2019-12-28 - Likely Conversations

The grand snowstorm that covered Gray Harbor in a thick blanket of snow has more or less passed by the 28th. The inhabitants of the town are scurrying from their homes again and hitting up the stores, some for regular shopping, others for gift returns. The snow outside is reflecting the sun, temporarily blinding people as they make the transition from outdoors to in. It's an inconvenience to even those wearing sunglasses, forced to remove them gasp and blink owlishly at the much dimmer interior of the store.

Enzo stands right in front of the entrance, oblivious to how he's inconviencing the other people trying to get in and out. Sunglasses on? Or off? On? Off?

Oh, how about regular glasses?

So rude.

It's cold. More, Alexander is cold down to his bones, and his ears are still ringing, and the sun is blinding, and WHINE WHINE WHINE. It's not a good day, is the point here. So he doesn't even look when he pushes the door open to the bookstore and plows right on through -- and into Enzo. Just full-steam ahead, with all the force of someone who actually had no idea someone was going to be standing there. In the way.

Worse, this involves unexpected touching. So when he plows into the guy, Alexander lets out a reflexive little scream, and immediately starts flailing at the poor guy.

It's quite the sight.

Alexander is flailing at Enzo after that little scream and then Enzo is also screaming because someone just plowed into him and he dropped his expensive sunglasses onto the ground and stepped on them himself. He too begins to flail, but it's mostly reflexive and in self-defense because he's not sure what's going on why is this crazy man assaulting him??? "Ah! Stop it, stop hitting me! Why????" He catches a glimpse of who it is in the kerfluffle. "I thought you were cool??" Multiple question mark time.

Alexander skitters back out of mutual flailing range, breathing hard. It's only then that he's managed to see who it is. "Addington," he mutters, with a scowl. "What are you doing standing in the doorway like...like...a person blocking the door!" No, witty, Alexander is not, especially when fighting off a panic attack. He does notice the sunglasses, and winces with sudden regret. "Your glasses. Sorry." He ducks down to try and pick them up.

With Alexander and Enzo all shouty and flaily in the entryway, Autumn at least has the benefit of knowing there are people in her path when she tries to walk in. She's wearing giant Holly Golightly shades which she does not bother trying to remove at this time, and it's not until she's trying to squeeze past the edge of the fracas that she recognizes one of the participants. So now she too is standing in the doorway, looking from one man to the other, a puzzled little frown on her face.

Enzo is displeased by what's happening to him. Once the two men have untangled from their mutual flailfest, he lets his unhappiness be known by the severe downturn of his mouth into a scowl and the returned, "*Clayton." He can use last names too! He also kneels down, picking up some of the many pieces of his sunglasses. "I am a person! I was just taking my sunglasses off." He does not explain how he was standing there for an extraordinarily long time debating on or off. A glance up is afforded for Autumn before he says, "If you stare much longer, we'll need to charge admission for the show."

"You were loitering," Alexander claims, although now that the panic's worn off, he's looking sheepish as he tries to also gather pieces, and then offers them over to Enzo. "Sorry. For running into you. And the glasses." A glance to the side, taking in Autumn. He blinks. "I've seen you," he says. "You were in that snowscape dream. Are you okay?"

One dark eyebrow crawls up past the top of her sunglasses when Enzo speaks, and Autumn tilts her head and crosses her arms and actually does stare back now at the taller man because it's on. But it's the sight of Alexander that stopped her in the first place, and when she finally lifts her shades slowly to perch them on top of her head, it's him that she looks at and addresses. "Yeah." She seems to take a few seconds to find the right words, which are, "What the fuck was that?"

"Loitering?" Enzo repeats the word, disbelief creeping into his tone. "I'm here on very non-loitering business." The remnants of his sunglasses are handed over and he accepts them with a tiny, sad little sigh. "It's fine, shit happens. Things seem to keep happening to my stuff..." why, why does Enzo live such torment? He tucks them away and looks up again, returning Autumn's stare as if he's waiting for her to challenge that admission comment, but it doesn't come. So instead, he stands and straightens up, dusting off his jacket.

It's not dusty.

"Don't fight. The year's almost over," Alexander says to Autumn and Enzo, then gestures the other man to get out of the way of traffic once the pieces are cleared up. Which, not so coincidentally, takes them closer to Autumn. Who he stares at. And now that he's staring and not moving, his teeth start audibly chattering. He has to work his jaw for a moment before he can say clearly, "You're not local. You got lost. It happens. You didn't die. That's good." A pause. "Who are you? I'm Alexander Clayton. He's," he narrows his eyes at Enzo, thinking, "Vincenzo Addington. I think. He helped rescue octopi."

"I can't fight with him, I don't even know him," replies Autumn, like Enzo's not right there and like you can't fight people you don't know. Wow there's a lot of staring going on but at least Alexander's isn't met with The Eyebrow. "I just moved here. I was getting Thai and..." She can't even begin to explain the rest, so she goes with, "Autumn Laine. You're still cold too?" And then there goes the eyebrow again when Enzo's introduced and she finally speaks to him. "I work at your hospital."

