2019-11-26 - A Thank You

Easton is out of the hospital which is good and able enough to find his way to August's shop. His dark green jeep bounces along the road as he tries his best to hold a bakery box steady as he goes. Pulling up to Branch & Boyle. He is stiff as he gets out of the jeep and takes his time grabbing the box and heading in. He opens the door, knocking on it as it swings in and calls out, "August? Roen, you in?" He's dressed for the weather in a fleece over his usual gray tee-shirt. He's still sporting bandages and bruises from the Dream the other night, but looks mostly like himself.

Ully is out working on the patio while August restocks some of their winter supplies (tarps, rope, hemp twine, stakes, etc.) inside. He's hanging up great twisted lengths of nylon rope when Easton comes in, smiles to see him despite the twinge he feels from the injuries. "Hey you. How the hell are you feeling?" He's in a heather grey, long-sleeved Henley, denim jeans, and his work boots. His injuries are covered, save for how one eye is heavily bloodshot, probably from that lightning bolt he took to the head.

Easton holds the white bakery box in one hand and peers around to nod at August. "I feel like shit." He laughs, loudly, apparently unconcerned by that fact. "But I'm extremely glad to be able to feel anything." He finds a place to put down the box, which contains of all things a holiday fruit cake. He looks over August and asks, "What about you? You had your fair share of blows and no combat botanist to heal you up." He grins, glad that August is up and about doing work and not laid up in a hospital like he was. "And Bennie sends her love and appreciation."

"Yeah, same," August says of feeling like shit, and rubs at his face. His smile is as rueful as it gets. "But hey, glad you're up and about. Bennie doing alright? You two got the worst of it." His smile becomes a laugh at the moniker. "You know, that's really not a bad title, come to it." He singers some. "Erin healed me up some at the end there, that's why I wasn't right next to the two of you." Well that and he'd need enough Xanax to down a horse to get himself into a hospital but who was counting.

Crossing the room, Easton approaches August and extends a hand for a very manly, and courteous handshake. "Bennie's doing okay. I mean considering she get the absolute fuckin brunt." He doesn't know exactly all the hits people took during the fight. He's barely aware of what hit him the second time around. His ribs popping seemingly of their own wasn't something he could really track well as far as attacks go. "Erin, shit.. that's.." He shakes his head says, "I fucked up on not knowing she was a healer. Glad that worked out okay." At least she didn't seem to be targeted in the same way August and Bennie were, but he still considers that a fuck up that only didn't hurt anyone because of dumb luck.

August extends his hand in turn; it's rough and calloused, a hand that sees a lot of physical labor. "Eh, thing is, that's something we--I mean, people like me and Bennie, can do. See what Gifts people have. Songs, Itzhak calls them. You're more like Itzhak, and Isabella. And a lot of people don't readily share what they can do, so don't be too hard on yourself about not knowing."

He narrows his eyes. "I hadn't thought of that--that it was me, you, and Bennie getting shot at. Lilith was there, and she's like Bennie and I too." He frowns now, licks his lips. "I guess they were pissed at you for breaking their lantern," he says, and grins. "Excellent shooting you and Isabella did, by the way."

Starting with the handshake Easton says, "Bennie wouldn't be here without you." in a serious tone, his volume for once not booming out but hushed and almost reverent. He doesn't break the grip as he pulls August into a hug. It's about then that August probably smells the whiskey on his breath and realizes that Easton is not exactly sober. He pats the man's back a few times, apparently full of emotion? Or at least full of whiskey and not really sure what to do with the emotions? Anyway after a couple pats it probably starts to get a little awkward.

Eventually Easton pulls back and clears his throat, "Sorry. I just.." He at least looks a little embarrassed by that and moves on quickly to, "It's probably worth talking about it. Who was targeted, maybe trying to figure out why. And knowing who can do what is helpful, so we can move responsibility around." He's already started this process by asking Ruiz to read the key instead of someone else. He adds, "Spread the usage, spread the risk. Everyone is willing to help, we wouldn't still be here if were weren't." He doesn't sound exactly pleased at the fact that people are so willing to put themselves in danger, but he's one of them so he can't say much about it.

"Not going to lie, it felt damn good that I could actually shoot something this time around. Too often it's ghosts or things that don't go down when you pump a couple rounds in 'em."

