2019-11-25 - Just Desserts

It's not the sunniest day that Gray Harbor has seen, but at least the rain has let up for a little bit. Sparrow bravely--perhaps unwisely--has walked down without an umbrella, entirely optimistic that her luck will hold. The package she carries, a small thing by comparison to her last delivery to the Weber House, is tupperware, perfectly safe should those hopes be dashed. She wears a dark grey sweater with rainbow lines starting in aqua at her shoulders and descending to yellow at her hips. It's worn over a large white dress shirt with the top button or two undone and the cuffs folded up over the bottom of the sweater's sleeves, a pair of blue jeans and worn black boots with glittery purple laces. The dress shirt beneath her sweater bunches around her wrist as she slips her free hand into her pocket after ringing the doorbell... or knocking on the door, whichever's most appropriate.

The door has both a bell and a knocker, either of which might be employed at one's discretion. The Weber House is large, though a careful inspection would likely reveal that it had started as a somewhat more modest construction when it was first built, and grew with an addition or three, and more rooms, and levels to become a kind of Frankenstein's Monster of a house over time. All of which was cleverly disguised by matching the original architecture as much as possible over the years. It seems very quiet at the moment, however. There's no sounds coming from within or without. There are no cars in the drive. But it isn't long before approaching footsteps can be hears just as they arrive at the door, and a lock turns, and then another, and the door opens.

Elias is dressed in his usual skinny black jeans and combat boots laced up his calves. He wears a dark blue ribbed turtleneck due to the chill and his dark hair falls loose around his sharp features. He smiles a little curious when he sees who is standing on his doorstep and says, "Agent P. A pleasure to see you again in your own body. Unless this is the Detective, in which case, I didn't do it. No one saw me do it, and you'll never find the body." He opens the door though, to allow her entry if she wishes.

The drummer does not, in this instance, favor the percussive option, going instead with the bell to try to conjure up some life inside of the otherwise quite monstrosity that is the Weber House. When that little spell proves successful, Sparrow smiles all bright and cheerful at Elias... and then tips to the side to peek past him just in case there might be a body in sight right over thattaway. "Definitely feeling a little more like myself," she assures, not playing killer-catcher today. "Though there's certainly something to be said for out of body experiences." Even if their experiences left them in other bodies. As she accepts the invitation, she offers up the small, almost cube-shaped plastic container. "I brought you another gift, Sir Warlock. A bribe, maybe. Could use a little of your time and expertise." Though it hardly seems a question, seeing as he's already let her in, evidence that he's at least willing to share some of the former.

There does not, in fact, appear to be a body. The inside of the house looks very neat, and tidy, and has that sort of traditional almost colonial vibe to it. The furniture is all of the older, heavier, wood variety. Many pieces that were likely hand made and hand carved, passed down over the years and added to as the house grew. There's a long runner in the hall which then opens out toward what appears to be a dining room, probably a living room on the other side, and at the far end, a kitchen. If one was expecting the spooky occult shop that is Frankie's place, one would be sorely disappointed to find out that the "Witchy Webers" actually have a pretty normal looking house on the inside.

He reaches out to take the plastic container that she offers him with a curious smile, glancing down at it. "A bribe, huh?" He nods for her to go ahead and head in, and makes his way back toward the dining room, setting the little box on the table and then opening it up to see what might be inside. "What is it that I can help you with?"

Whatever Sparrow may or may not have been expecting, she considers the place with fairly standard curiosity, taking in details with the same interest that most would express when stepping foot in another's home for the first time and not yet left alone enough to really gawk or pry. A polite sort of interest. She follows on to the dining room, explaining as they go, "While I was busy being a detective, I detected a thing or two that suggested that maybe you've got some expertise that I lack. That I could really do to not lack, given how things have gone recently for me and mine." Once they've arrived at their destination, she sets her full focus on Elias and admits, "I'm not even sure what to ask, but. Those dreams we've been sharing? They're tame compared to some others. And I don't even know where to begin figuring out how to deal with it." And so, here she is.