The door is pulled open, a blast of chilly air let in from the outside. A small figure stands in the doorway bundled up against the cold, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness inside for a moment before noticing the three people barely able to let people past into the bookstore. There's a fall of her shoulders, recognition playing across her face as first one man, then the second gets a measuring look. Well, it was easier to say it was just her eyes, her hood up over a knit cap and a scarf wound around her mouth. Enzo's look was significantly more dour. She almost looks like she was about to let the door shut and move on, but with a sort of 'Fuck it' determination, Abitha steps into the entrance-way and simply tries to slink through or past the little gathering of people, unpleasant grunts made to alert people of her passing, or at least urge them to stand clear.

"Sure, you can. I fight with people I don't know all the time, it's called the internet." Regardless, Enzo follows Alexander's lead and stops loitering right where unsuspecting people can crash into him. He wasn't there for the particular dream sequence in question, so his attention to the details is littered with curiosity. However he doesn't look overly surprised. To Autumn, "My hospital? It's more like the family's hospital. Enzo, please." Abitha enters and he tracks her progress as well as the possible evasion, "Very nice scarf!" he calls out by way of greeting.

"People fight with strangers all the--" Alexander stops when Enzo beats him to it, and just waves vaguely in Enzo's direction. What he said. "Although most incidents of physical assault are correlated to assailant and victim knowing each other. Murder, too. Really, if you want to not fight with anyone, being friendless is your best bet." Cheerful, Alexander. But with another bout of tooth chattering, he nods to Autumn. "Freezing. And not all the hot showers, hot coffee, or thermal blankets seem to help. Minor frostbite, too. You?" A catch at the curious look from Enzo. "Uh. We had to jump in footsteps or freeze to death or be eaten. Possibly both." And then Abitha is given that dark stare. "The video game person. Hello."

"Internet fighting doesn't count." Watch them fight about fighting, it's happening y'all. As other people start coming in Autumn joins the original two offenders in moving out of the way of the doorway to accommodate Abitha and any other arrivals. "Same difference. What about 'Vinnie'?" Back to Alexander, "Yeah, me too. I just thought it was the weather." She mulls this over, gnawing on her lower lip, and shakes her head. "I was fine. I...how? How can a dream hurt you?"

Flipping Enzo off would mean pulling her hands out of the pockets of her jacket, and even if it was warmer inside the shop, the risk it would make her colder was simply not worth the effort. She seems to hunch down even further into her cold weather gear. Alexander is given a weird look, as if his words were some sort of anomalous description of her, and actually gives her pause. After a long moment and an uncomfortably long stare, she simply says, "I don't know you." A brief glance is given to Autumn, the only one not to get a chilly look, mostly from just not knowing her, but realizing she wasn't trying to blockade the place like the other two numbskulls. Abitha simply stalks off toward the counter to ask after a book, something like 'Merlin: The Great Enchanter.'

The door chimes again as someone new comes through, Yule's slender form clad in a warm, navy blue woolen coat to help combat the effects of the cold outside. Beneath, a white button up dress shirt is worn along with a pair of khaki dress slacks. He appears to be a man on a mission as those brown eyes flicker about to find the anthropology section, at least until a familiar voice reaches his ears, and around his head cranes until he spies Alexander. "Hey," A dip of his head comes before the M.E.'s attention drifts, soaking in the others as he resides half in, half out of that particular section he'd come for.

"I'm trying to decide if freezing to death is better or worse than drowning and coming up short," Enzo comments dryly to Alexander. "Vinnie?" Aghast, simply aghast, Autumn. "No, definitely not. It's Enzo or we'll have to fight as new acquaintances, the choice is yours. "You're welcome!" he calls after Abitha. "It's nice to see you too!" To the surprise of few, Enzo enjoys not just internet fights but fights with real life people and will likely be one of Alexander's murder stats in the future.

Alexander stares back at Abitha. "Alexander Clayton," he says, helpfully. "We met. There were elves. You ran. Which is okay. Running is a sane response." He hunches his shoulders a little as she turns away, and glances to Autumn. "It's Gray Harbor. It's terrible here. You sort of get used to it, or you die. Or live in denial. All popular choices." There's a sound of reluctant amusement at Enzo's remarks. "Freezing is better. Right before you die of hypothermia, there's a sensation of euphoria and warmth. People have been known to strip naked and dance in the show. Drowning just sucks the whole time." A quick smile as he spots Yule. "Yule." It looks like he might say more, but noting the 'on a mission' look, he subsides.

Autumn has nothing but a friendly smile for Abitha, seeing as she didn't lead with being an arrogant butthead or a bizarre dream-accomplice. That smile gets transferred to Enzo then, morphing into a toothier version at his reaction to her suggestion. "'Vince?'" But it fades fast when Alexander delivers...well, something sort of related to answers. "Thank God no one stripped." No one stripped, right? "Okay, so you're saying that dreams here can kill you. Great. Perfect." She doesn't look completely convinced. Put her in the 'denial' camp.

