2020-03-01 - Draw Another Breath

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : ((Ringing from an international number. It's late at night.))

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : Alexander answers, a bit slow but there. "Isabella? Or else prank calls have gotten worse."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "Hey, handsome. Did you get some sleep?" She pauses. "....I feel like there's a story behind that, which you should tell me about someday. How did hunting go?"

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : Alexander can't quite stifle his yawn, or the way his voice brightens when he recognizes the voice as who he hoped it'd be. "I did. With a cat on my head. I think she's glad not to be barred from the bedroom anymore. It's quiet here, with Isolde gone, and Bennie gone, and you away. How are you?"

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : The smile in Isabella's voice is audible, though there are unmistakable sounds of activity in the background - the rattling of a coffee cup and the blurble of a coffeemaker. "I'm..." She yawns, also. "Still jetlagged, it was a bear trying to get to sleep last night. I would have slept through my alarm if Lilith hadn't texted me. She seems to be doing..." She hesitates. "...better than she was. I promised her biscuits. How did the rest of Bennie's detox go?"

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "We got through the worst of it. It's not easy, and she called me some entertaining names. But I think she'll be able to get better from here on out." He sighs. "I'm glad to hear Lilith is doing better. I should check on Byron. I've been a bit...exhausted. Patrick called me out to the Addington House, and that stalker I warned you of was there. He apparently thought Patrick was what I loved." There's a weary hint of amusement in his voice.

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "I'm glad to hear it. She was extremely cuddly during our girls night in." Isabella's tone softens. "From what Lilith tells me, Byron's been focusing on her state and not paying enough attention to his own. I can understand it, but...she's concerned, as any devoted lover would be. The two of them thought about coming up here to see me while I was, but after everything that happened, I think an overseas trip might be off the table. Did you know that Byron bid on the casino?" The coffeemaker stops blurbling. "Your exhaustion might be a good thing if it drives you to get some actual sleep. Are you alright? Are you injured?" There's a soft laugh. "If you're about to tell me that you took Patrick Addington out on a date just to keep the stalker off me, I won't know if I ought to be jealous or impressed. Why did Obsesi think that?"

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "It might do them good. To get out of the town for a while. Focus on something more pleasant than this place." And then he goes very silent. Even the sound of his breathing stops. "Did he? Did he win it?" A hint of that sharp curiosity comes through even without having to see his face. "And not exactly. Anne asked Patrick to check up on me, after everything, so he brought flowers. Sarcastically, I think. But the creature must have been watching. I don't think it understood sarcasm." Then he clears his throat. "But you haven't mentioned the most important part of all of this. How are you? And when is your defense?"

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "I think they're still waiting for the final bids to come in." There's a long pause from Isabella. "I can almost see your eyes from here, though. What's up? Keep the news about the casino between us, by the way, I think Lilith only mentioned it to me because she trusts me." There's a creak of a gentle weight settling on something soft, and the distant sounds of passing traffic. "And probably not, though if there's anyone on the planet who could make such a gesture sarcastic, it would be Patrick. But it's nice of him, to come on Anne's behalf. I'll have to thank her and him for being so worried about you." A brief silence at his last question. "I'm exhausted, like you. But alert, and quite nostalgic. It's been almost a year since I've been here, I think I've been gone long enough that the streets feel...strange, but familiar at the same time. I can feel its age in a way that I've never felt before. My defense is scheduled the day after tomorrow, in the afternoon."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : Alexander hums thoughtfully on the other end of the line. "All right. I will. I was going to look into the buyer, is all. Casinos are very popular tools for money laundering and other sorts of organized crime. It'd be interesting to see where the money comes from. And where it goes. If Byron is purchasing it, I should keep an eye out for him. Make sure nothing unsavory takes root. I don't have to let him know, though." He laughs, then, softly. "Yeah. You're not wrong about Patrick. He's not bad. Even if--" he hesitates. "Anyway. Are you going to take some time to enjoy yourself before your defense? Catch up with your friends there?"

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "Once the buyer is publicized, you won't need to hide your knowledge of it by that point," Isabella says after an audible sip of coffee. "But if you intend to make sure Byron doesn't get into trouble, I'm all for it, just...be careful? You already know how I feel about you shaking mafia trees." He can almost see her tilt her head the way she does at his aborted sentence. "Even if what...? About Patrick?" she prompts gently. "And no. Absolutely not. I know them, they'll make me drink until I forget everything and I have every intention of holing up here going over my defense until the day. And then I can cut loose - maybe meet them all in a pub in London after I visit some museums." She laughs quietly at that, though it fades, and after a heartbeat or two of silence: "I know it's been quiet and you're exhausted, but other than that, what about you? How are you, really?"