Inside the tupperware container is a treat which really, really deserves a far fancier box. It probably came in a fancy box originally and has since been separated out and transferred for this very specific delivery. There's only a little bit of damage to the very edges of the treat, thankfully. The dark-chocolate glazed dome is decorated with a pinch of sea salt and a hint of lime zest. Whensoever one cuts into the entremet, distinct layers are revealed: chocolate genoise, lime mousse, pineapple gelatin, chopped hazelnuts and yuzu kosho custard. One familiar with Pātisserie Vydal's offerings might recognize the owner's exquisite work.

Elias settles himself into a seat at the dining room table and takes in the little dessert inside its tupperware container, "A worthy bribe, Agent P." He smiles and then closes the box back up to set it to one side for the time being. He will definitely be digging into that later, but for now, he's more curious as to what it is that brought her out with the delicious bribe. He studies her, his head canted a little bit to the side as he takes her in, but not her clothing, not even the crimson of her hair, but instead that glimmer that is about her, and the nature of it. Dark eyes flicker over her and then back to meet her own. "The dreams that we've been sharing are really fairly mild all things considered. There's an impressive variety of shared experiences that one might have, or not shared, if one is unlucky. Being alone in them is even more terrifying at times." He says, "I suppose the best place to start is -- what do you know so far?"

Sparrow follows suit, settling into a seat of her own without much concern for how Elias is inspecting her. She's ... looked at people like that before, understands something of what he might be considering. It's sometimes difficult not to notice. Her glimmer certainly isn't dim, but very little about her is. She could be a rather potent spiritualist, if she took the time to explore and hone her talents, though she has some capacity for other facets as well, faint but present.

"It's been a couple of years since I figured out I can... do stuff. Fix things, move things, feel things." The slight hesitation before she continues suggests she might be holding something back. But maybe she's just figuring out her phrasing. "And I know that sometimes, when you dream, you don't always end up where you started. And that it can fuck you up physically." Beat. "And mentally. And that people can share dreams. And that you don't always have to be asleep to walk into them." She draws a thoughtful breath, then goes on, "I've heard of a them associated with this dream stuff, but no one's been clear about what that means. I've heard the words glimmer, which I'm guessing is the--" Fingerwiggle. "--whatever it is that lets some of us do weird stuff. And that the weird stuff is what draws attention and make the dreams worse. And I've heard the word Veil, but no idea what it means. Aaaaand you said something about a gate in the last dream." Somebody's been paying attention, even if she has no idea what to do with all of her weird puzzle pieces.

Elias is quiet as he just listens, letting her tell him what it is that she knows so that he can figure out a baseline to go from. He nods his head every so often as she mentions a particular term or concept that he is familiar with, just letting her know to continue until she's done. "Okay, so.. you do know more than the average bear, so that's a good starting point. Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Booze? I'm not sure if it will be a booze-worthy conversation, but for some people it is."

"I'm not much of a booze as a coping mechanism kinda girl," Sparrow quips with an easy grin. "That's what the hard drugs are for." She's probably joking. "If you'll be joining me, I wouldn't say no to some whiskey or coffee..." Her head wobbles as she admits, "Or probably a whole lotta other things, but. I have no particular need for anything." With an arch of her dark brows, she wonders, "Unless you feel like maybe this might take a while?"

"Well, I can give you a few quick notes if you like, and you can decide if you want to come back and pursue more later," Elias suggests, "Though depending on what you want to know and how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, it could take a while." But when she says she doesn't need anything, he says, "The Veil," holding up one hand and then laying another atop it, "Is like another reality that lays on top of our world, and in some places the boundary between that reality and ours is thin.. and sometimes it's thicker. In Gray Harbor, it's very thin, with places where you can simply turn a corner and walk straight through a thin spot into it without at first realizing that it's happening, like falling through a hole in lacework." He separates his hands then, "Then there are the Dreams.. now, my own personal theory is that the Dreams are related to but not exactly the same as the Veil as the Dreams, I think, lie deeper and are not as tied to or close to a physical reality as the Veil is. Which is why one can navigate the Veil but getting in and out of a Dream is more of a random thing."

When the while that this might take sounds like multiple visits rather than just a long afternoon, Sparrow gives a shallow nod. Much as she might want everything to be magically explained in one quick sit-down, it's certainly not what she expected. Sinking a bit more comfortably into her seat, she listens, nodding to a point or two as she files that detail away. "Do those holes move? Like... can I turn a corner today and be fine, but tomorrow it would go all weird? And can other things cross through the hole from the other side? Like monsters made of old furniture?"