There's a brief argument about release date, some menacing comments made from the little gamer that gets the book retrieved from behind the counter. She was not going back out into the cold if she could help it. As it's picked up and perused, Enzo's comment has Abitha's arm raising as if she were about to make the first attempt to add Enzo's name to the spoken of statistics. There's a flailing of arms, the counter-person reminding Abitha this was not an appropriate response, and that the book was only for her to read, not attempt murder with. She pays with a grumble before wandering somewhat reluctantly toward the people. They were near the exit, anyhow. A delayed response to Alexander. "A name doesn't mean you really know a person." A pleasant grin is angled Autumn's direction, seeming to key in that she was effectively annoying Enzo and this makes her very valuable. Yule is only briefly noticed, brow quirked, eyes narrowed... recognized? She tries to place him from that brief Pourhouse passing.

"I ever tell you about the cute little sign I have hanging in my trailer, Alexander?" Of course Yule hasn't, which is why he's telling the man now. "It says Support your medical examiner. Die strangely. I appreciate you giving interesting suggestions to people." Comes the dry, morbid humor as he catches only a bit of that conversation between the others, those brown eyes skimming over Abitha, Autumn, and of course Vince! His head pops back into his aisle to scan the spines of the books, before one catches his focus. Out it is plucked as he returns into full sight, flipping open the cover to peer over the table of contents. Up those eyes come as he feels Abitha's own upon him, a quirk of a smile blossoming to life as he adds yet another name for her, "Yule."

"No! Not Vince. Enzo. En. Zo. Ennnnnzo," he repeats. Who sounds like an eccentric rich person obsessed with their name now? Enzo does, that's right. There's a huff of exasperation. "It's not terrible all the time," he counters to Alexander. But there's something in his tone to suggest that terrible is pretty disproportionately out of whack to the okay. He doesn't continue to pester Abitha, because at certain point continuing to do so would just be awkward and he's self aware enough to stop juuust right there on the line. Yule receives a perfectly reasonable, "Hello."

Alexander blinks at Abitha. "No, but,"...no, he's got nothing, so he just ducks his head in agreement. "No, it doesn't. Sorry." He scuffs the floor with one boot, before shaking his head. "We did not get to the naked snow dancing part of the evening. Isabella got a icicle through her foot, though. She's going to see a doctor. And yes, they can kill you. Sorry about that." Another one of those smiles for Yule. "I like that. If people have to die, it should at least be entertaining for someone." And then, hearing Enzo try desperately to get across his preferred name, he just offers, "Vincenzo. It's your actual name."

"She'd better," Autumn replies to Alexander crisply. "She should have gone already. Puncture wounds are an invitation to get a raging infection." At least mundane ones are. She presses her lips together at Alexander's apology for killer dreams, unsure of how to respond, and instead waits for Enzo's reaction to the most recent name suggestion.

"Mac." Abitha returns to Yule, before there's a slight blanching at Alexander's words, not having realized what sort of conversation she'd just stumbled into, and the entire explanation being something she'd definitely want to avoid. Her book is hefted, but just gently knocked into Alexander's arm, "This would have been a relevant explanation made to people earlier, Magnum, but not really like In-The-Middle-of-Bookstore kind of conversation..." And then there's the dangling, golden lure of Enzo's true name, and her face goes blank, becoming a thousand yard stare for a moment before the impact of the info washes over her. Her face is slowly turning toward the insufferable Addington, lips slowly growing into the most mischievously happy smile imaginable, on the near end of crazed.

It's spoken with such a calm, casual demeanor that one might think Yule truly believes Enzo was offering up either syllable as means to address him if they didn't know the good doctor better. "Nice to meet you, Zo." That bland expression turns to Alexander, a soft 'mmm' coming from the man, "Yeah. One can only write down, 'Too Much McDonalds' as the cause of death before it gets boring. Spice things up a bit." It's only his words about Isabella that get a reaction from him, one dark brow arching upwards, "You need to keep her alive till spring, else I think I'm likely to die horribly at sea. She recovering well?" It's Mac who gets a dip of his head in return, something about that name and face tugging at that vague memory of the Pourhouse, but on he goes first towards the cashier, book in hand.

Vincenzo. It's your actual name. Enzo looks up at the ceiling and closes his eyes very deliberately, likely counting to some mystery number. "You know what, that's fine. Vincenzo is fine," he finally agrees, resignation and exasperation laced throughout his words. Yule calls him 'Zo' and he whips his phone out and starts furiously texting someone.

(TXT to Patrick) Enzo : I'm having my name legally changed. Are we even Italian???

Alexander bristles a bit at Autumn. "I did perfectly adequate first aid. She's not going to get an infection," he mutters. "I have a very good kit. This sort of thing happens a lot." And then Abitha is hitting him gently with a book, and he sort of sidles away, frowning at her. "My name's Alexander. Not Magnum. And it doesn't matter," he says, with a shrug. "Everyone knows I'm crazy, and most of them don't stand out. They'll forget." He frowns at Yule. "Why would you die at sea? And she's...okay. Well enough to chase the cat around the house." And finally, a little smile of triumph at Vincenzo being 'fine'. ALEXANDER WINS, AT LAST.

