2019-11-22 - Information Exchange

They are both very busy people as of late, with Byron's business and the deadline for Isabella's thesis fast approaching, but somehow, they manage to set aside some time for coffee to catch up, and the woman offers to bring coffee and pastries to the entrepreneur's penthouse so he can be closer to his home office.

After checking in with Frank, the brunette makes her way up to the elevators leading into the penthouse floor, where she proceeds to walk briskly to the doors that lead into Byron's suite. There is a white box from Vydal's Patisserie clutched in her grip, and an eggcrate laden with two cups of coffee from Espresso Yourself, both made to their respective specifications. A quick knock heralds her arrival and once the door opens, or if the man of the house tells her to enter, she's there, looking a hundred times better than the last time Byron had seen her; no longer in a pair of My Little Pony pajamas and a tank-top, at least, she's clad in fitted jeans tucked into knee-high boots, a ruffled top and a black leather jacket that's seen plenty of action overseas. Her dark hair is pulled up in its usual careless twist, and Isidore's pendant swings gently from its ice-cold chain around her neck.

"Coffee break," she tells Byron with a smile whenever she sees him, wiggling the eggcrate towards him. "And some assorted danishes. What part of the world did you decide to take over, this time?"

Byron had just returned from meeting up with Tobin for the day and then doing some grocery shopping. In fact, much of his kitchen counter and island are covered in food prep stuff for tomorrow, Thanksgiving. Looks like he and Lilith are planning to get things ready overnight, so they can just pop the bird in the oven, among other things, early the next day. By now, Byron's already showered and changed out of his suit, so he's wandering around the place in a comfortable black sweater, some jeans and bared feet. His hair is still glistening, but not with hair product, but dampness from the shower.

Isabella's visit isn't a total surprise and he's glad to have the company before Lilith shows up. "I really could use the coffee. There are things to rinse and chop and slice in preparation for tomorrow." Once her hands are free of coffee and the goodies which are all set down on what little space there is left in the kitchen, he leans in to give her a hug. "Sorry that I didn't get a chance to check in with you after... that day." She knows which day. "I meant to but, a lot of things came up. Then the letter in the mail. Hell, I still need to speak to Rosencrantz and see if my car is ready to be picked up."

Opening up the pastry box, he takes out one of the delicious flaky sweets and with his coffee cup in hand, he gestures to the couch, "Have a sit. Relax. Don't worry about the mess. It's going to be a busy night."

The hug is not unwelcome and is even appreciated - Isabella isn't the most demonstrative when it comes to affection, and these days such physical overtures are largely drawn out of her when she's attempting to dispense comfort. Byron, however, is on the short list of those with whom she feels comfortable in not just being in the receiving end of them, but giving them as well. History is in the way she embraces him back, arms coming around him once the eggcrate and pastry box are set down and gives him a warm squeeze, and when she pulls back to look at him, those green-gold eyes reflect the sentiment.

"I got you an extra shot of espresso, I figured we could both use it," she tells him, waving a hand to the side and digging into the box she brought to retrieve a fruit-and-cheese danish on a napkin, following her friend to the couch. "And don't even worry about it - you were there for the big stuff and a woman always appreciates that." She winks at him there, mischief playing over the curve of her mouth; it isn't every day someone talks down a dragon for the sake of a friend. "After that entire debacle with the Church, you should basically get a pass for the next three years. My only regret was that you had to see me in the state I was in." She, too, is a prideful creature.

A glance to his kitchen where so many groceries are out for prep. "It definitely looks like you and Lil are about to do holiday battle, though. She mentioned the two of you were having dinner with your mom? Alexander invited me to meet his parents for Thanksgiving." Is she low-key freaking out? No.

...yes.

Easing into a seat near him whenever they settle, a quick drink from her coffee cup has her attention gravitating towards Byron in full. "How have you been, Ronnie? How's work?" She means Bayside, in so many words.

With the pastry clasped between his lips, the box of of sweets in one hand with coffee in the other, Byron takes up a space on the couch to settle down in, leaning forward to set the box of pastry down proper on the empty coffee table, freeing up the rest of the kitchen space for prep work. Taking a bite out of said pastry, he chases the delicate sweetness down with some much needed coffee. "Thanks. Always thinking about what's best for me." He says with a laugh as he straightens up in his seat.

"I'm just glad that we found you. I don't know if I'd say that we found you in time but, at least before things got worse." A few things come to mind now. "Did Clayton find out more about this Peregrine? I mean, whoever it is, why did he target you?" He goes on to add to further explain his concern, "Lilith was drawn away too. Around that same time almost." Just a bit earlier, "I'd say the darkness was acting up, but if these are unrelated cases-- unless this is all the Dark Men's doing." Dark eyes flicker over towards Isabella to study her in silence for a time.

Another bite from his pastry, feeling the flaky crust practically melt in his mouth as he half-turns to take in that well-placed and orderly groceries set out on the table. "We're going to try. This is the first time that either of us will be putting together a Thanksgiving Dinner-- without being the assistant. Though I'm sure at this rate, we'll both be considered assistants because we're both of a similar skill set, I'm sure. But my mother might be stopping by some time tonight. Out of the three of us, she's the true cook." Byron knows how to cook, but this is a huge task and an interesting challenge. "I might have her just oversee us working, but she'll get all judgmental about it."

