2020-01-29 - Facing the Weird

The fact was that Esme wasn't really ready to talk about it but also knew it was one of those things she would never be ready to talk about. So best to just get it done and over with. Because she wasn't crazy...right? Yule confirmed it - the reporter, Jessica, said she knew about weird things. And apparently Esme herself had been subjected to the weirdness much earlier on in her years than now. Esme didn't come bearing food this time, but she did have a little get well basket with aspirin, some gummy candies (because who doesn't love gummy candies?) and a little book of corny jokes for a laugh.

Stepping into the A-Frame, Esme look an approving glance around at the updates to the interior and then closed the door behind her. Once her boots and coat are shed she's in her standard jean and sweater fare. Walking over to Yule she leaned down to steal a slow, simmering kiss. "Hello love." She murmured once they parted and giving a touch of a smile though she did look a little concerned still. The basket was set on the coffee table and lowered herself on to the arm of the couch, running a hand though his hair. "How are you feeling?"

It's the kiss that Yule responds too first, of course, leaning up a touch from his lounge in the couch, even if he lacks the mobility to chase it like he might normally. A touch of a smile creases his features as he sinks back, the arm closest to her extending out to wrap around her waist to make certain she tucks in close as she settles in. "Darling." But those brown eyes linger on her, narrowing a touch in rapt fascination as he studies the detective, something more than there had been there before. "Recovering. Taking care of the leg. Just time for the muscles and skin to recover. Stitches are holding well, and I'm using my crutches.... or this nice, sweet knee scooter at work." The last comes with a tone of amusement, the ME in good spirits about the injury, all things considered.

"Are you noticing different things now, in people?" It's an odd question, but right to the point as normal comes Yule's first inquiry, tossing that line out there to see what she thinks. "That some of them seem to look a little bit different?" Yes, that basket is given a quick glance, a look of appreciation to finally come with his belated offering of, "Thanks."

"Remind me to stop in one day while you're working so I can memorialize that." Esme laughed when he mentioned using the scooter. She leaned her head on his shoulder, finding some comfort in being close and not having anything ridiculous happening. There's a touch of a frown that crosses her features - confusion. Her head lifts and she focuses on Yule. "What do you mean?" She has been rather internally focused lately and thus, has not really been paying attention to the people around her too much. And, having convinced her parents to stay out of town a couple more days, hasn't gotten a chance to see her mother since this new development.

Though she paused, leaning back some to get a better view of Yule. As if something had caught her eye. And then...she looked a little uneasy. "You're welcome." She adds off handedly at the thanks. "What if I am?" Not willing quite yet to admit to anything even if her expression may have already given her away.

"Yeah, not going to happen," Comes Yule's response, the man always so careful with his appearance, though it's all in good natured jesting. He waits for that touch of disbelief and uncertainty to play out, for that second look his way, before he begins to explain, trying not to sound too out of touch and fantastical with it all. "Some people around here? They see things differently, Esme. You ever watch Stranger Things? Yeah. It's sorta like that, in a way. Some people just... stand out. They experience things. So do normal people, but their minds explain it all away. Like a bear attack in the park," He points out. I mean, really? In the park in the middle of town? A park that just seems to have weird things constantly happening in it.

"It's called Glimmer. Different people can do different things with it. Abilities. Talents. Art. Whatever you want to call it. But there are very bad things out there too. Like this thing that is killing people with cancer so it can eat it." It's there he stops, not really certain where to begin, and leaving it to her to figure out which she wants to poke at, if anything.

Esme falls quiet, letting him speak and absorbing the information. "...I remembered something recently." She starts out with. Focusing down on her hands which are now lightly clasped together. "It was 13. It was summer. That day the fire hydrant on Elm street broke and all the kids were playing." Yule may or may not have been present since he would have been 15 or 16 at the time. "It was in front of this spooky house and...I wanted to use the hydrant as a cover to explore the house...find ghosts." She gave a humorless chuckle. Still finding it hard to believe she'd ever believed in ghosts.

"Thewlis was getting bullied though, and I cut in to stop it...and Beth was there too...his book got thrown in the window of the house and we went in with him to help him get it." There's a little shudder that runs through her. "...It wasn't just a house. It was awful...there were bugs and spider man monster thing and I-" Esme stopped, still staring at her hands. A breath was drawn in and she finally forced herself to look up at Yule. "I did something...I don't know how I did it...but I can feel it Yule. I can feel this...something...flowing. Twisting inside of me and I...I don't know what to do." Despite her words coming out rather calm, the detective looked distraught all the same.

"Sounds about right for you. Always wanting to investigate, yeah?" Comes his offering, though the mirth doesn't quite reach his eyes, catching onto her own lack of humor and knowing what it almost surely means. His arm wraps a touch tighter around her in reassurance, as he murmurs, "Those dreams are... Dreams, Esme. They are real. And it? Is a lot to take in. I didn't know about all this until over a year ago. When I came back to visit... like you? I didn't realize anything until I was older. It is why I wanted to move back."

