2020-01-05 - House Guest

On the fifth of January, Patrick Addington has a fair few things going on. He has to go to church in the morning, having spent the start of the year sinning pretty heavily and in dire need of confession; then he has to come home and pack an overnight bag, and linger in the apartment to await the arrival of the niece that he promised could sleep in his spare room. It means that, by midday, he's starting to look hopefully toward the pantry (which he uses as a liquor cabinet, fyi; it's good info for a house guest) while he pads around the apartment, finishing up his little errands.

Presumably, there's some sort of intercom system in this building? Anyway, he's at home at the appointed time for Katy's arrival, and is even decent enough to come down the elevator to meet her in the lobby of the building, stepping out of said elevator with a glance around, bouncing a set of house-keys on his palm while he surveys.

Katy had been driving almost all day and was pretty exhausted by the time she'd arrived in Gray Harbor but seeing her favorite Uncle waiting for her in the Lobby made it all worthwhile. As soon as she entered the building, she rushed over to him to give him a one armed hug. "Hey," she exclaims with a bright smile, a paper bag filled with a bit of Chinese food in hand, "I brought a little bit of takeout, hope you like Chinese. It's just some fried rice, noodles and sweet and sour chicken."

Patrick, not the most physically demonstrative person, still manages to return the one-armed hug with good grace, though it leaves him looking down at the take out as if awkwardly. "These are meant to be yours," he says of the keys, dangling them briefly from his index finger before that same finger punches the button on the elevator. "But I'll hold on to them for you until you're rid of your starchy burden. It's good to see you." That last is more authentic, put with a quick half-smile while the elevator descends to collect them. "I'm on my way to a birthday party tonight," with an eye-roll. "Long story. So you'll have the apartment to yourself." Seldom one to apologize, he tries to pitch this like it's a yay!-thing and not a he-sucks-thing.

Katy always conveniently forgets the non-demonstrative aspect of her Uncle, but somehow is always forgiven so the reaction hardly throws her off. A large purse over her shoulder, and the food in one hand, she's ready to go. "It's good to see you too. I'm so glad to be back, on a more...permanent basis now." She glances at the keys in his hand she adds, "All right, whatever suits you." When her Uncle explains his evening plans, she lets a wide grin out. "I'll be sure to put the time to good use. I'll probably just be settling in anyway. I only brought one suitcase for now. I'll have the rest of my stuff sent at some point, probably when I find my own place."

"You say that," about glad to be here permanently. Patrick side-eyes Katy while he starts that thought, then turns his attention back to the elevator when it dings open. In they go, and up to the sixth floor. Bayside Apartments are nice, so the elevator ride is likely to be a quick one, during which he volunteers briefly, "It's someone I knew when I was younger. His girlfriend and my," this break is only here to indicate the tiny pause taken before the word, "friend Anne are friends." And then he waves off the whole story with a flip of his fingers.

Frankly, while the elevator is still closed and therefore no one is likely to hear them, he looks at Katy and says, "Are you really voluntarily relocating to this awful town?"

"Your friend huh?" Katy teases playfully as they stepped into the elevator, "Uh huh." She says nothing further until asked about her relocation. She gives a playful smile, masking her true feelings about the matter. "I have business here now and I have things to learn. And maybe there might be someone here worth sticking around here for."

His friend, huh? "Only because I'm reasonably sure that, if I called her my enemy, it would get back to her and start a fight. But it's not terribly far from the mark." Patrick keeps his attention on the elevator numbers, then brightens when the door dings open at floor number six. Down the hallway they go, and he stops to try the handle of apartment 601, noting, "Enzo's apartment. It's actually locked." He seems surprised, but not surprised enough to stop moving completely. He fits the key in the lock on apartment 600 and swings open the door, gesturing inside. "Voila, isn't it remarkable." Because it's not, but he puts the keys on the counter for Katy and beckons her to the kitchen with that Chinese food. "Tell me what things you intend to learn, child, so I can tell you why that's a bad idea."

She deposited the food on the kitchen counter before place her large tote purse on a couch in the living room. "I don't care whether it's impressive or not, Uncle Pat. It's just a place to live." She shrugs good-naturedly.

And boy did her uncle not waste any time. The Glimmer and the Veil seemed like topics he had very strong opinions about. "I just want to understand what's been happening to me. I haven't done anything...at least not on purpose. I figure if I know how it all works, I can keep these random things from happening, like exploding windows and broken dishes."

Patrick has a very strict budget for time. This much time for church, this much to pack, this much to get Katy settled, this much to drive where he's going, and so on and so forth. So he's already on to collecting dishes for Katy, setting a plate and silverware and such on the counter next to the food, then looking confusedly around his own kitchen. Everything in it is super-nice, of course, but he gives up after a moment with a shrug. "I don't think I own chopsticks, so you'll have to hope they sent you some. Do you want a drink?" Because he knows exactly where the glasses are!

He's getting those set when he answers frankly, "No one knows how it all works. The closer people get, the more likely they are to disappear or worse. There are far worse things in the world than a little mystery, I assure you."

"I guess we're going to have to learn to agree to disagree on that matter. Unless you want broken windows and dishes during tight deadlines and stuff of that nature. Apparently, sometimes, it's stress related." The blonde shrugs. For her, the need to understand is a lot more about controlling whatever abilities she has, not intentionally going after dangerous things.

