by the sofa. "A kiss sounds nice, but I'm not sure you should either. Are you feeling okay?"

"Well, if you had it already, you're immune, right? So then you could kiss me." Gabe is wheeding a bit, even if he knows it may well not work. He then seems a little bowled over when she shows up with all of those bags of things. "Oh, man. You are a life saver, Erin. Now I'm really loaded up." Touched, even. He takes the soup to open it up and goes to get a spoon in the kitchen. "I'm okay. Just tired. I can already tell it's going to suck." A beat. "How are you?"

"If it works like that, maybe? But it's a different kind of flu and I can't afford two weeks of being home alone, dying. I can't take the chance." Erin looks apologetic, but there's something more in her eyes, an innate sadness that wasn't there before when he saw her last. And the ring from her right hand is gone, the one that she said was hers until it wasn't anymore. "I'll make sure you don't spend your sickness all alone. I brought the Lethal Weapons and the Die Hards. You can choose either or neither." She shoos him towards the couch. "Come on, Just lay down or eat your soup." The last question she doesn't answer.

"Die Hard. Best Christmas movie." Obviously. Gabe accepts the prodding and then goes to sit on the couch with his soup, digging in. "This is good. Thank you. Again. I really appreciate it. I have about a million questions for you, but I am not sure if you want to talk about it or just sit together and get to know each other better or more or whatever."

"I love both sets, Die Hard is great." Erin watches as he has a seat and she reaches into one of the bags, "Don't take offense, please, this is for you, not me." She gets Lysol out and sprays around the room for germs. The wipes can come later for the surfaces. And the remote. "You can ask me anything you like. I'll answer almost anything." The Lysol is placed on the table and she starts tugging the medicine out of the bags and arranging it so he could find it easier when it came time for each thing.

"I guess this is what I get for seeing a nurse. You're good at hygenie." But Gabe doesn't seem offended. He just watches her as she goes and sprays all over and wipes down his living room, chowing down on his soup. "So. What is up with that link you sent me? That serial killer you said you put to rest."

Erin stops mid placing down the Vicks. Her dark eyes meet his and she ever so gently places down the menthol rub on the table. "It's quite a story. A hundred years or more worth of story." The Nyquil is next and is placed down beside the other. "I could try and condense it for you? If you're sure you really want to hear it. It will take a very open mind though."

"I may not be from here," says Gabe, looking up from his chicken noodle soup to regard Erin carefully, as if not quite sure what to say. "But I know over the years there have been plenty of murders and other things that ... didn't quite add up." And he lists a few, even obscure ones, as if to prove it. "So. Try me out. My mind is pretty open."

Erin remains where she is, sort of kneeled down by the table unloading the bags instead of joining him on his couch. "William Gohl, also known as Billy Gohl is a serial killer from here a whole lifetime ago. When he was captured, he was put into a facility. It's a facility that cannot be found by normal means. It's in an alternate Gray Harbor. One across the veil. Except something went wrong. He possessed someone once he died and recently his bones were found and disturbed. Some people burned the ones they kept while others tried other ways of disposing of them. There was even a seance and one of the people conducting it had his throat slit, he was almost killed. During the time the bones had been taken from their resting place on the other side of the veil, there were several other murders. Rebecca Carr lost her sister. Hyacinth Addington lost her mother. Isabella Reede lost her mother. Others were attacked. Alexander Clayton almost died. The former coroner Penny lost her life. Penny's brother also. My parents were murdered and I almost lost my life. Then on the recent Friday the 13th, there was a string of recent deaths. The one in the Harbor, I've heard, the slit throat and all, is the only one that has the same look and feel of Billy Gohl." Erin hesitates a moment, not quite getting to the who of who was possessed.

"Shit. Penny." Gabe, of course, knew the coroner well. He was a homicide detective. She was the coroner. How could he not know her well? But he is just quiet, going through the motions of eating his soup, but locked onto the story that Erin tells. "God. So many people losing people. I can't even." Imagine. Erin among them. His hand reaches out for her, even though she is nowhere near him. For him or for her is unclear. "The Veil. That's like -- the thing. Between -- worlds." Gabe, it seems, doesn't know too much about the actual mechanics of magic just yet.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew." Erin watches him a moment and smiles as he reaches out his hand. "Penny was a good person. So many died." After a moment, she continues. "There was never a witness, even if someone was in the very same room watching it happen. Suddenly stabs and slices appeared on the person and no one was seen. Which led us to believe it was done with the special powers some possess. Eventually, we were led to Thomas. He is the one who was possessed by Gohl." And just in case he doesn't realize or make any connection. "My Great Uncle Thomas Addington."