He then blinks at the news, "Meeting his parents? Interesting." Another sip of coffee follows, "I didn't realize that things progressed that far." There's this mirthful smile on his lips. He's teasing. "Tell Coach Clayton and his wife I said 'Hi'." That only leaves her final inquiry for now. "The start of some lawsuits against the building have come in. Not as many as I figured, but with the summer tenants having left, a few of them wanted me to know just how dissatisfied they are about my unwillingness?" He thinks with this thoughtful look, "No, in ability to protect them during the summer massacre. I have a new lawyer working on that to head lessen the blow."

"I try," Isabella says with a laugh, taking another drink of her coffee. "I think Lil was right on the money when we were talking while bedridden with the Veil-flu, that neither of us don't know how to stop working. I'm only going by what I know of us."

As the conversation gravitates to the Church, there's a nod and a frown. "Alexander wouldn't tell me too much of the details, and honestly, I didn't know how bad it was until I ran into Erin at Minerva's Paranormal Society meeting. She said something about how much it scared her. All I remember was being grabbed and the scent of the yellow flowers." Her voice takes on a faraway quality as she attempts to remember. "And him saying something to me while I was going under, but I've been trying to recall the specific words and I can't." A brief shake of her head. "Regardless, I haven't heard anything from Alexander about...Peregrine. Not since the day you, Tobin and he helped me." And after a long silence, she adds. "Javier did, though. Apparently he managed to retrieve CCTV footage from City Hall, and that was how I lost my pendant that lured me to the Church. He asked me if the man talked to me, so I'm assuming he was captured in those cameras. Also..." Her brows furrow. "Byron, Javier connected with him. I don't know how, just that he tried to look for him and he found him and they had a conversation, but he wouldn't tell me what they talked about, just that he managed to get under Javier's skin. He was tense when it came up."

She falls quiet as she thinks about Byron's hypothesis. "I wouldn't rule anything out, about the Dark Men," she says at last. "I heard and saw something about that last week, and a thing Easton told me about recently, too. And with the special invitations we got, if they started becoming more active, I wouldn't be surprised. We're getting into the Winter - Sid always said it was the most dangerous season here, for people like us."

Talk of Thanksgiving preparation is a welcome distraction, though, and there's an open smile. "I think that's sweet," she says agreeably. "The two of you preparing for the holidays together. How long has it been since the last time the two of you have done that? You and Lilith, I mean."

Regarding Thanksgiving at the Clayton house, she lifts her shoulders in a shrug, attempting to be casual about it, though the apprehensive/exhilarated fidget she makes on the couch betrays the facade. "Honestly, I was surprised when he asked," she admits. "But it was nice that he extended the invitation. I haven't seen Coach Clayton in ages, but I'll pass on your regards." There's a grimace, however, at the news about the lawsuits. "I've been working with the environmental group that's been retained as consultants for the Foster v. Pursley case, and they're in touch with the plaintiff's lawyers - if your new lawyer doesn't pan out and if you need a referral, I can ask around. Who did you put on retainer?"

Learning that Alexander was withholding details about the state in which they found Isabella from her, Byron can only nod. He still has vivid images of that day burned into his mind, after all. There were some things that you can't just forget. Then she says something that piques his interest, asking only after taking another sip from his cup. "How'd the meeting go?" He's talking about the Paranormal Society. "There were rumors going around that a.. crazy person showed up there?" Here, he licks at his lips, tasting that coffee flavor, "So I've heard anyway."

He then can't help but blink at what Reede says nothing. At first, he tries to recall who Javier is. He knows the name, but it's not something that he hears in use much. And never something he's ever used. "Captain de la Vega, you mean?" He then gets to the meat of his inquiry, "How did he..." There's this slight narrowing of his eyes when he says the next word, "connect with Peregrine? Were they in the same vicinity?" Telepathy is not something Byron uses at all, so he's not familiar with the ranges and he knows for a fact that for their other abilities, that very range had become smaller. "I'll assume that the Captain doesn't believe this to be an open case, so that he'll be more forthcoming with questions regarding it?" Knowing Ruiz, he somehow has doubts.

The next question is something he has to consider, "I don't really know. Sometimes we might help Mrs. G. prepare holiday meals for the neighborhood kids, but more often than not, those are already done by the time we show up. Anything else, would have been just for play." Make believe...

Talks of lawyers, has him passing along this info, "Her name is Katherine Kennedy. She seems competent, but this is the first time that I'll be working with her." Hearing about the Foster v. Pursley thing, he has to ask, "How is that going? If I'm going to be honest, I'm all for having a casino in town. It might bring in more high roller tenants and their families. Tobin and I were discussing this just earlier."

"That's one of the reasons why I came today so I could tell you what happened." Isabella's frown becomes even more prominent. "A man broke into the meeting claiming to have escaped from the Asylum. He was there to beg Minerva to bring him back to that place - I'm assuming it's because she's also a psychologist. His name was Steve, though I didn't get a name other than that. He also claimed that he was released by Alice and Megan. I believe Alice is Alice Whitehouse, the twin sister of Alexander's friend...he mentioned going to the house she shared with her doctor boyfriend and finding indications that Alice may be doing things with Them. And Alexander told me that this Megan might be part of the actors' troupe that came by a few months ago trying to sacrifice people to Them. Anyway, according to Steve, who did not look at all stable, Alice and Megan didn't just release him from the Asylum, they also forced him to open other doors, and that so many were out now. I don't know what that means, whether more Asylum inhabitants have been released...or something else."