She serves herself some fried rice and some chicken after fishing out two sets of chopsticks and handing one to her uncle. She doesn't dare look at him as she's speaking and serving herself, unsure of what his reaction would be.

With a lifted brow, Patrick points out, "It would behoove you to keep in mind..." He leans on his elbows on the counter, watching Katy fix herself food with a sort of amused passivity. "...that some of us can do far worse things than break dishes and windows. Now is a good time for you to practice a little self-control." By which he means: omg don't break his shit! But seriously, he adds more gravely, "I appreciate your curiosity, and I understand the temptation. But there are consequences. Dire ones. Have you never been punished?" There's a certain weight to the last word; he's not talking about being grounded, he's talking about something far more serious.

Katy looks up at her uncle between bites of fried rice, watching his expression, nodding in understanding. "If I knew how to intentionally control whatever's happening when I'm stressed, I wouldn't be looking learn more. Uncle, I'm not going to do anything stupid. Really, I understand your perspective, I do." When he asks about being punished, she raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you have to ask what I mean, then you don't understand my perspective at all." Patrick doesn't sound peevish. He doesn't sound... anything, as a matter of fact, except perhaps a little weary. But that my have nothing to do with the conversation and everything to do with the fact that the gin bottle is empty. He pitches that and gets another. "There are things that will hurt you for using those abilities. Monsters. Or shadows. Or the shadows of monsters. I've never understood that bit, and I don't intend to find out any more than I have to. Did you want a drink, by the way?" Because he's pouring two; so either one of them is for Katy, or he's just gonna pound them both.

"Then maybe it's a good time to at least attempt to learn how they work," Katy says simply, "And don't worry, I'll find time to take up meditation or something."

When he starts talking about monsters and shadows, the young Addington tenses up a little but has very little time to respond as her Uncle offers her a drink. "No thanks, not much of a drinker," she says quietly.

He actually means this question, regarding drinking habits. It hits Patrick as so strange that he recoils slightly from her, blinking as if Katy has become the shadow of a monster. "Dear God, why not?" As promised, he still goes ahead and makes both of the drinks, shaking his head bemusedly while he stows the bottle (back in a pantry that is packed to the gills with similar bottles; he might have definitely has a problem with alcohol). Then he inhales a steadying breath, shaking his head while he tests the first of the pair of drinks. "Don't say I didn't warn you," is where he leaves the subject, clearly disappointed.

"I can't just leave it alone, it's the reason I'm here, the reason my Dad sent me here all those years ago and the reason I have you. I've done everything I can to avoid it, but..." She shrugs, and when the disappointment in his voice hits her ears, it's her turn to recoil and she changes her mind. "Actually you know what? Pass me one of those." She pokes at her rice with her chopsticks.

Shaking his head, Patrick points out, "George isn't like us, so whatever he thought he was doing - " But then he stops himself, and the follow-up shake of his head is more at himself than at Katy. "Look," he begins differently, as patiently as a man pushing forty who has no children can be expected to pretend to be. "I realize you're going to do what you do, but just keep the warning in the back of your mind? At the very least?" And he puts the glass down in front of her. (Don't use your abilities, kid, but drink up!)

"Of course, Uncle Pat, and I intend to exercise the utmost control," Katy replied while taking a sip of her drink; she wasn't used to drinking but it didn't mean she wouldn't try it at this point. She raised her glass and said, "Bottoms up! Here's to self-preservation, whatever that means." She paused for a moment to drink before adding, "I was thinking of inviting Jonathan over to catch up. You know, the hockey player I was seeing a while back?"

Dryly, Patrick lifts his glass and answers, "You'll find out," what it means, he means. And then clicks the edge of his glass against Katy's, finishing the contents in one long swallow. Ice clinks, then resettles when he puts the glass back down on the edge of the counter. "Let's pretend I remember a hockey player that you were seeing a while back. By 'inviting him over,' do you mean to my apartment? Because I don't have Sportsball Channels." His apartment is not the hippest place in the world. 😃

"I'm sure we'll manage as long as you have a decent internet connection," Katy says with a smirk, "We're mostly going to be catching up, talking."

Looking around at the lack of things that he would connect to the internet - his TV, maybe? - Patrick decides, "I'm sure that I do. It seems like something they'd advertise for a place like this." There's no argument from him about what Katy and this guy he's supposed to remember (and very clearly doesn't) are going to be doing, just the request, "As long as you keep it down in the mornings, that's fine. And I - " Have a phone that's buzzing, which he checks as unobtrusively as possible. "I, apparently, am meant to be downstairs in a moment. These keys are for you. So lock up as you come and go, if you would? I'll be back the day after tomorrow."

"All right, I will. Take care, have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she says in a singsong voice, before she says in a more serious tone, "Thank you, for letting me stay. Thanks for caring enough to look out for me."

"I would give you the same advice back, but I feel like we've already had that conversation." Patrick looks at her with one last sigh, then wanders through the apartment to collect his own things - including his own keys. On his way out, he stops to give her a brief pat on the arm - not so squishy and cuddly as a hug, not so fake as a cheek-kiss - and then he's rolling out the door. He stops to bang on the next-door apartment and shout, "Katy is staying at my place, so keep it down, will you!" Even though there's NO NOISE AT ALL coming from Enzo's apartment. It gives him joy, though.