"It's possible, since if they didn't, we could probably map them all, but some of us can sense where they are. There are some places, like near the Old Sawmill, that seem more prone to them than others. Where one night I came out of my own shop and turned through one into the Veil, so I would say that they can be open or closed, possibly thinner or stronger, but I'm not sure what that depends on," Elias says with a slight shake of his head. "Generally, people and creatures don't cross over, but it's possible if there's a rift, I suppose, that if we can get in, that it's possible that things could get out. Usually that's a thinning in the veil in the area if you see something from the other side. There are some people who can take things out of the other side and bring them to this.. but I don't recommend it. Stuff from over there makes generally bad stuff happen over here."

Sparrow takes all that in thoughtfully, her usually bright smile gone, replaced with a more studious expression. Each detail is filed along side her previous experiences, giving them some depth and substance. And while she might have a whole lot of other questions on the nature of the Veil and crossing over into it and the strange things she's seen, nothing at all is more pressing than the one question which she offers up next. "Is there any way to avoid it? To just opt out and stay safe? To prevent the dreams or walking into weirdness? To protect someone else?" Alright, it's four questions, but they're all really the same: how do I keep those I love safe?

"The only way to really avoid going through the thin spots in the Veil is to have the ability to sense where they are, and then avoid them. But to my knowledge, there's no way to avoid the Dreams. The Dreams are.. different, in some way. My theory is that the Dreams are from somewhere deeper, not directly connected to the Veil, though whether one can travel between them and the Veil -- I have no idea. And those, you get sucked into those pretty much completely out of your control," Elias says. "If I could figure out a way to protect people from Dreams, then I'd hold a seminar on it and teach everyone that trick. Unfortunately, in all my research, I haven't found any way that protects someone them yet."

Sparrow's eyes drop at that answer. It wasn't the one she wanted, but she's not particularly disappointed in the source. After a moment's quiet, adjusting to that reality, she looks to Elias again and tells him, "I've heard a couple theories. One that it's emotional. Anxiety and fear and other bad shit that makes you more susceptible. And one that it's all the spooky shit, that the more you use it, the more they notice. I assume the they is just anthropomorphication of an idea, the way people have been making up gods and goblins for eons. But is there anything to either of those ideas? That the phenomena occurs more frequently among those with certain... I dunno." She rolls her eyes a little and goes with, "Resonance?" Holding up her hand, she flashes a small smile and offers, "And if I'm getting too weird and scientific about it, lemme know. You say theory, and I go science, so."

"They are often referred to as the Dark Men, though people usually avoid saying that for reasons that could be superstitious or could be based on the theory that names hold power, and by using that specific name, one is somehow pinging them, like a submarine's sonar ping. So a lot of people will just say "Them" when referring to them. Are they actually men that are dark? No one knows. So far as I'm aware, no one's ever seen one. But they do have agents, people who work for them, that generally speaking, want to keep the fear and the bad feels rolling, because they feed off of it," Elias says as he settles back in his chair a bit, tapping long fingertips on the table's surface. "So yes, the negative emotions are part of what they feed on, but do the negative emotions bring the dreams? Or do the dreams bring the emotions? It's kind of a chicken and egg thing, really. But using our abilities, those supernatural ones that aren't quite normal? That's a definite sonar ping out into the ether saying hey, look at me, I'm a shiny shiny sandwich. For those like me.. who glow bright, it's like waving a red flag in front of a bull. For some, that don't glow as bright, who don't use their abilities, then they're not as obvious a snack food."

Oh. It hits very early, once there's an actual name given to the 'them' that Sparrow's heard about, one she can't dismiss them as man-made legend quite so easily. The actual, "Ah," that she voices doesn't show up until Elias explains why people might say 'them' instead. "I've been careful," she says at the end. "Not as..." Her right hand lifts to give a weird waving gesture, a little sweep like one might see a Jedi do while mindtricking someone in a Star Wars movie. "But there are still things that are way, way easier with that little--" Same gesture again. "Guess it's kind of a shit price for it, though." With a curious cant of her head, red hair dipping against white collar and striped sweater, she wonders, "Do you get asked about this stuff a lot?"