The perpetual cold is useful in that Autumn has kept her arms crossed in front of her since entering the shop, which keeps her from having to cross them again at Alexander. "It doesn't matter how good you are, there's a bunch of contaminants jammed up in there." Yum! Having delivered that bit of information, she subsides for a moment, actually looking around the shop for the first time since arriving. "Do they have coffee in here?"

"V to the Izzo." Abitha decides on with a self-satisfied grin. If you were gonna annoy someone with a nickname, gotta take it way into left field. Abitha actually looked a bit puzzled as to that explanation from Alexander, frowning a bit as she's reminded of other information she'd been given. "Whatever, Dresden... Still seems irresponsible..." she mutters, "Uh, if they did, I'd have been drawn to it by smell, I think. So, no." she offers helpfully to Autumn, "Also, voodoo or not, y'all talk about some gross stuff right in the open. It's weird."

(TXT to Enzo) Patrick : It was originally Azzintonia, but they made the family change it when we immigrated.

A small bit of laughter comes from Yule for the question Alexander poses to him, a touch of mischief dancing in his gaze. "She's to help me properly launch a boat, so it doesn't end up capsized at sea. Long story." He murmurs as he pulls out his wallet, cash on hand used to make his purchase of the book, a ghost of a smile creasing his features towards Vincenzo. "It's not that weird," He counters towards Abitha, "Especially given that we are in a book story full of interesting, odd books and the work at least some of us do around here. Why, I'd say this is downright the most mundane conversation I've had in the presence of Alexander so far."

Laugh. It. Up. Enzo is taking his broken sunglasses and all of these self-help books on improving your writing skills and hitting the return line. Who got him these for Christmas anyway? He's an excellent writer. Another text is shot off and then he's out of here, "Later."

(TXT to Patrick) Enzo : This is serious, Partrick.

Alexander shivers, huddling himself down in his jacket. He frowns at Autumn. "Are you a doctor? You were helping people after the...whatever that was. A game? I feel like it was meant to be a game. And," a flick towards Abitha, "why irresponsible? If I could make people believe it, I'd be lobbying for 'survival in Gray Harbor' to be free classes at the community center. Have you seen our disappearance and suicide rates? Irresponsible is acting like everything is okay." Even so, when Yule makes that remark about this being the most mundane conversation they've had, he blinks, hurt flashing across his face, before he ducks his head. "I'm sorry. You can ignore me. If it bothers you."

Autumn droops a little when the lack of coffee is confirmed. Also, "Sorry. Sometimes I forget normal people don't want to hear about infection rates." It's genuinely self-deprecating. But she didn't come in here for books, she came in here for coffee, and so it's time for her, too, to leave. But not without a little burble of wry laughter at Alexander. "EMT." To the rest in general, "Nice to meet you," and she trundles back outside.

(TXT to Enzo) Patrick : Is it, Vincenzo? In that case, I recommend "Thomas" for your new name.

Abitha isn't even covert about the fist she pumps as Enzo beats a hasty retreat. Two for two. At least in her mental calculations. For some reason she reaches to gently knock Alexander again. Why? Well she thought people shouldn't issue apologies when they weren't needed. She was just ribbing. Does she communicate that? No, that would take self-awareness. A slightly concerned look is turned Yule's way, "Ok, you're talking about convo topic, I'm just happy nothing is trying to kill me for the first time I've been in his vicinity." Autumn's departure has her reminded there were a few more things she'd have to take care of as well. "And in the spirit of keeping that statistic..." she steps forward, knocks on the wood door, offers a little wave to the two men and scurries out into the frozen tundra of suffering.

A dip of Yule's head comes towards Autumn as she makes her farewells, those brown eyes trailing after Enzo as well, commiting them both to memory. "Don't sulk," Comes his comment towards Alexander, though there is true warmth in that tone, a level of sincerity as he looks towards the other man, "Mundane is boring. I quite enjoy our conversations, yeah? So I won't have you thinking otherwise." He watches as yet another takes their departure, a wry smile curling to the corners of his mouth at Abitha's quip back before she departs. "Well. I suppose that is one way to clear out a book store."

"...Well, I wouldn't recommend it." Beth says in as even a tone as she can manage into her phone as she pushes the door to the book store open. She is quiet for a while, presumably to hear the other person on the line before she begins, "I know you have your heart set on an open casket, but when someone is left alone like that for so long there is only so much that can be done. Have you considered having a memorial service after he is laid to rest?" She starts towards the book shelves, picking up a book and turning it over while she continues her conversation. "Of course you can call me back. If you'd like to come in we can discuss other...alternatives. Have a good day." She hangs up her phone, lets out a exhale of air, and puts the book back before she picks up another.