"As far as what to do? Don't use it. Unless you have to. We need to be careful, because it attracts attention. There is an Over There. The Veil is what most people call it. And it has creatures that feed off of fear, and despair. It's why those sorts of dreams like what you had when you were young? Are usually how it goes. That bear attack in the park I witnessed? It was something called a Yule cat. I don't know if our fairy tales come from what people really experienced over time in these Dreams, or if the Dreams feed off of our imagination. Either way," A faint smile touches barely upon him as the ME leans in closer, "But it means that, in cases like the one we are dealing with? We have to deal with... really weird shit, and possibilities. Even lost, old detectives coming back to give us clues."

Don't use it. That sounded like a fantastic idea. "I think I did something...when I was dreaming of the memory of the...Dream...because I woke up and I'd...well. The bedroom looked like a tornado hit it and my alarm clock got thrown out the window." Esme leaned into Yule a little more. "I convinced mom and dad to stay out of down an extra couple days while I get the window fixed cause I have no idea how to explain what happened." She shook her head. "Speaking of. I spoke with that reporter recently...all the victims were from the same post-op support group. So I'm going to stake the group out. Undercover like. Take the reporter with me. See if Hobbs is there...and then maybe ask around a little if he isn't."

"...You look a little...transparent." Esme admitted finally, touching his hand that was wrapped around her. "You're totally solid but...just a little not all there.." Like a ghost.

"There are three aspects that we know about... and even then we don't know a ton about what they mean. Mental abilities are like... empaths, almost? Read emotions, see the past of objects if there is a meaningful event associated with it. Spiritual powers are healing, and also detecting and understanding glimmer to a degree. Physical? Well, it lets you pick up items and throw them around. Sorta feels like that is what happened to your room." A faint smile curls to the corners of his mouth when she explains about her parents, and he murmurs, "Their mind would make up something reasonable, most likely. That a freak storm must have caused damage. It's... it's just how it works. The things Over There, don't want people poking into it."

"I am?" Comes his curious question when she describes him, a soft 'mmm' of interest, "How people see others that glimmer differs. It's almost like your mind interprets it like you think it should look like, I guess? Have you seen others that look a touch transparent, like me?" Those fingers curl around her own, giving a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah. So the guide we need? That means that he is Over There in his resting spot. And the way to get there is a doorway that he pointed us to. You comfortable with getting Jessica involved? Not sure if she gets that reporting on Weird Stuff can be... very dangerous."

Esme returned the squeeze and shook her head. "Honestly? I haven't been paying much attention to other people lately but I'll start and see if they look like that too." She made a thoughtful little noise. "Do you have any ideas for who is going to play Guide?" Resting her head on his shoulder again and trying to relax once more. "She knows about the weird...understands. And I'm going to lay down more ground rules when I see her in person. I think it will be okay in the end. Well. As okay as such a situation can be." She sighed. "So...what do you do then? Of the aspects?"

"Yeah. Just... be careful. As far as guide? Alexander has been a large help there. I need to have the two of you meet sometime soon," That tone speaks volumes, that this particular person? Is a friend, and one of the people who Get It, "Itzhak or Easton is who he is reaching out to, to see if they can play guide. Don't know either of them myself, but. Hopefully one of the two will be able to help us." Up his hand comes to drape against her head, stroking gently through hair as his head dips into a small nod of approval at the mention of ground rules, focusing instead on her question. "Spiritual and Physical, mostly. I've been working on trying to understand more of what we can and can't do, and how it works. That actually," It is here that a rather sheepish smile comes across his features, not quite apologetic but understanding of how she might take it,"is how I got hurt."

"Clayton. I kind of remember him from when we were kids. The name at least." Esme nodded, making a mental note to keep an eye out for him. "Does Physical...also allow you to...cut people? Without touching them?" Esme asked cautiously. Making a few other notes about what Yule said he seemed to specialize in. Her head tilted and he certainly got that look. "I hope you refrain from getting yourself caught up in the shrapnel in the future." Is what Esme finally settles on, even though there's probably more she could say on the matter. "...Just....be careful. I don't...I was scared. When I heard you went in to the hospital because of the explosion. I don't want to get the call that you're dead. Especially if it's because some...experiment with this weird stuff went haywire."

"Yeah, well. What is done is dangerous, unfortunately. But better precautions in the future will be necessary. I'll be as careful as I can, and now that you know, I can better let you know. After it all happened... there were things that," Here, Yule's voice just trails off, a small shake of his head, not wanting to go down into that particular rabbit hole at the moment. "As far as physical? Maybe? I haven't heard of it. I mean, I suppose you could wield a knife with your mind and throw it at someone without even having to touch it. I've seen mental abilities that act like a ... taser. And Heard of spiritualists who can make use of, well, fire. Truth is though? I think we are only scratching the surface of what is possible." And that is precisely why the experimentation is necessary, so says his tone of voice as he leans in against her. "I'll keep you better informed from now on, yeah? And the same goes for you. It was hard knowing you were out there, in a place where shit like this happens, but you didn't have a clue. And if I tried to tell you? Well, obviously... that'd have gone over really well." Comes his touch of amusement.