Drinking or not, August returns the hug. He doesn't even seem to find the back patting awkward, as all it gets out of him is a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure I'll be able to say the same thing about her, just give me a few weeks." He coughs a laugh about the inevitable injuries he'll somehow sustain. "But I'm happy to do it. Even if," he lets out a slow breath, "I agree, we should share the load. Especially when it comes to the bigger things. Healing, especially, but not just that. Probably not safe to write it down, unfortunately." He makes a face about that. Was Glimmer Hunting a real thing, like witch hunting had once been?

He smirks about the shooting. "Have to admit, I haven't ever considered buying a handgun until I saw you two take that thing out. Thinking now I might have to."

Easton shakes his head and says, "We'll see. She's a little more rattled by this one." He's not saying she wouldn't heal someone, of course she will again, but it might be a while before she's not too freaked out. He doesn't quite follow when August talks about writing it down, but then it dawns on him. "Right. A list of people who stand out by their abilities might be a little too tempting to some things." Not that he's sure they need something as mundane as a list, but there are probably other players in the game that might. He shakes his head and says, "That's actually what has me worried about the Paranormal Society meetings. Get a whole group of people in one spot and they become a mighty fine looking target." Granted he would not have the same concerns if those people gathered at his bar to drink, so maybe it's not exactly the most legitimate of concerns.

"Well, if you want to try out a couple I'd be happy to take you shootin-." He stops short and lets out a little cough before continuing. "Shooting. We could do that. Sometime." Easton has apparently temporarily forgotten how to not be awkward. Let's blame the booze, it's always a good scapegoat.

August blinks. He hadn't even thought about that with the Paranormal Society. And here Ellie was, a long time member, and Ignacio just getting involved...

He rubs the back of his neck. "That's, ah, a really good point, actually." He grimaces. "Maybe I can talk Ellie and Ignacio into smaller meetings. Just random gatherings they can do in a variety of places. That way they're less likely to draw attention." Because, as Easton has surmised, They aren't the only threat, and Their allies are far more likely to make use of such mundane things as lists and group gatherings.

"I'd appreciate it," he says on a warm smile. Fortunately for Easton, August specializes in awkward. (Look who he's friends with, dating, and employs.) "Not that I've never used a handgun, but it's been a while. Mostly just hunting guns the last couple of decades. Wouldn't even know what I'd want." Something small and personal like a PPK? Something old-fashioned like a Colt 1991A? He'd just have to try some things out.

"I'm thinking I might show up at the next one. There's a chance that this woman, the one from our latest Dreamstravaganza is lurking about town, I'd hate for her to show up without a proper greeting." Easton manages not to glower too much. But he adds, "Smaller groups is good. I'm also concerned about someone with ties to them joining the group. Not just an attack, but a way to gather information. Like you said, a list of people even in the wrong hands would be bad news." Or if not said, implied. Easton tries not to sound too paranoid in discussing this but these are certainly the types of scenarios he envisions. He's used to crafty enemies, and things feel too similar to ignore just now.

"Sure. I just happen to have a small catalog you can try from. Little small sleek things to big honking beasts. At least then you can figure what's the most comfortable to carry and shoot. Honestly I'd feel better if more people were armed."

August nods, folds his arms. "Not a bad idea. And since Their Allies shouldn't be as bullet proof as they might be, someone who's good with a gun might be a must-have, until we can sort out how to properly identify them." He can't help but be a little smug on Easton and Isabella's behalf; their bullets did just fine in that Dream. And if Easton's paranoid, well, so is August. Why not be--they can do literal magic, and so can their enemies, who really are after them and actually might be lurking in every corner. Paranoia was only sensible.

He nods, scratches his beard. "Probably something smaller. I'll admit I'm the first person to use the Gift, but a gun might come in handy when that's not on the table." He frowns, thinking of their recent host. "Speaking of her--did you catch what she said as we were leaving? Wanted to ask Thorne about it, he's got the mind gift pretty strong like Alexander. Maybe he understood what she said."

"Only problem is it's a little trickier to take them out in this world. That's usually called murder." Easton doesn't seem terribly put out by the idea, it's just worth noting that whatever happens in a Dream is usually fair play, doing so in this world still has some rule of law associated with it. "And I think I can identify them. I'm not sure. But, you know how for some people, glimmer makes people shine or I think Rosencratz hears it? Yea well for me it's this gut feeling, like I just know something. And I think there's a version of that which applies to people out to do their bidding." He shakes his head and says, "I didn't think to test it out the other night, I should have." Yes, they were getting exploded and his chest was snapped open like a lobster shell but still, it was a good opportunity to test his theory.