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : Alexander chuckles. "I know how you feel. Ah. I should mention - it seems that Javier is better. He didn't want to talk about it, but he said he owed you an apology." Then there's a breath. "Let's just say that my suppositions about the Addingtons and the Baxters have more support behind them than I'm really comfortable with. And Patrick asked me to go with some of the younger Addingtons to the other side of the mill. That should be interesting. I'm taking Yule, too. He's not a Baxter, or an Addington. And I'm...okay? I don't know. Just very tired. I love you. And I miss you. And I think you should do something every day that isn't practice your defense. Something fun."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "Oh." A long pause from Isabella about Javier. "He does, but he's always been conscientious about seeking forgiveness when it's needed. Not that I helped, we had a fight during the week of Valentine's, after you and I..." She sighs. "Anyway, which suppositions? That the Baxters are bad-blooded? I remember you mentioned that you got the impression over the summer that the Gohls were a fine enough family until Baxter blood got into the mix. I...before I left, Hyacinth and I had lunch. She told me she had a conversation with Margaret. And..." She falls very quiet when he mentions the mill. "At least you're not going alone, but with what Hyacinth and then Katy told me about their dreams, I'm convinced that it might take an Addington to get anywhere with that property. But if you're going, just..." He can practically sense her close her eyes. "Just please be careful." Her voice grows softer. "I love you and miss you desperately. Also, I am doing something fun that isn't practicing my defense, I'm talking to you!" The last said with a laugh.

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "A fight?" Alexander's voice goes flat. "He needs to stop fighting with you." It's a momentary flash of that protective, dark temper, though, and he reins it in after a breath or two. "But you're an adult, and I am sure you and he can handle it without my interference." Another breath. "Not exactly. If you've heard about the Addington dreams, then you know that they're the opposite of ours. We get destroyed at their hands. Let's just say that Patrick and I have similar suspicions about what that means about the two families' relationships...and Vincenzo's conversation with Margaret seems to confirm certain details. At the very least, destroying Baxter bodies, and maybe their souls, to keep them from 'taking the light with them when they go'."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "Well, you know that if there's anything I know how to do other than opening doors, diving headfirst into traps, and pressing buttons and switches I shouldn't, it's fight." There's a hint of self-deprecation there, but Isabella's light tone grows soft. "I'll take care of it, when I get back. You're sweet to worry." She falls quiet, listening to his words intently. "Yes." Confirmation enough that she has arrived to the same conclusion after both her conversations with the Addington women. "We've talked about the possibility of human sacrifices before back in the days of the preacher, Lindon Baxter," she continues quietly. "You think that might actually be the case, then?" There's a quiet thump, it sounds suspiciously like her head finding the wall behind it. "Hyacinth mentioned 'methods' that Margaret orchestrated to protect the family, but...she also told me that she's determined to look for Thomas. She and Enzo are. I told her that I'm not an investigator, but that I'll do what I could to help when I return. But it would explain why there are no Baxter bodies found in Gray Harbor, itself." After another moment of silent contemplation, she speaks up: "It would explain what happened with Gohl over the summer, during his funeral. There might be more to the story, though."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "Yeah," Alexander says, heavily. "I know you will. I just don't like seeing you hurt. Or knowing that you were hurt by someone and didn't tell me," he adds, grumpily. "But. Yes. It would be good to find Thomas. Or his remains - I can't imagine that he's still alive if he wandered off in the winter. It's not exactly a deep freeze here, but he wasn't well to begin with." A hint of guilt there, in the undertones of his voice. "Anyway, don't spread the human sacrifice bit around - especially not to other Baxter-blooded? I'd rather not have an escalated feud on our hands until we know what the hell is actually going on."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "I don't exactly rejoice in every scrape and bruise I find on you, either" Isabella remarks gently. "I was only thinking about what you said about needing time, at the time. I didn't want to be...I didn't want to make it worse, in my usual fashion." Another quiet sip of her coffee. "But I'll try to be better at it, I promise. While I highly doubt that we would find Thomas alive, I thinking discovering where he ended up might yield some answers, too." She must catch onto the hint of guilt in his tone, because her own softens further, "There's no way any of us could have known, Alexander, and it isn't as if those who were in the know had been forthcoming." She falls silent, before she continues. "Though speaking of that, did Patrick tell you? Hyacinth told me Margaret's pulling back...abdicating most of her responsibilities, if not all. The sawmill operations went to Hyacinth. I'll keep mum about the human sacrifices, though I did talk about the theory over the summer with a couple others aside from you, though none of them were Baxters. Byron and Elias, about the photograph. I asked Elias to look into it given his background as a Weber and his interest in local lore and the occult, but he couldn't manage to find anything. Byron also attempted to assist, asking Dante Taylor since he wrote a book about New England strangeness...where the Webers came from. While he didn't find anything about the family, he did find an interesting parallel."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "You don't make things worse," Alexander says, sharply. "Don't ever think that you do, Isabella. It's not your fault I'm unstable, and there's nothing you've ever done that can make that worse. And plenty that makes it better." Then his voice quiets, and there's a sound like he's shifting on a bed, the faint creak of bedsprings. "As for Thomas - it is what it is. I can't help but wonder if he wouldn't have been better off if we'd just gone with Byron's plan and let her send him to the Asylum. But we didn't, and it's done." He makes a thoughtful noise. "No, although Vincenzo mentioned that she seemed off. And I guess that means Hyacinth is un-disowned? I'm sure she's pleased. And I think those two are fine. Just don't want anyone getting the idea that it's kill or be killed. What interesting parallel?"