Her fingers drum absently on her cup. "Easton said that one of the doctors who treated Alexander showed up at Two If By Sea and gave him a key his uncle used to own. He had it read - he says that Doctor Marshall used it in different locations to access his office in the Asylum. Now it's just a question of looking for the door. I think Alexander's going to talk to the doctor to see if he can obtain more information on that front."

After a nibble on her danish, she turns her attention back to the Peregrine matter. "I'm not sure, the Captain didn't say...just that he managed to breach his mind because he was actively looking for him. Presumably he was and it occurred by chance during the attempt - maybe stars just aligned that day." Or something else, says her expression, looking faintly apprehensive. "And I don't know. Frankly I'm worried that this is something that he's decided to take on by himself, and from what Alexander has described to me, I don't know if it's a good idea to take on the guy solo, especially if he's right in that he's working for Them, or is allied with Them in some way. So I'm passing on the information to him and you, just in case." Alexander, because he's Ruiz's close (?) friend, and Byron, because he's hers.

Still, when the conversation shifts to the lawyers, she blinks. "A Kennedy, huh? Any relation to the Bostonian Kennedys?" If she was, she wouldn't be surprised that Byron would find one in Gray Harbor, a teasing bent to her smile - though it wavers slightly when Byron professes his support for the casino. But she isn't surprised there, either, given the investor's interests. "It might, but it's a confusing case and I don't know how much of it makes sense. I know Alexander's looking into it and he's been careful to keep me insulated from plenty of the details because he doesn't think I should be anywhere remotely close to organized crime." While he takes on the same risk, her aggravated expression says. "Which is honestly seeming that way. Because of my work with the group, I managed to find out that the Krugers were slated to testify against Foster and the Casino, something about what they witnessed during its construction - but that's what's weird about it, Ronnie. According to Alexander, the Sea View has no view of the Casino, and as hotel owners, it would have been good for their business, so it doesn't make sense that they would be against it. So what exactly did they see that got them killed?"

She swallows more coffee, before she continues. "I didn't know anything about Foster when I got involved with the group, so I asked a friend with deep ties in the Quinault community to ask about him. He did it for me as a favor, apparently it's an open secret that Foster traffics prescription drugs in the Res, so the possibility that he's positioning the Casino as a drug distribution hub is there."

Byron knows little about the Asylum, aside from what they've been told, mostly from Vivian and then later through the Addingtons when they were planning to commit Thomas there. He'll nod slowly when Alice Whitehouse is mentioned. He knows of the Whitehouses. Talk about crazy. When Megan is mentioned, he's heard the name, even if he barely knew what she looked like when they, as a group, slaughtered her friends. "Was Megan committed there too? Or just working?"

There's this lift of a brow now, looking either skeptical or thoughtful -- most likely both-- when Isabella brings up this person with a key. "So.. some random doctor at the hospital was in possession of a key that Marshall's uncle owned? If that doesn't already sound suspect. Like she's a plant passing along info." Finishing up his pastry, he takes another sip of coffee. "How does this person know Marshall? They attached to the Asylum too?" Even more suspect! Dusting off his hands after he sets his cup down, he resettles back against the couch. "The only entryway I know of is the one office that Vivian visited at the Hospital. Violet Whitehouse's boyfriend's office." Yes, he knows that they are missing. Or at least Violet, but he'll just assume the other guy is too.

However, this news that some of the other Asylum inhabitants are free, has him asking, "So does this mean that some of our missing will be returned to town?" He, personally, doesn't know how the Aslyum works. For all he knows, Isidore and Mrs. Gilford were trapped there. "That's good news isn't it? I mean, from what it seemed like, Thomas Addington didn't want to be there, so I'll assume, aside from this psycho," The guy who interrupted the meeting, "That most people wouldn't want to be institutionalized there? And now they're free." He makes no comment about who they might be working for, assuming that it was like opening up all the kennels and letting the trapped animals being experimented on, go free.

The Peregrine stuff has him mulling a few things over, thinking on what Isabella relays to him. "I don't know what I can personally do to help the Captain, especially if he's not forthcoming with information." Byron will start with, "I'll inquire still, but I won't press him for anything. Just let him know that we don't need this Peregrine running around and if he's not sure he can take the guy on alone, just know he'll have backup." He only really has a working relationship with Ruiz and if it was't for Isabella's involvement, he really wouldn't care.

There's a quirk to his lips. "I looked into her background, but I didn't delve that deeply. I believe that she is from the East Coast. The New England area for the most part." Though when he's told that Alexander is prying into this case, there's a subtle look of curiosity on his face. "Is this because the security team that Foster hires is in some way related to whatever it is he's looking into? " He specifically told Alexander that he didn't care for details of this mundane crime. He has his reasons, especially with his underworld ties, that he isn't about to poke his nose in any of that business. But now it's brought up again. "My Apartments have a wonderful view of the casino, especially for Building A," The one he resides in, "The tenants in the upper floors. It's actually quite an impressive sight from up here." In fact, he rises to stand, then gestures for her to follow, as he leads the way out onto the rooftop terrace so that they can both see where the Grand Olympic Casino is situated. Besides the cold chill, the dark sky is clear, so the view is truly lovely from up here. Leaning against the terrace railing, his eyes observe the casino idly, before glancing off into the far distance at the ocean.