"I think we're going to find more situations where using the Gift" He borrows August's phrase, trying it on for size and not necessarily loving it, "might either draw more attention or play into whatever they have planned." At the question Easton looks a little sheepish as he admits, "I kind of tune all that shit out. I didn't want anyone getting in my head, it can trip you up." But it also means he's the last person to look to to unravel mysterious clues. "I think Alexander mentioned Isabella knew something though. She's way better at all that mumbo jumbo shit."

August coughs a laugh about the murder bit. "Well come to it, self defense with a gun is still easier to explain, and defend, than 'he tried to set me on fire so I threw a desk at him'." His sile is wry, so he's joking a little. But not much, because this really is their lives now.

He can't deny usage of their power plays into Their hands, so doesn't try to. "The reality is--it does." He pauses a second, looking like something's just occurred to him. "It's like how there's no give without take, and no take without give. Heard of that before? In order to have something, it has to come from somewhere. You can think of it as a law of conservation of energy, if you want, but at the end of the day, it mostly means the same thing: that there's a balance. Sure, we could not use our power. And then people sit around hurting, or get killed like Gohl was doing, or who knows what else, and they feed off that anyways. So at worst, we're drawing them off others, and onto us." August shrugs. "I'll take that. Better someone like me, who already knows what that's like, than a bunch of people who could be living their lives not in pain."

"Don't blame you," he says, of trying to ignore things they say. Hadn't he just been advising de la Vega of that very thing? He nods at the notion of talking to Isabella about it, then tilts his head, interested to hear Easton's description of how he can maybe identify Their lackeys. "So you think you can sense the ones who..." He stops a moment, tries to come up with a way to word it. "The ones who're being influenced by Them? Or working for Them?"

Murder-jokes! Yup, this is their life now. Easton laughs and shakes his head, "Goodness, I would hate to be a cop in this town. How would you even..?" He of course then thinks of cops in this town and says, "Unless they all just know how fucked up it is and go along with whatever craziness people say? I don't know."

He looks thoughtful at the talk of balance and give and take. "It makes a certain twisted sense. They want to cause pain and make us use our abilities, they twist people into doing that which then forces us to fight back. I don't see a great way around that to be honest. But I'm more of a fighter than a puzzle solver." He shakes his head at the idea of not using their powers. "Fuck that. I haven't met a single damn person here who is going to let bad shit happen to other people without doing something. Whether that's healing, or putting a stop to a serial killer ghost controlled old man" say that ten times fast ", not doing something isn't an option. We just need to know what kind of blow back to expect and how to mitigate it."

Better someone like me

Easton doesn't acknowledge the statement directly but small curve of a smile plays on his lips as August says it better than he could. Exactly that.

At the question about being able to sense them Easton wavers his head a little, which then causes him to blink from how much that makes the room move. "I think so? Unless there's another aspect or something I'm picking up on my radio dial. The one time it happened it was a woman in Safeway, and the weird part is I can't remember the details of what she looked like. I followed her to her car but can't describe it. I.. I'm not sure, but it might have been this same bitch from the dream?" That part is less sure. Is he just convincing himself of that after the fact? Hard to say.

"Eh, de la Vega's captain, and he knows what's up, so." August shrugs about that; he wouldn't wish Ruiz's job on anyone, but at least it's being held by someone with the Gift. "Could be worse. I don't envy him having to come up with mundane explanations for the chief of police, though." Well, assuming the Chief's also not one of them, but August suspects not.

"Precisely," he says of mitigation and what to expect. "It's not about winning. Like most of life, really. It's about survival. It's about being okay. It's about protecting one another." He nods outside, at the thunderstorm that's been threatening but not quite made a show. "Like wildfires clearing out old forests, like thunderstorms making a mess. That's just how life is, with cycles. Doesn't make it easy, but it we've also got a choice to ride, or not." He sighs, looks away a second. "I made my choice. I'm sticking by it. So," now he looks at Easton again, "don't hesitate to ask for being healed. I'm not going to say no."

He makes a face about the encounter at the Safeway. "I guess it's possible--and even if it wasn't, good call on trying to sort them out. I guess we should get into more of that."

"Yea" Easton answers with a wry smile, "I'm sure he has his hands full trying to explain ... any of this shit." Ruiz doesn't really strike him as the type to do well at being indirect.