"Yeah. Well. No one deserves to go like that. Especially Penny. But no one." Gabe squeezes Erin's hand, setting his soup aside so he can focus more directly on her. "Shit. So." Clearly, his head is spinning. Can he close these cases? Probably not. No. He shakes that off, looking at the Addington. "So that was the funeral? Like, an exorcism or something?"

Erin clasps his hand in return before she shakes her head, "The exorcism was two weeks ago. We had an exorcist and everything, but The. exorcist from inside the veil had other plans. As soon as we all 6 gathered, we were taken to the veil, the mental hospital where Gohl was. It's the hardest thing I ever did, but I entered inside him, not physically, of course, but a projection of myself, and I searched thoroughly until I found the binds that connected him with my Uncle Thomas. I severed them. That left Itzhak to box him and my cousin Hyacinth to control him mentally. Out in the hallway was the Captain and two others and they fought off those that would stop us. Once we had him boxed we showed back up at the police station. That same night, my uncle collapsed and was comatose until the funeral as far as I know. I don't know much, we all had a piece of Billy Gohl inside of us. We were all jumpy. Which explains my attitude on the beach the night we met." And there's more, but again she pauses.

Gabe, believe it or not, is able to keep his shit together during this story. And it is a pretty incredible story, truth be told. His eyes go wide, however, and he just watches her. He is glad he put his soup aside. He might be spilling it all over given how his hand shakes a little in hers. "God. Erin." He isn't quite sure what to say. "I mean. You're like me, I guess. But stronger. Way stronger." A pause. "I have some tricks. Like how I calmed you down when we met. Sometimes, I can see what happened with an object. It helps with cases. But this." This is next-league.

"I'm a healer. That's what I want to do with what I have. I can't read people's thoughts or anything. On the flip side of healing though, I could make fire and destroy. I can kill someone with a thought, should I want it. Or that's how it seems. It's really frightening at times." Erin cradles his hand gently, "When we spoke to The Exorcist, we were told when we buried him, we would have to make a sacrifice with him. That is where my ring went. It was so heartbreaking watching the others. It was so terribly sad. Everyone had a rough day. My Grandmother is very upset with me for following along. But we all did what we had to do."

When Erin says that she can kill a man with a thought, Gabe lets out a low whistle. "Shit," he says finally. "I mean, I can heal a small cut or something, but it's more a party trick than anything else." If, of course, he would be dumb enough to do it at a party. "But my tricks are mostly just with emotions and memories and electricity, weirdly." Gabe isn't quite sure what that has to do with the other two. His fingers squeeze more tightly, since they have said no to kissing. "I'm sorry, Erin. That's awful."

"Really that sounds mellowdramatic. I don't know that I could actually do it. I'd really have to concentrate, and then there's the actual follow through. I'm pretty certain I'd never be able to kill someone. Except maybe a Harlem Globetrotter." There's a twist of amusement on her lips but she doesn't explain it. Her phone makes a sound and she removes it from her pocket to check it. There are mixed emotions when she sees it and her expression alternately softens then looks a little lost. "Second," she tells Gabe before tapping out a response and holding her phone.

Gabriel gives Erin an odd look when she wishes death upon the Harlem Globetrotters. But he does not ask. It does not seem to be the sort of thing he would want to ask about. "Sure thing," he says when she needs to tap on her phone. After all, other things call. But when he observes her Look at it, he squeezes her hand, reassuringly.

Erin spends a few moments texting back and forth before she smiles just a touch. The phone is pocketed and she looks back to him. "Sorry about that. I meant the Globetrotters of the Veil, not this world. That's a whole other story."

"There are Harlem Globetrotters in the Veil?" asks Gabriel, not quite understand. But then before he gets too deep into it, he just holds up a hand. "You know what? I am not sure I want to know. At least not tonight." Because, let's be honest. Having to hear about the serial killer that possessed the girl-you're-seeing's relative and murdered a bunch of people is enough for one night. "I am ... exhausted, Erin. I should get to bed early. But I really appreciate you coming by. And would invite you to stay if we weren't afraid I'd get you sick."

"Just.. weird things are there. There could be anything." Erin smiles when he holds up his hand. "That's fine. Just expect anything." She stands then and smiles. "I was about to say I had to go too. I'm expecting company tonight. But I'll check up on you soon."