"Most business of that nature are attached to organized crime, so I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, rumors have it," He'll say that much, not incriminating the Firefly Club, but it's no real secret, "That even a small town such as this has our share of organized crime. I am curious if it's one in the same," He doesn't say 'working together' but that's what he means. "Or two completely different monsters, which I, personally, find amusing." He knows full well that Monaghan doesn't like it when new blood intrudes on his business. This was Monaghan's concern regarding his Festival. Turning to face Isabella, now resting his back against the rail, he inquires, "Is it known yet who did the killing?" Yes, Byron hasn't been updated at all about this. "Besides the assumption that some security team," Bull Dog, he's just being vague, "might have." There's this light tilt of his head now and he thinks on this, "I mean, I figure whatever they found, has to do with something illegal right? But really, they should've just gotten the police involved," A pause, "I mean, if you can find one that isn't on the take." And he smiles at this part.

"No idea. I know Alice was a patient there at one time but apparently, she could have escaped. The vision Alexander had involving her..." Isabella pauses, frowning visibly. "...he said it was full of death, and hate. Regarding Megan, herself? All I know was that she's a powerful reader who was part of the troupe, and that she was a survivor of Heaven's Gate. We were only five or six by the time that happened, but that's the cult that had that infamous mass suicide. Alexander was in high school when it came out in the news." She taps her finger gently on her coffee cup. "The troupe managed to craft a Dream among themselves to lure potential sacrifices in and we're a little fuzzy as to whether that means people like us can create Dreams, or if it's a power drawn from Them. If we can somehow find proof that we can do that, maybe we can track down the methodology and use it to our advantage."

As always the entrepreneur is of a pragmatic mind; the archaeologist nods at his suspicions. "Her name's Doctor Hailey Stevenson," she tells him. "And apparently she became a doctor because of a scholarship established by Easton's uncle, and she ended up working for him in the Asylum. I don't know on what capacity, but she gave me a flu shot when I was in the hospital last, so she might be a general practitioner and probably not a mental health professional. Easton doesn't trust her as far as he can throw her, and I guess she pissed him off when she visited to drop off the Key. And yeah, that entryway..." She purses her lips. "But I don't think Vivian has the ability to open Doors to the other side, so whatever she experienced in the hospital, it's probably most likely a Dream, and those can occur anywhere. And if there is a delineation between spaces in a Dream and actual physical spaces in the Veil, we're interested in the latter, not the former, so chances are we have to look for an actual physical door to stick the Key in to access Easton's uncle's office."

Her expression softens about the missing, looking down at her cup. "I honestly don't know, Ronnie. Steve was unstable when he barged in the meeting, raving about how all of us are food and how it's dangerous here. He mentioned opening doors, but he never said who or what are free. Could be patients, but it could be other things too."

The entrepreneur's opinions on Peregrine are sound. "Javier's not forthcoming about a lot of things," she confesses delicately. "But I'm largely telling you because you're my friend." She winks at him at that. "I trust we'll probably have to rely on Alexander to badger him into submission, now that he knows about the CCTV footage. I also asked him to give Javier a week - give him time to tell someone on his own. I doubt it's going to happen, so I took steps. Javier might not be willing to share information, but if Alexander gets it out of him, I'm relatively certain Alexander's willing, at least."

The fact that Katherine Kennedy is from New England has her laughing. "So a good chance that she might be part of the clan, then," she tells him gamely, though at the gesture, she rises from her seat and follows him easily towards the terrace. She still has her jacket on, having forgotten to remove it - so she is well prepared for the weather outside once they find open air. There's an appreciative glance - she hates the fact that the Casino is there, for environmental reasons, but she can understand the appeal of the view that Byron shows her. "Even without it, you still have the best view in the city," she tells him, letting her coffee cup warm her fingers when they arrive. A curious glance, though, is angled towards Byron. "Wait, what security team?"

As Byron leans on the rail, she does the same, though she's facing the ocean while Byron keeps his back to it; as usual, she unerringly turns towards the water wherever she is, as if intimately attuned to the Pacific - she may be Baxter blooded, but she carries the Reede name, and all Reedes Dream of water. She keeps a companionable distance to her friend's much taller form. "Anyway, I have no idea whether they have any other suspects other than Foster." They meaning the police. "I know the detectives are under considerable amounts of pressure from the ADA to solve it, though." She tilts her head to meet Byron's eyes. "But if there's competition there, that just means opening the city up to a turf war on top of everything else." She pauses, furrowing her brows. "When I was at the City Hall meeting about it, Bobby DeWitt was there, so if anything, Felix Monaghan's definitely keeping an eye on what's going on with the Casino. But yeah, whatever the Krugers were going to testify about, it's probably illegal - that's a good question though, B." There's a faint smile there. "If it was illegal, why didn't they just go to the police? I mean, I guess they could've just been scared, but they can't have been too scared if they were willing to testify in court."