"I don't think the elves were trying to kill anyone," Alexander mutters, "I think they just wanted to eat your presents. There's a real difference there, qualitatively." And then he's thwapped gently with a book again, and shrinks away from it. He watches Abitha and Autumn go, brow furrowed, until Yule speaks. Another of those brief, tentative smiles. "At least I'm not boring, then. I guess." When Beth comes in, he nods to her, saying to Yule, "She helped rescue octopi, as well."

"Or Yule Cats that only want to eat you if you aren't wearing a gift." Comes his own murmured thought to Alexander when it comes to the oddities of Christmas stories come to life, "Your company is enjoyable, never boring." The M.E. offers up towards Alexander, before his focus shifts to the new arrival into the bookstore, his fingers curled around his most recent purchase. "Did she? I hope," The mortician is flashed a warm smile, his voice lifting enough for her to hear him once that phone has been hung up, "you are managing with all of the oddness better than I last left you, Beth? We didn't ever have a chance to catch back up after... well. That all happened."

When Beth hears Yule's voice she puts the book she is looking at down on the shelf, and heads in the direction of Yule and Alexander. She has a bandage under her eye, and old bruising that is almost successfully covered up by her deftly applied foundation. "I'm managing." She says with a nod of her head and a smile. "It just seems like suddenly a whole bunch of weirdness is happening very frequently whereas it only happened on occasion? Like I've been..." Her brow furrows thoughtfully, "..noticed by bad karma. How are you, Yule?" She shifts her gaze to Alexander then, "And how are you? Find any more ocean creatures on the land with fashion accessories?"

"Yule cats? What are Yule Cats?" Alexander asks, peering at the medical examiner. "And yours is enjoyable, as well." His attention returns to Beth, and looks her over, focusing on those almost-hidden bruise marks with utterly rude intensity. "No further tree octopi. I've heard stories about them, but that was the first reputable lead on their movements. Maybe one day we'll find their...nest? Village? Hatbox?" A shrug, then, "What happened to your eye?"

"I've certainly been noticed," Comes his calm quip back towards Beth, though he doesn't expand upon just why. "If you ever need to talk, yeah? You know how to get a hold of me." It's a brief aside to Alexander, a ghost of a smile as he explains, "Big.. big cats that, here? Hunt you down if you aren't wearing something gifted to you. You hear about the bear in the park? Yeah. That was a Yule cat. Nearly had my head bit off." It's his question to Beth that mirrors his own thoughts, and so those brown eyes turn back to the woman, waiting for the explination of that newest, visible injury.

The description of Yule Cats gets a curious look from Beth, but she doesn't remark on it. Instead she smiles and nods her head in acceptance of Yule's offer. "I actually did want to ask you about if you found anything in regards to the reason why I called you to the funeral home, but I can do that later." She looks back to Alexander, "A Christmas Tree got caught up in the wind just as the storm started, and went through the windshield of my hearse. I'm a big idiot who doesn't wear a seatbelt so I got real intimate with the steering wheel."

"Yes," Alexander says, to Beth. "Things have gotten weirder. More dangerous. And more people who stand out are being drawn to the town. I've noticed it." He almost bounces on his heels, as if terribly pleased that someone else has noticed it, too. "You should wear a seatbelt. You're a mortician, you know what people look like when they go through windshields." That's very matter-of-fact. Don't ask if Alexander has accident photos somewhere in his home. You know the answer. He glances back to Yule. "...that's new. Yule Cats. I wonder why. Is the idea that they are only eating the unloved? And is it because they won't be missed, or does it change the flavor of the meal?"

"I need to follow up with the detectives to see what they found out, but yeah. We can catch up," Yule promises, a flash if a smile cast towards Beth before her story has a grimace creasing his features, "Ouch. That fucking sucks. Lucky you didn't have it worse, I suppose." It's a glance towards Alexander and his hypothesizing about the cats that has a quirk of a smile returning to him in good humor, one shoulder lifting into a hapless shrug, "Don't know. But once James and I exchanged gifts, as hurriedly as we did? They lost all interest. I remembered someone talking to me about it a long while back. One of those Yule facts... it is an actual folklore, they are, though I can't recall where from."

"Everyone I know who glows has noticed it." Beth says softly to Alexander. "They get pulled into those dreams more often. As have I." She nods her head in agreement. Yes she should wear a seatbelt. Yes she's lucky it wasn't worse. She listens as the conversation goes back to the Yule Cats again. "Are these things that were in a dream or something like the hat wearing octopi?" She wonders aloud.

"Glow...is it a glow for you?" Alexander studies Beth with interest. "I'm always curious, how people perceive it. I know someone who hears a song. Another who just gets a gut feeling. I see...focus. I guess." But his eyes dart back and forth with interest at the conversation between the two. "Detectives? Was there something suspicious in the corpses you've been dealing with?" His eyes are suddenly bright, like a child at the prospect of going to the fair.