"There's a price for everything. I use my abilities. I mean, I don't use them to do the dishes or for stuff I can do normally day to day, but I do use them -- sometimes to teach people how they work and show them what they do, sometimes when it's important," Elias says. "Enough that I'm sure I've drawn plenty of attention. Not enough that I've been eaten yet." He smiles a little crookedly over at her. When she asks if he gets asked about this stuff a lot he handwobbles a bit. "So, I mean, the family's been called witches for as long as the town's been around. Most folk know we know about occult stuff. So yeah, people who Glimmer often come and ask us about that stuff, too.. because a lot of us Glimmer, always have. I try to help folks who have questions by answering them pretty straight up. A lot of people in town aren't real comfortable talking about it.. so I try to be."

Sparrow snorts a laugh for Elias' unnommed state, her smile growing as he explains his family's reputation. "Sure, but witch? Occult? Both way way big broad words. My family gets called weird stuff like that, too, but I am pretty sure my parents don't know anything about this." Beat. "Probably. Maybe. I don't think I know how to ask without arousing their suspicion and making them think I'm crazy, ya know?" But that is way besides the point she was trying to make, and it takes her a second to get back. "Their floof is all gemstones and yoga and mindfulness. Kinda mainstream pagan, ya know?" Which is her way of saying that she uses words like 'warlock' loosely and doesn't put much stock in them. Unless given cause. Like this. "Would it be alright if I came by again with some more questions after I've had some time to process and share with the group?"

Elias grins, "Well, that's the beauty of it, right? People call us that and don't actually believe that it's true. But the fact that we actually do have supernatural powers is the irony of it." He then asks, "Well, when you look at them, do your parents Glimmer at all? If they do, then they have the ability to at least remember the weird stuff. If they don't, then they won't, and they'll rationalize everything, and probably think you're nuts." He nods his head when she asks if she can stop by with more questions. "Sure, any time. I'll answer what I can, but I need to caveat that with the fact that.. I've been studying this stuff, but I really don't have all the answers. I have theories, and I have some practical experience, but I don't know of anyone who truly knows how all of this works."

It's another 'oh' moment for Sparrow when Elias explains that simple do-they-glimmer bit. There's a very, very good chance that he might even be able to see a little weight lift from her, the way she straightens in her seat, some part of her heart unburdened as at least that much is made entirely simple. Her smile's a little easier as she nods, "Yeah, I get it," about his limited ability to provide solid answers. "For those of us who are stumbling into it mostly blind--" Not entirely. No one who grew up in Gray Harbor can claim they're entirely blind. "--it helps so much just to talk it through. Even if there aren't any real answers out there." Her lips skew left as she straightens further, like she might be getting ready to get up. "Though. One of these days? I might like to have a normal conversation with you. Outside of dreams and parties and esoteric expertise."

"Yeah, that test is at least pretty easy to do. Also, if they don't Glimmer, they're probably safer than the rest of us are. Not entirely safe, but nobody is," Elias says and then adds. "If anyone else you know has questions, you can feel free to send them my way and I'll try to do what I can to help. I really do believe that nobody should go through with and deal with all this shit alone." He then laughs when she mentions wanting to have a normal conversation, "Oh, darling, I'm not even sure I'm capable of having a normal conversation anymore. It'll be fun to try." He's mostly kidding, but those dark eyes sparkle with amusement.

Sparrow's expression darkens briefly at the going-it-alone remark, some little sore spot poked at, but she doesn't follow-up on that, instead following the conversation right along into relatively safer territory. "I am a fantastic person to try it with," she declares as she gets to her feet, chin ticking upward just a touch in a playful affectation of pride. "I am as normal as they come," she asserts, "and very well-versed in normal conversations. How's the weather, nice boots and all of it." Her smile skews sly for just a second before softening again as she tilts her head back the way she came. "But I should get back for now. Leave you to your entremet. Any time you need some odd bit of spoiling or a taste of--" Entirely made-up, not at all real. "--banality? You know where to find me."

"Thanks for the bribe," Elias says with a grin and then rises to his feet to see her to the door. "Was nice to see you again in a non black-and-white capacity."