"I didn't think the theater troupe looked that old." Byron states, though he's only really seen them from afar and in the middle of combat. But when told it was a crazy cult that was around when they were five or six? "And if the Troupe conjured up a Dream, then they must be empowered by Them, right? Maybe if you work with Them, you gain new abilities or simply get stronger." There's a rub of his chin now, feeling the soft bristles there, "But then again, they got their ass whooped by us and many of us were new to... that at the time. Somewhat anyway."

There's a slow shake of his head, his lips parting, but they quickly close. "I barely know what Vivian can do, but then I can't tell who is a Mender and who does TK until I see them in action. And from what little I can gauge from her, I think Vivian is like me. And Clayton." He then reminds, "But we're able to go to the Veil's version of City Hall and that's partially because we made an appointment-- And Vivian had an appointment, not with Violet's boyfriend, though in our world she did. I think Doctor Marshall believed she has an appointment with him too. So there is that. He was waiting for her. Expecting her."

The thing with Peregrine is listened to and while he's not content about the whole thing, he seems satisfied that Alexander might try to poke the gruff police Captain. "If something comes of it, then I might just ask Clayton about it rather than de la Vega."

Now with the cool air chilling his skin, he's practically basking in it for the time being. The Apartments were some of the tallest, if not /the/ tallest buildings within town with its ten stories. So the air up here can get very cold during winter. When she asks of the security team, Byron says, his coffee still in hand, something that actually helps keep him warm. "Clayton asked to look at my security footage some time back. Before my Seattle trip. Like right before. He'd heard from a homeless drug addict," He makes sure to add this much, "that one of my cameras may have captured something or other. Well, Clayton probably took note of the cameras on the building after the homeless guy pointed him in the right direction. Supposedly, it was of a security team parked just outside of my apartment complex for several minutes. Not one of mine." Not his security team. "Looks like the car may have been driving towards the motel, but Bayside is a very long stretch of road."

"Turf war or they're really one in the same." Byron says before taking another drink of coffee. "And of course Monaghan's lawyer would be interested. It's either 1. Competition, which would then mean a possible Turf War. 2. He has an interest in the Casino the same way I do and would like to know how it's progressing among other things. Or 3. He wants to know everything going on, because the Casino is, in part, his business as well. "

The last question, has him adding, "Greed? But then they would've tried to blackmail Foster rather than take them to court. It's a bit fishy."

After all of that, he remembers something, "Before I forget, remember when I told you that one of my tenants wrote a book about New England folklore? Well, I inquired with him about the Weber family, seeing that they are from New England. Possibly fled from there. Either way, they never came up during his research." A pause as he reaches into his pocket for his phone to retrieve a certain email, "While there were no Weber family witches, he did write about the Walton family that were purported to be witches. Interestingly enough, they were chased out of town and fled to Canada. The family who accused them of being witches was a powerful one within the community and the Waltons fled for their lives." He looks up from his phone to peer out at Isabella, "Sounds rather familiar doesn't it?"

"Must be," Isabella murmurs - she seems to agree with Byron in that. "If the creation of Dreams is ability-based, I theorized to Alexander that would probably, maybe require being an advanced user of all three Aspects that we know of. But he doesn't think it is - that Dreams are just spaces highly susceptible to the psychic influence of people like us, which would explain why we can so easily see in them the things that get to us that no one else would know unless we were open about them, because we just automatically fill in the blanks with our memories and issues. So if he's right, then I think creating a Dream would require an ability that enables a person to construct such a space...and I haven't come across anyone like that."

There is relief on her features there when Byron reminds her that the group managed to kick the actors' ass. "Apparently two people who used to be members of that troupe are here in town, looking for the original crew, ostensibly for revenge because Megan and her comrades fed their friend to Veil monsters. Duncan and Madeline, they live in some kind of trailer. He's a playwright, she's an actress. They tried to kill Alexander with marbles, but he likes them anyway."

Byron's reminder of Vivian's appointment has her falling in contemplative silence, chewing on her bottom lip. "So far, we haven't been able to go to Veil City Hall unless we have an appointment." She drums her fingers on her coffee cup. "Maybe setting one enables us who aren't strong enough movers to enter depending on the whims of the person on the other side, and not just that but to also control where we end up, so it's not really us dictating the parameters of the visit, but them. If that's the case, that would explain why we would need a Key to gain access to Doctor Marshall's office without having to wait for him to invite us there. That's a good point, Ronnie." As always, his eye for detail is on point. There's a very appreciative grin cast his way.

His news about his security camera footage has her brows lifting towards her hairline. "Timestamped on the day the Krugers were killed? That's interesting. Alexander's probably handed all of that to the police already, though if he had..." She furrows her brows. "A detective assigned to the case told me they were pursuing every lead, but he seemed worried when I talked to him last, like there's too little leads as opposed to too much. So I don't know what came out of your security footage - Alexander would probably know." Her smile tilts upwards ruefully. "It's his case, though."

A turf war, or one and the same. "An alliance, maybe?" she wonders with an open grimace. "Bad enough that the Casino will probably destroy some egregiously delicate ecological elements unique to this area if it was allowed to operate, but that'll only mean more crime and this city's dangerous enough. I know the Chairwoman of the Society is not a fan. She's determined to make Mayor Addington's life a difficult one if it's allowed to operate." His observations about the entire thing being fishy earns him a nod of agreement. "Extremely fishy." A flash of a quick grin, white and brilliant in the dark. She saw what you did there, Byron!