He smiles and nods at the speech about what it takes. "Damn straight. And I'm not about to sit around and wait." He shakes his head at the part about it not being easy. "Yea well fuck easy. I don't think I'm built for easy." He grins and says, "Alright. But I'm sticking to my guns about moving the risk around. You already saved my ass in that fight. And Bennie's more than once." He shakes his head and says, "And I especially appreciate the pep talk. I'm not used to having my girl in the fight with me, it was... not my favorite." It was all he could do to keep his head on straight with Bennie getting hurt and August's cool demeanor was a huge part of that.

"I'm not sure if it's in my head. I should probably ask Rosencratz about it too. I mean, he's the only other mover who seems to be beyond what I can do. Maybe he's got it figured out?" Easton assumes that if this was something Itzhak knew how to do though that Roen would already know that.

August sighs, fond and resigned, as Easton insists on the shifting burdens around. Well, he'd expected it. "Okay," he says, raising a hand. "I won't push on healing. Offer's there, regardless." He chuckles, shakes his head. "I guess pep talks are a thing I can do. And..." Another sigh, this one sadder. He rubs at his eyes. "It's not easy, when the people we love are there right next to us. I've been through that a few times. Don't be too hard on yourself, that it's a lot to cope with. I'm still..." He's still thinking of that prison. Of the ruins of Gray Harbor. Of a lot of things.

He shakes his head. "Anyways. Itzhak's a good person to ask about that. If anyone could sort it out by now, he has. And if not, well, you can figure it out together. The more who know, right?" He dredges up a smile.

"Yea well I'm also not going to do anything unless Bennie does. I'm not letting her go through this recovery the hard way if I'm taking shortcuts." Easton shakes his head at the thought of Bennie toughing something out while he asks someone else to bear the cost for him. Nooope.

The topic of being alongside loved ones gets a half shrug from Easton. "In some ways, it's good. You have that bond, that trust that you can bank on. I loved my men. There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in any of those guys to lay down their lives for one another or the mission. But this ain't the Marines. And Benny..." He smiles, he can't help himself, "She's not exactly the toughest soldier. I mean she's not backing down, sure. But that's not the same thing as being ready." He trails off and comes back to the same conclusion he keeps coming to.

"We need to train these people August. To keep them safe. And not just to shoot a gun, or throw a punch. There's so much more people can do. And we all need to learn it. Because we're gonna fuckin' need it."

"Understood." August can relate; it's not like he'd accept healing when Eleanor needed it. He makes a low sound, ducks his head. "We went into the military knowing we were getting into that. Can't say the same of everyone who's born with this power we have." He glances up at Easton, back down at his hands. The hand around them shimmers with heat for a moment. "I think that's part of it. It's not that Ellie or Bennie can't protect themselves. Or hell, Finch or Itzhak. It's that..." He stops, runs a hand through his hair. "Like you said. They're not soldiers. Not like we were. That makes it harder."

He snaps his fingers, points at Easton. "Exactly. I mean, I'm not expecting everyone to pick up a gun, or learn how to fight hand to hand. But whatever form it takes, they need to be prepared." Like Ignacio and Eleanor, learning everything they could so they'd have an edge over what they were dealing with.

"Exactly." Easton tries not to make it all about military versus civilian but it's such a defining line for him that it's hard for things not to fall into those two categories. "I mean shit, I saw Bennie snap biker's legs in two with a snap of her fingers. She can fuck shit up." He's not denying that or trying to down play it. "But she hates hurting people. She'll hesitate. She feels guilty and horrible if she uses her powers that way. And I'm not trying to change that. I just... I want people to be safe. I want them to be able to get out of those Dreams."

He nods in agreement, they're mostly just echoing each other now he notes with a smile. "Okay. So then we start training."

"Anyway, I should go. Thank you again." He glances at the box he brought and says, "And it's a fruit cake. I'm not sure if people actually eat them out here, but they're really not bad. They just got a bad rap. "

August's gaze goes distant when Easton describes Bennie's issues with hurting people. "She and I have that in common," he admits, wry, shrugs it away almost as fast. His situation is a little different.

He blinks in surprise at the box, smiles. "Yeah, don't mind them at all, honestly. Can make a mean French Toast with them." A pause, then, "Thanks, Easton. For, all of it." For being in charge in there, because August sure as hell wasn't. And understanding. And so on.