It's that talk of how people perceive it that Yule files away, a momentary focus on his part that is lost as his mind mulls it over, brow furrowing before Beth's question tugs him back to the question. "Dream, pretty sure. Didn't see the," A beat of a pause, glancing between the two, "hat octopus to compare it to, so can't say for sure what it is in relation." A soft snort comes from him for Alexander's sudden, rapt interest, the mirthful chuckle springing to life only fleetingly, "Yeah. The death itself was suspicious, but not your sort of suspicious. Now, the corpse being reanimated during a freak thunderstorm while we were getting ready to transport her from the mortuary to the morgue? That is right up your alley, Alexander."

"Vanilla!" Sparrow calls back out the door as she opens it, bell jangling overhead, answered with another feminine voice assuring, "Ohmigod, Mena, I know!" Might be a teensy bit rude, the way she stands there letting the bitter cold drift in for a few seconds as she watches her sister head off like she might wanna yell something else just to be annoying, but she lets her go, and lets the door close, smiling to herself with winter-rosy cheeks as she peeks in. The neon redhead is dressed in black and denim today, except for the rainbow gloves she's working to pull off and pocket and the bright logo across her chest beneath her open coat. Her sweatshirt has a pink My Little Pony wearing a Gryffindor striped scarf and waving wand, and it declares MY PATRONUS IS A PINKY PIE! Though it looks, for the barest second, like she might start toward the counter, the nearby patrons catch her attention instead, a wide smile forming. Though she creeps closer to the trio, there's no immediate interjection. As if she has the subtlety to actually succeed at eavesdropping. Ha!

Beth nods her head, "Uh huh. Like cosmetic highlighter if people wore it like Instagram models do. But all over their skin instead of just the cheeks." She gives Alexander a curious look, "How do you see focus?" When Yule answers her question she nods a little. "I went to Tacoma with Ciprian Kosimar during Thanksgiving. We had his daughter with us. We got caught up in a dream while changing a tire, but the only weird thing that happened was his daughter wasn't there. It was like it was meant specifically to torment him. But then there are these weird dreams about Yule Cats, and..." She shakes her head softly. "I don't get it." She lets out a groan when Yule mentions what happened at her funeral home, "I am just getting over going down there again." She glances towards Sparrow because how could she not? But clearly she is trying to sneak so she diverts her gaze from the colorful woman so as not to give her away.

"I can't imagine the octopi and the cats would even be in the same branch of whatever taxonomy applies to Veil creatures," Alexander muses. "I don't know that anyone has tried to classify them, though. Other than 'trying to eat me' and 'not currently trying to eat me'." He frowns a bit. "And every type of suspicious is my type of suspicious," he says, with a bit of huff. He breaks off the sulk, and nods, though, when Beth elaborates. "Yeah. The dolorphages feed on misery, pain, anger, and apparently our abilities? It feels like? But sometimes the lost places seem to...miss the mark for that sort of stuff, and they're just weird. Whether it's tree octopi, or Harlem Globetrotters on a rampage. I don't think they understand people very well."

He also notices Sparrow sneaking, but is not as polite as Beth. He turns to stare at the approaching woman. His eyes flick to Yule. Then back to Sparrow. Staaaaare.

It's the name Mena that has Yule's brow furrowing, recognizing that fairly unique identifier. It's just the first of many clues that someone ever so familiar has entered into the bookstore. "Yeah?" He asks Beth, brow furrowing, "It's certainly an odd thing, how they are put together. I can give you a run down of a few things if you want sometime." It's a dip of agreement at first to Alexander, at least until he gets into the super weird things like the Globetrotters on a rampage. "Maybe they are like, thirty years behind the times," He muses. It's the other man's look back and fourth that finally has his composure break a touch, a lazy smile curling to the corners of his mouth as he asks, "Is my stalker behind me? Because that would be fabulous." Clearly he has put two and two together before casting a glance over his shoulder towards the bright red head. "Hey. Think you know Alexander, yeah? And this is Beth. Beth, this is Sparrow... think you two at least swapped words with the whole charity auction, I imagine."

"That's kinda my issue with it," Sparrow chimes in with a far too bright smile for Beth, given the subject matter. "How some of it seems so maliciously pointed, and then some of it, like... where did the random space hedgehogs come from..?" To Alexander, who also gets a cheerful finger-waggling wave to go with the smile in acknowledgement of his more pointed attention, she notes, "They were trying to eat someone if not specifically me," of said space hedgehogs. The elaboration on what certain Veil-beasties eat sees her smile dimming a bit. Briefly. Fully outed, she closes the last of the distance until she's standing beside Yule, her shoulder bumping affectionately against his. "Hi. Possibly. Corresponded with maybe half the town getting that monster organized and dishing out gifts, but it went really, really, really well, so." Worth it. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Sounds like you're having some important discussion. Right in front of the shop. Where any old anyone could just happen on by." Beat. "Have you guys seen how cozy comfy it is upstairs?"