The warmth of her coffee is welcome when she takes a sip of it, feeling it hit her stomach and give her an added, comfortable respite against the cold. "Yes. Dante Taylor, the writer," she identifies, before falling silent. The significant dark-eyed look cast her way by her friend has her furrowing her brows. "Extremely familiar," she murmurs. "Certainly draws parallels to a specific family feud around these parts." Thoughtfully, she adds: "I keep going back to the photograph wondering whether what was captured was actually a witch burning, or something else. Maybe the pyres weren't meant for the women in the picture, it's not like they were strapped in them, they were just standing there with my great-great-great-great grandfather presiding, so how would we really know? Thanks, Ronnie - this gives me something to think about."

She exhales, lifting a warm hand to press into a cold cheek. "Someone told me that there are no real records of Gray Harbor before the Baxters came and even then, we don't know much about the Baxters," she remarks quietly. "So why this place is the way it is is still a mystery, but I think she's right, with what she told me - if we're going to keep digging into the bones of this city, we won't find the answers here. We'll find them on the other side. I think once things have settled down further, we'll probably circle back to that. Apparently the book that Alexander sacrificed in Gohl's burial was what clued him in on the Baxter mystery, and that book was given to him by Violet Whitehouse. So whatever is going on with the Asylum might be related to the thing that started the three of us in this path."

Byron has no further insight on who can create a Dream, but he will say, "I don't know where anyone would find this information-- Besides City Hall, of course." And he has to roll his eyes here. He's had enough of that place. At the least on the Veil side. Though when she brings up this Duncan and Maddie, he nods, recognizing the names, "Yeah, Clayton mentioned them to me. Well, told me be careful of them and to pass it on. But that was a long while ago." Though there's this crease in his brow at the idea that they tried to kill Alexander-- with marbles. "And... he likes them? I'm not surprised, but I'd never take that kind of thing lightly."

It is getting a bit cold even with the coffee, so he's content enough to lead the way back inside and perhaps close those French doors for warmth. "I mean, how would one make an appointment with Marshall or the Asylum." He tries to think on this. "Vivian was there to see Violet's boyfriend." He then looks to Isabella, "I'll assume that neither you nor Clayton believe Violet to be in the Asylum? That that is where she'd disappeared to? Anyway, how would one make an appointment to get back there. It almost seems like you just needed to think about it, to get one. Or that's how it worked with us, didn't it? I mean, besides us trying our hardest the first time around without... without them needing something from us. Once we had something they wanted, then they contacted us. What would the Asylum want?"

He makes sure to bring up, "de la Vega caught wind that I had the footage on me. I had Frank send it over to him as I was already on my way out of town. So de la Vega has that video. If they are stuck in a rut now? It's not for lack of what I had to offer."

There's this curiosity in his eyes now when asks, "And why would Miss Robbins not be a fan of the Casino? Is it because it's not historical enough? Would she rather it be on some old school ferry rather than the state-of-the art design that it is currently. And believe me, it does have a nice classical aesthetic to it. Some of the architecture anyway." A pause now. Without more to add about the Waltons, he now asks. "It's safe to say that Clayton made a copy of the information found in the book he sacrificed?"

"All good questions," Isabella tells Byron, her voice quiet in her contemplation, but with the weather getting colder, she follows him towards the warmer confines of his penthouse, letting him close the doors as he wills. A hand tucks into the pocket of her leather jacket, still nursing her coffee, lips and hints of her teeth tugging at the plastic cover of her cup in thought. "Alexander's personally invested in Violet's fate," is what she elects to say to Byron, without divulging the whys - that was the investigator's story to tell. "All we both know was that she disappeared. She was trying to get to her sister, so any leads regarding her would be tied to the Asylum and like any good investigator, that's probably where he wants to start because that's the only solid lead he has. As for how to get back to the Veil City Hall..."

Tap-tap. "The first time we did it, I called incessantly until I received an answer, but now that the Archivist is at the very least aware of us...every time we brought a group there, it's either attached to your name, or my name, or Alexander's name, but outside of us three, I only know of one other who's made regular trips to Veil City Hall, and she's a mover just like me...probably a stronger one, so she might not even need an appointment to go. But I know for a fact that you can correspond with Veil City Hall in other ways. I got curious about the soup, so I sent a note to the Vivisectionist thanking her for it and asking about the experiments she mentioned in the Safeway flu dream. She, or her office, sent me a list of ongoing trials by e-mail."

Another thoughtful hum. "So we know that the Archivist, the Exorcist, the Vivisectionist and the Collector are tied to the Veil City Hall, somehow, but we don't have any solid idea as to whether the Asylum is connected to it because when Vivian was called in for her appointment, she was brought right into Doctor Marshall's office in the Asylum. It would be interesting, though, if there was a connection. It would mean that the Veil City Hall is a central hub of a kind for other operations that are occurring within the Veil."

The note about de la Vega and the footage has her nodding. "They were probably grateful for the help, B," she opines.