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : There's a long silence from Isabella at his first remarks, less about the tone and more his words, but when she speaks up again, it's quiet, but light, "Weren't you just telling me not to forgive so easily?" There's another exhalation, and the clack and thump of a coffee mug being set aside. "We don't know that, regarding Thomas. If Alice is right about the Doctor, and since we don't know when he started working there, we could have just ended up placing him in the hands of someone or something just as dangerous. Either way, I don't think..." She falls quiet. "Now that we know more, I don't know if there was any real way to save him. He kept William Gohl in his body for half a century, Alexander. To be torn away from a presence you've lived with for more than half your life, it's..." Her voice trails off, but after another sigh, she moves on, "It seems like, regarding Hyacinth, and yes, she seems happy about it, but not exactly under the circumstances in which she was reinstated. It's in good hands, though, that business. She knows plenty about the lumber industry. As for the parallel, Dante didn't find anything about the Webers, but he told Byron about coming across an account about two feuding families back east way back when, during the time of the witchcraft hysteria. The Waltons ended up getting ousted out of the town by the powerful family who controlled it. No idea who the other family was. As for the other Baxters, I'll keep it under my hat. When are you supposed to go with the Addingtons and Yule to the saw mill?"

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "Yes, well, consistency has never been my strong suit." Alexander's voice is also light, with an edge of self-mocking humor. "As for Thomas? I don't know what to think, really. I'm not sure Alice can be considered," he coughs, "a reliable source of information, but I have no reason to doubt her where the Asylum is concerned." He falls silent about the rest, thinking. "That is interesting. I wonder how many times this sort of thing has happened." There's a long period of quiet on the other end of the line. "Um. Not sure. Vincenzo wants to heal up first, so probably about a week. About the time you're getting back."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "Oh, I don't know. You can be very consistent in the ways that matter." The devil in her is audible there - he can practically see Isabella waggling her eyebrows at him. "But I'm glad to know that I help, even in a few small ways." She clears her throat, after having sounded hoarse in the last words of that sentence, continuing with, "The last account Dante managed to track about the Waltons, they fled to Canada, but that's all he managed to find. Byron passed it onto me because that entire situation sounded very familiar." Her tone is very dry here. "...but I had been thinking the same thing...that maybe the situation we're looking at between the Baxters and Addingtons has happened before, elsewhere. And if it did...this is why I want to investigate the phenomenon while I'm here. After my defense, I might grab a car and take a trip out to Wales." A contemplative sound. "Alright, at the very least I'll be around just in case. I think the site might be friendlier towards the people who've been tied to the land since the time Gray Harbor was founded, but you're part of the Baxter tree. Be extra careful, okay? Don't hesitate to burn the goddamn thing down if it tries to put you to the saw."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "Don't doubt yourself, Isabella." It's soft, with a bit of an ache to it. "You are powerful, and I love you to distraction." He clears his throat and moves on quickly. "Well, that's interesting. And if you decide to go out to Wales, just be careful. I'll burn down the mill if you promise to shoot anything there that tries to mess with you. And yes, I know about the UK's gun laws. Don't care."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : There's a breath, and a hint of a sniffle, but Isabella masks this with a sudden laugh. "Well, considering how the cabbies all think they're in a Guy Ritchie movie in this town, I might not even make it to bloody Wales." Her re-exposure to her old stomping grounds has started to color her largely American accent. "And yes, I'll be careful. I won't go through alone, even if I do manage to find the thin point. Strictly data. And I promise if something comes after me, I'll shoot it." There's an audible grin. "I'll bring you back the Black Museum's catalogue once I visit it and whatever I can grab from my Yard contacts. But I should..." And here, she sounds clearly reluctant. "...let you get some sleep. I know the hour there, I'm sorry for calling so late."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : Alexander chuckles. "You know I don't sleep. And I always love to hear your voice." There's a smile in his voice as he continues, "Just remember that you've seen things that would turn even the most reckless cabbie's hair utterly white, and kick their ass. I look forward to it. I love you, Isabella, and I know you're going to do great."

(TXT to Alexander) Isabella : "I know. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though," Isabella replies, with a tone that is half-chastisement and half-amusement. "And that's rather hard not to remember, but yes. When I get back, you're going to have to tell me about what happened with Obsesi and how that hunt turned out, speaking of. And...I hope so. At the very least, I'm relatively sure that Oxford's not and never will be ready for me." After a long pause, she speaks up again, soft and somewhat awkwardly, "Goodnight, Alexander. I love you more than anything."

(TXT to Isabella) Alexander : "I will. Goodnight, Isabella. Don't work yourself to the bone." He chuckles. "I know you will anyway, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try." Light teasing, before he hangs up.