"I will. Promise. I want to try and get in touch with Thew and Beth. Talking about it...maybe will be good..." Esme made a thoughtful noise and nodded. "Something to further investigate I guess. I remembered cutting the monster but I didn't touch him." She sighed, lacing her fingers with Yule's. "I'm glad you didn't try to tell me. You're right, it would have been awful and I probably wouldn't be here right now." An idle musing. "But I'm glad I am." There was a best of pause. "So. Uh. What does Yule cat look like anyways?"

"Thewlis has a bit of... control issues. He means well, but if it looks like it is causing him stress? It is better to let it be. Beth is quite new to it all," Once more, it is a rather rueful smile cast towards the detective at all of these things he couldn't really tell her before, "She had noticed something weird with a body... I think I told you about it, yeah? Well, while I was there, a huge storm came up, and those bodies... sorta rose up in her mortuary. Creepy shit." He concludes about it all, and one can only imagine. His head nods slowly when she says she cut the monster, his brow furrowing, "The monster in your memory as a kid? That'd be... interesting, since you hadn't glimmered before. Maybe you did a bit as a kid, and it just.. faded away with the memory?"

It's her question that has a small bark of laughter coming from him, that left leg squirming a touch to get comfortable. "A bear sized cat. I remembered a cute intern, back at NYC, giving me a gift, and saying that I had to wear it or else the Yule cat would come eat me. Looked it up after my encounter. It's an Icelandic tradition, apparently. It was to motivate the people to get the wool in before winter. That if you wore a gift - like a wool sweater - the yule cat wouldn't eat you."

Esme furrowed her brow. "Like...zombies?" Was it really too late to leave town? A glance towards the door and then back to Yule with an internal sigh. Of course it was. Because she'd foolishly let herself fall head over heels for the man she was sitting next to. She laughed then, when he explained about the cat. "Good. I'm glad I have that mental picture not because let me tell you, my first visual was no where close." A touch of teasing in her tone. "Like...you in a c..cat suit.." Esme dissolved into giggles again.

Once she had herself back under control, "So how long are you going to be laid up for?"

"Sort of? She didn't seem to know what was going on when she woke up. The dead... body." His head just shook at that, free hand lifting to brush through locks of hair to drag them back out of his face, before one dark brow arches upwards as she dissolves into that gigglefit. "No. Not me in a cat suit," This gets a small, playful pinch to her side, and down his eyes look to his leg, considering, "Couple weeks on crutches, give or take. I'm avoiding any... non natural healing, but some people? Could have already had me fixed up like new."

"Not yet at least." Esme smirked, about the whole cat suit thing. It was primarily a jest though because certainly wasn't going to go find out or make one but...that would be gold. Anyways. "That's not so bad, at least it's healing up well." She pondered on his words a moment. "Why are you avoiding it? Because questions would be raised?" Esme looked down towards his leg too as she carefully shifted to wrap her arms around him in a loose sort of hug. "Were you alone when it happened?"

"I worry that using the powers is like a drug. What side effects does it have? And," There is a longer pause, his eyes glancing to the side as he recalls just exactly what happened. "Isabella was with me. Minerva too. But Isabella? She's been hurt before, and had it healed up with glimmer. In what we were doing? It felt like, for her, that all her wounds were undoing themselves. A lot of pain. So, if it makes sense to heal normally, and it isn't life or death? Yeah. That's what I'm going to do." He lounges back, drawing her in to lean against him as he lounges on the sofa, "Minerva's place. Seraphim Acquisitions."

"Yeah...that sounds...extremely unpleasant." Esme agreed. "I'm glad you all are mostly okay though...is Seraphim Acquisitions going to be okay? The building isn't destroyed from what I've heard." A beat of pause as she thought. "I saw that Minerva was posting meeting times for discussions about the 'weirdness'...I might go to on. It couldn't hurt right? Having more of a basic understanding of things."

"No. The only actual explosion was just the bucket. It wasn't large. Everything else we witnessed, the building crumbling down? That was all part of the Dream, not... reality? So the building itself is fine." He offers up, letting it sink in that not everything one sees remains in the real world, whatever that is exactly. "She'd be good to talk to, I think. It'll help you out, let you hear it from someone besides just me," He offers up with a touch of humor, those fingers resuming their gentle stroke against her hair, "I need to reach out to her anyway, see how she is holding up."

Esme thought on that for a moment. "No wonder it feels like going crazy." She murmured finally, leaning into the hand that was stroking her hair. "I get the feeling that there's a lot of people in this town who at least know something is fishy. Even if they don't exactly know what." Her free hand idly toyed with a fray strand of her sweater. "I don't know. Part of me is relived I guess? That the blinders are coming off. The other half wants to run back to Spokane."