"Right. It's like people are either understood to terrifying capacity or it's just, well...weird. Like an actual dream only more realistic and everything is hungry." Beth mouths the word dolorphages after Alexander says it. To Yule she says, "That would be great, actually." She nods her head in agreement with Sparrow and as she is introduced lifts a hand in greeting. She smiles, "Well we're just a bunch of nerds in a bookstore taking the Harry Potter-like fantasy we love far too seriously. Or, at least, that's probably what we sound like."

Alexander blinks at the finger waggle but, after a moment, his hand rises to return it, with a solemn expression. "Indeed," he says, to the stalker being behind Yule, and smiles a bit. "Space hedgehogs sound intriguing, and I'd like to hear about them, but...I should go, actually. Just came in to warm up for a moment." He sighs. "Didn't work." A nod of his head to Beth and Sparrow, although Yule gets a curt, "Don't die," in parting, before he turns and walks back out into the winter cold.

Yule's own shoulder bumps back against Sparrow, a warm smile flashed her way as she steps forward. His mouth parts, but Alexander's own words steal his thoughts away about space hedgehogs, and then? The fellow is leaving. "I'll catch up with you later, yeah?" It's Beth's thoughts about how they sound that has a low rumble of a chuckle coming to life momentarily, and then it is on to deeper introductions, "Beth runs the Lawson Funeral Home. Director and Mortician there. She's the one I was with when I told you about the bodies rising up," It's spoken as much for Beth's benefit, to know that such things are O.K. to discuss around the red head, whom he gets too next, "Sparrow is, beyond being an amazing charity fund raiser organizer, studying chemistry in school. I bet she'd love to watch you work sometime, if you didn't mind it, to see how the whole process of embalming goes." Yule's head shakes just a touch towards Sparrow, and up those brown eyes cast to the stairs, "I haven't. Came in looking for something," A tap of his fingers come against the purchased book he holds, "But the upstairs had caught my eye."

Sparrow might be ready to give Alexander a full run-down of her space hedgehog run-in, but he's not sticking around. A flicker of a disappointed frown is followed with, "Another time?" in offer more than any actual expectation before she returns her attention to the remaining two. Specifically to Yule, at first, to flash him a curious look. Was he planning on getting himself into lethal danger? When he directs attention back to Beth, there's recognition. And sympathy, if that's what the scrunching of her face is meant to convey. What follows is a faintly uncomfortable look as her interest in embalming is volunteered. "Uh. I, uh." With a shake of her head, she summons her smile back and tells Beth, "You're probably right," in a faintly apologetic tone. "I just... worry, ya know? Little sister doesn't glimmer, and I'm trying to scoot her off to out of state college as best I can before she gets too curious or caught up in any of this, ya know?"

"See you." Beth says to Alexander as he departs. Her attention turns back to Yule and Sparrow. "Right. I remember the charity auction. Sadly, whoever won hasn't solicited my services for a makeover just yet." She looks supremely amused as she says this. She smiles at the suggestion of showing Sparrow how to embalm. "Sure. Why not? Let me know if you're interested and we can set something up." If Beth thinks it is weird that Sparrow is interested in embalming then she shows no sign of it. She nods her head in understanding, "They seem to rationalize a lot." She says of those who don't glimmer. "But I understand wanting to get her away." She smiles apologetically, "I should get going myself. Only meant to pop in a little bit. Sparrow if you are interested Yule has my number. I'm also hiring funeral attendants, and it can be a part time position." She starts towards the door then, "See you both."

It's that touch of uncomfortable reaction that Sparrow gives that has a flash of mild surprise coming from him, before he murmurs, "Or maybe not." Towards Beth and his assumed interest on Sparrow's part. His mouth parts, but whatever other thought comes his way is stymied with Beth's departure, a hand lifting to waggle towards her, "Take care. I'll swing by and update you sometime soon on things." Only once she is out does his gaze drift to the woman by his side, head tipping a touch in consideration before he explains. "Alexander is helping me with a few things." It's that last word that has a touch of danger to it, "Speaking of which. I'm looking at blood samples to see if there are any commonalities in those that glimmer, if you ever feel up to donating a touch."

Sparrow's curiosity piques at the prospect of that odd sort of job, offered by someone who can see how she presents, not at all somber and background-oriented, but she doesn't hold Beth up, nodding as she says, "I might. Nice meeting you!" Once they're relatively alone in the shop, just the clerk over there paying them the most passive mind and whoever else--if anyone--might be lost wandering the tall, narrow aisles, she turns directly to Yule, holds up a finger to put a pin in his thought about blood sampling, and explains, "We should maybe have a talk sometime about the absolute pointlessness of embalming and how it is an obscenely outdated practice that we, as a society, really need to start working past. Not all chemistry is good chemistry, but I am totally capable of engaging in conversations about cremation and hydrolysis, so." When her hand comes down, it angles for his side as she steps closer. "How formal is this study? Are there appropriate release forms and alla that? Who's gonna have access to the blood samples and the data?"