As to why Clarissa doesn't want the Casino there? "The criminal element, mostly," she tells Byron, answering definitively because of course she asked Clarissa. "She and I had a whole discussion about it. Largely she doesn't want it bringing more crime into the city, which you know it will. Her property values might also have something to do with it. That was Pursley's concern, also. He's made some large investments on the waterfront and he thinks the presence of the casino will devalue them. As for the information in the book? I think so. Alexander told me once that he keeps a database of sorts of interesting information about Gray Harbor, and he's a meticulous researcher. It's probably guaranteed that he'd have multiple copies of whatever relevant information he found in that book."

If only she knew what that database actually was. She has seen the locked door in Alexander's house, but has not put two-and-two together just yet.

Most of what Isabella tells him gets a slow nod between sips of coffee, but then he's reminded that she drank the Kool-a... the soup. She drank the soup! And here Byron tries not to look terribly annoyed even if he's staring at her with these far too dark eyes and a slightly creased brow. "That's why you find guinea pigs, Izzy. Never be the guinea pig. Who knows what would've happened or how bound you are now to the Veil. That was... reckless and thoughtless," He then adds, "And an Isabella Reede thing to do." He'll admit that. He had not touched his soup or the post-its. Though she brings up this ongoing trial deal and this is when one of his brows arches. "You are not taking part in some Veil trial, do you hear me? "

The mention of someone in City Hall who knows about the Veil gets this inquisitive look. He's a business man who dabbles in politics or, at the very least, getting City approval for his various ideas as well as obtaining legal documents and things of that nature, so he's been there often enough. "So who is she? This person at City Hall?" He then asks "And she has absolutely no idea how to get to the Asylum?" A thoughtful pause, "What if we wanted to commit someone to the asylum? Would some magical appointment be made? Will Doctor Marshall's corpse be waiting for us at his office because of this appointment?" His eyes narrow, "You sent a note to the Vivisectionist?"That's a mouthful to say. "How? Can we send a note to the Asylum as well?"

Now they are back to the Casino and he can't help but grin at Pursley's concerns. He knows full well of the man and while he's not in direct competition with other realtors and land owners, he does have some pride that the area he chose were three tall buildings on a cliff. The Casino wouldn't be blocking any of his views or at least not for the wealthiest of tenants. "Crime, visitors and tourists alike. Tobin was saying how things tend to slow down for his own business and how he's only getting by. We were saying how the casino, very much like the festival I threw, would help to bring in new blood. People with money and possibly families. Families who might enjoy spending time on one of his boats... or renting one of my vacant units. People willing to spend money in our fine town." A pause, "Like in any good tourist hub, the police need to be on their toes, I mean, unless they prefer this town to be the shitshow that it currently is economically." He smiles broadly, "I'm just saying, I see potential in this."

One final thing comes to mind and here he finishes off his coffee, now holding the empty cup. "How was ladies night? When I picked her up, Lilith was wasted, so it must've been a success."

"I needed the data," Isabella murmurs, though there's a hint of a smile; one that's sheepish in its bent, because she knows why Byron looks annoyed. She reaches in her phone to dig out the e-mail sent to her, with the list of ongoing trials, and shows it to him. "We've experienced a lot of things. The Ring, which we now know used to be in the Collector's Collection before it disappeared, the Veil-Flu, which made us suffer debilitating effects and something else happened to me that I carried over from the Veil and through here. But what they all had in common was that they were all temporary, Ronnie. Once I was pulled away from my phone that had the pictures of the Ring, the compulsion slowly vanished after a week. The damage the flu did to our abilities? Also a week after the fever broke. The other curse I came away with? Also a week." She gestures to her front. "With the chicken soup ingested, if it did have ill effects, I wanted to see whether the pattern held. For now, at least, whatever crosses over from that side to this side, the effects seem temporary. The only exception I managed to experience personally was Gohl's bones and what set that case apart from the others was the fact that there was a conscious mind behind it." A ghost, in this instance.

Reckless. He isn't wrong.

The list she shows him of the ongoing trials is for the most part disturbing, but probably unsurprising considering the title of the person that sent it. The trials include the speed of a limb's regeneration once amputated, what a water landing from as high as a thousand feet would do to the brain and skull, pain threshold tests (oral vs. injection), the speed in which an Aspect diminishes after ingesting a chemical, and what the average lifespan would be if non-essential organs were removed from a body. "I mean, they're all horrible, but the aspects one worries me the most," she confides Byron quietly. "Why are they tracking how fast a chemical agent can neutralize abilities? And do they mean just any old poison or some compound they're developing?"

To all of Byron's questions about Veil City Hall, she nods. "Her name's Anne Washburn, she's the official archivist of City Hall, I think she took over the old one who died on his desk, apparently. She's nice - a local historian, also. She's the one who verified for me that Gray Pond was, indeed, a man-made reservoir and there are no underwater caves in there. Funny story, that, apparently its history is similar to the Addington Sawmill in that it was plagued by a lot of workplace accidents when it was being built." As if reminded, she adds, "Patrick Addington's back, by the way. I don't know if you heard, the brother of the Addington siblings who were murdered by Gohl over the summer. From what I was told, Margaret Addington practically raised him."

As for the note to the Asylum? "I was wondering the same thing," she says. "But I suspect that, if we're trying to track patterns we know, I only got an answer from the Vivisectionist because she invited us to ask about her experiments in the Safeway Dream. We have no such invitation from the Asylum and we don't know whether they're connected in any way. It bears asking, though. I'm seeing Anne this weekend, so I'll ask then if she heard anything."

His smile, in the end, when he professes his support for the Casino earns him a long-suffering and exasperated look, but she can't help but laugh afterwards. "You're Byron Thorne," she tells him, with words laced with incontrovertible affection - and pride, also. "You see potential in almost anything. You've always been that way, even when we were kids." A hand reaches out then, to touch her fingertips lightly on his cheek if he allows, and while it doesn't linger, it is warm.

Ladies Night? She grins, broad and uninhibited in her demonstration of it, mischief lighting up her face. "It was a lot of fun. Alexander drove my Jeep and took me and Erin home afterwards. We drank, we danced, we sang, it was great and Lil hit the tequila pretty hard." She frowns visibly, memory tugging at the back of her brain. "Harry...er...Sutton. Javier's girlfriend, she told us she was coming but she never showed up. Hopefully she's doing okay. We had great time regardless, but we missed her."

Byron's heard about these various afflictions that had befallen her, except for the one that she simply glosses over without mentioning what it was. So he comes out to ask, "What other curse?" She can't be talking about the Gohl murder rage, could she? It seems that most everyone was affected by that except for him. Then a thought comes to mind, "Are you able to use your powers now? In the case that the soup was a possible agent to neutralize them?" She would have said something otherwise, but maybe she hadn't tries to use her abilities since ingesting the test soup.

When he does look through the entirety of the trials listed, there are some where his brows will raise as if surprised and some which make them crease because who would be their guinea pigs for such harsh treatment. " I hope you're not planning on volunteering for any of this. But this list... it makes the Vivisectionist sound like a psychopath. "Medically, of course, some of this might be useful information, but a water landing from one thousand feet would destroy anyone. I don't know what other results they expect to come out of that one."

He has no answers to her questions regarding the neutralizing agent, but he decides to bring up, "Someone in the Veil must have some kind of history on how we got these powers? Not us, personally, but in a general sense. I wonder how much of that information the Vivisectionist knows and is using for their experiments."

Anne Washburn was a familiar enough name. She wasn't that much older than he was. "Interesting. And you said Washburn is able to traverse into the Veil? You'd think someone who could do that would have a lot of answers for us." She brings up the Pond. They were planning to explore the caverns further, so this new was informative enough. "There are no natural caverns, but are there compartments, man-made passageways in which to look through? Like with most Addingtons, Byron knows of Patrick Addington as well. He was much older, around Alexander's age. "I didn't realize. There's a lot of them." Addingtons. "So it's hard to keep track who is related to who and how." He then states, "He's a tenant of mine currently. I'd ask him if he'd like to go out for drinks and some conversation, but that's always strange... especially since one of his siblings was killed in my very building."

Despite their differences on the topic of the Casino, he smiles out at her, feeling the palm of her hand against the side of his face. "It's what keeps me going. My mind is constantly thinking up new opportunities." He then laughs, "It's also my livelihood for now. With a few of my tenants unwilling to honor the remainder of their rental agreement-- something that I'll try to take advantage of, I'm always on the lookout for their replacements."

The evening at the Firefly Club keeps that smile on his lips, entertained by just his own ideas of what occurred there. Then she brings up Sutton, "Huh. I don't see her very often, but she's still renting from me. If you like, I could try and give her a call or a text. See how she is?"

What other curse?

Isabella pauses, before she sighs. "When we visited the Archivist together to re-negotiate, I found the first book in its Hall of Records that I could read," she tells Byron. "So while you were in talks with him, I read it. After that? I was word-blind. I couldn't read anything once we crossed over back to our side, and that lasted a week. Trust me, I was horrified - what kind of academic would I be if I was illiterate? I thought it was going to be permanent - thank God it wasn't, but it was frightening at the time because I didn't know if it was going to stay. But it seems like, at least for non-sentient objects and afflictions from there to here, the effects are temporary."

The water landing one? "Yeah, I thought the same, and so did Alexander when I told him about it. I wouldn't put it past them to gear these experiments specifically towards people like us, though. I mean, regeneration, diminishing of Aspects, how resistant we are to physical damage...it all speaks to the possibility that maybe they don't know much about the Talent, either, if they're performing these experiments and are trying to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. But I know for a fact that the Archivist has been tracking Veil-flu deaths since from at least the time of the Spanish Influenza epidemic and if monitoring the progression of the malady was under the supervision of the Vivisectionist, she'd probably have a lot of data regarding users."

She finishes her coffee. "The last thing I want anyone to do on the other side is to cave dive," she replies solemnly. "That's dangerous even in ordinary waters, I can't imagine just how ridiculous the risk would be over there. If there are alternate routes, I'll keep you and the rest of the Guild posted, but it's on my list of things to find out." Surprise flickers over her face when he mentions Patrick is a tenant. "...I wonder why he's not living in the Addington estate, then, if Margaret practically raised him. It's not like they don't have room." Not with the rumors of Hyacinth and Erin being disowned. "Interesting."

Regarding Sutton, she nods. "That would be great, B. I'll shoot her a text, too."

Digging out her phone to look at the time, she sighs. "I ought to get back to the thesis. If I can get done this month, it'll give me a couple of months to revise it and prepare for my viva voce in the Spring." She grins at him, excitement in her eyes. "And officially move away from Miss Reede to Doctor Reede."