"When I go? I want to be cremated. And while I dislike the thought of certain practices, in the end? It's peoples bodies to dictate how they want to face their own death after their time passes." A lopsided smile curls to the corners of his mouth, head tipping to the side as she turns the conversation towards the request he had made. Out his hand comes, curling about her waist in a lazy hold, not to pull her closer but just to have a connection of touch, "Not formal. No submittal to a journal, not that any would have it. Data will be kept anonymous, with myself as the only one with access to the individual data, along with the lab I choose to process it - but again, with having it be anonymous. Once analyzed? Samples will be destroyed. Aggregated data will be shared to a few, namely Alexander and Isabella at this point in time. No release forms, unless you feel like you need all this in writing."

"First?" Sparrow's go to for point-making. "Definitely okay with becoming compost, personally," comes with a smile. "Second?" Her face scrunches up again. "That's not really accurate? And I know you know that. People can't just decide what to do with their own corpses. Legally. No letting our bones get picked clean by birds and bugs. Then? Within the options which are legally available to us?" She shrugs. "I would be willing to bet that most people don't know that they can opt out of embalming or that there might be reasons to do so. It's been standard practice for so long that we just kinda... accept it. But humanity's weird. Trying to preserve what we don't need anymore. I dunno. This is a big conversation." Her expression flashes vaguely apologetic as she sinks in a little closer. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with how loosely you're handling it. Especially if you're outsourcing the analysis. You definitely need something in writing. Not just to protect donors, but to protect yourself. I get that this is a weird weird thing, but." Scientists gonna science, yo, and that's just not how science is done. "If you need help with some barebones structure and formalization, lemme know?"

"Legally is a slippery slope when it comes to freedoms to ones own body," Comes Yule's firm commitment towards this particular endeavor, "And it is a dinstinction that I feel more lawmakers should have in general, including in women's rights, yeah? More freedom versus less. I'm all for education, and a discussion of options, but that is different from saying we have to start working past it. But it's a far larger convesration than even just embalming goes," This earns a dip of his head in agreement, head just shaking a touch, "The concept of leaving /spots/ where people are buried, given the decomposition rates even of bodies not embalmed.. at some point? Space is going to run out. A world full of cemeteries," He murmurs, but up a hand lifts to brush it to the side. "If you aren't comfortable with it? Then it's all right. I'll find samples elsewhere. But no, there will be no formalization, all to make certain I am protected." Of that? Yule sounds certain, whatever else he knows of the Weird Weird that is unspoken giving him that calm confidence.

Sparrow looks like she's collecting counterpoints as Yule begins to address the issues she's brought up, but when he gets to the part about burial? That has her smiling. And leaning in closer still, pushing up to her toes just that teensy little bit needed to steal a kiss before he directs the conversation from one point to the next. She lingers close as she murmurs, "We should talk about this over dinner," with an upward pitch of her brows that implies the planning's on him. The bell above the door jangles again, but she pays it very little mind, genuine concern crossing her features when the ME proceeds to make zero sense on the point of protection.

Whatever she has to say on the matter is preempted by a delighted squeak of, "Mena!" as her sister makes her way over. This inspires a bit of sudden propriety from the redhead as she sinks back to flat feet and tries to get a couple inches of distance between herself and Yule. Zelie squeals, "Mr. Romance!" at Yule and holds out her hand as she clutches two cups from Espresso Yourself in her other arm. "If Mena talks about me as much as she talks about you--" But Sparrow's already nudging her sister away, cutting her off as she explains to Mr. Romance himself, "Pretty sure that's my cue to go. We've got a day ahead of us. Talk soon?" Not that Zelie seems all that interested in getting back out into the world when there is something so interesting right here, the dark-haired teen starting to apologize for her redheaded sister's behavior between giggles.

In Yule leans to offer a press of his mouth back against hers when that kiss is stolen, and his voice drops to a soft murmur, "Yeah. I'll invite you over," Soon is the implied promise, though who knows just how dinner at the trailer would be arranged. "And I'll give you my warnings first, then leave it to you as to how much digging you want to get into." More of that cryptic talk, but for a heartbeat? Yule seems far more inclined to pursue that mouth to steal a kiss back, at least until that singular name rings out and she's pulling back. "You must be Zelie, the marvelous little sister I've heard so much about," That hand is taken in a firm if brief grasp by the M.E. It's one of those small but charming smiles flashed towards the pair, even as Sparrow begins to nudge them both away, "Of course," He promises towards the younger sister, before his focus sharpens on the red head, giving a warm smile towards her. "Take care, and I'll get a hold of you soon."

"Aww!" Zelie croons when she's correctly identified, though that's turned toward Sparrow. "You do talk about me." When the younger sister turns back to Yule with their hands separating, she tells him, "You should join us for lunch," only to be answered with a corrective, "Dovey," from her big sister. With an eyeroll and a headwobble and a sighed, "Fine," she lets it go. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Romance." Has she been told his actual name? Who knows. Sparrow blows a kiss toward the ME, her smile warm and not at all embarrassed despite the swiftness with which she hurries her sibling out of the shop. She takes up one of those cups as they leave, the pair already gossiping about the man they're leaving behind before the door shuts.