2020-05-12 - A Little More Digging

(TXT to August) Isabella : Hey August, thanks again for your voicemail. Megan Keene approached Alexander and I over the weekend, so I wasn't completely unprepared.

(TXT to Isabella) August : well I hope you're both okay. can I assume this text isn't reaching me from the hospital?

(TXT to Isabella) August : and please tell me you didn't let him agree to her snake oil

(TXT to August) Isabella : No we're fine. Sort of. Alexander's fine. I took her up on her offer. He wasn't too happy about it but I was concerned in the event that Alice tries to wrangle him into doing something inadvisable regarding the Asylum.

(TXT to Isabella) August : ::facepalm emoji::

(TXT to Isabella) August : can we even trust anything she gave you back is real? mind artists can put stuff like that in people's heads, we know that now from what de la vega went through.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I'm not going to say that one of the reasons I volunteered was because of precisely that, but now that you brought it up, it's a good test. I'm relatively sure the memories are real, because I was always the only one who saw the clock when we went, and she didn't read my mind beforehand.

(TXT to August) Isabella : It's a small detail, obviously easily missed. But it was there in the cascade of memories I received.

(TXT to Isabella) August : it still means she might have done or put MORE in than just those. but, at least you can confirm that one.

(TXT to Isabella) August : this is my main concern, for you and Joe: we can't trust her motives, and she's so powerful right now we don't know what all she's up to. so it might not be just those memories. you should have alexander look you over, if you're willing to let him do it. make sure nothing looks...weird.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I'm more interested in how she managed to remember herself as to her experiences there without any help - if she did it on her own. She said it could be done, but then again, grain of salt.

(TXT to Isabella) August : it could easily be someone at the asylum who's involved with the blocking knows how to *un*block it.

(TXT to Isabella) August : no reason to think she's working alone. (I don't mean to sound paranoid but everything about this is wrong; she's not being magnanimous, she's being duplicitous, and the fewer of us who agree to this, the better.)

(TXT to August) Isabella : It could be the Doctor, but Alice seems to think he's the devil incarnate. Anyway, I'll have Alexander look me over. If it makes you feel any better, regarding me and Joe, whatever happened to us, I don't think it's permanent.

(TXT to Isabella) August : did the same thing happen to you? the...injury? and do you want lilith or me to look at you?

(TXT to Isabella) August : there's a big gulf between 'not permanent' and 'will heal in your lifetime'.

(TXT to August) Isabella : This draining away feels familiar, but it's not the first. This is the third time it's happened to me, it comes back in days or a couple of weeks. I'll monitor and see how it goes.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Have you talked to Javier about his conversation with her?

(TXT to Isabella) August : yeah. he said she seemed amped up. saturated, like people like you and I can do. except, that usually wears off. so somehow it's permanent on her. can't imagine that's good--it's probably burning her out, in some way. like a car with too much torque. twisting the body like taffy.

(TXT to Isabella) August : mmmm. I guess we'll see. keep an eye on it, though. last thing we need is her weakening a bunch of us so she can pull some kind of bullshit stunt.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Yeah - I mean, you warned me about Joe, but in order to figure out what's really up, we can't rely on a one-off to make our conclusions, and Joe hasn't been looking into these things as long as you, or I have, or Alexander has. And I'd rather you all remain at full power.

(TXT to August) Isabella : You might be right about maybe adding onto the memories, because I remember the clock more clearly now, with more locations. Only way we can test the veracity of the memory is poke at where it leads.

(TXT to Isabella) August : sounds like she definitely...augmented? refined? it. might be good, might be bad. I guess we just have to keep an eye on that.

(TXT to Isabella) August : don't talk like you're not strong too, you being at lower power is a loss as well, and not necessarily an acceptable one.

(TXT to Isabella) August : (not a judgment that you decided to do it. I can't say I'd have said no before talking to Joe and de la Vega.)

(TXT to August) Isabella : It might not have been something she did, but something that was done to her. We don't know what she experienced in the Asylum, but considering she and Alice are at a completely different level than any of us even intact, it stands to reason that there might be a correlation, and not a coincidence that the two of them want to break it open. We know the two of them were in the facility at the same time.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I know it was reckless, but I had to know. And if Alexander's going to be wrangled into helping Alice destroy the Asylum, I can't not remember in case something happens where that knowledge is necessary.

(TXT to Isabella) August : mmm. well after what we saw in FCN, I can believe that. if they were doing...that, to make imbued objects, stands to reason they could magnify someone's powers using a process like it.

(TXT to Isabella) August : well he can at least not be wrangled into helping her alone

(TXT to August) Isabella : That's the tricky part. He doesn't think she'll let him. Javier and I managed to convince him to try but I don't know how successful he will be. Alice isn't stable.

(TXT to Isabella) August : then she's dumb as a bag of hammers, if she thinks herself and one other person is going to cut it.

(TXT to Isabella) August : alexander's strong but he's not that strong.

(TXT to Isabella) August : I know what I saw in that book. that's not a job for a couple of powerful people, and it's not a one-shot task. it's going to take work. planning. might take a lot of effort, really. it's way too much for her to expect one person to do.

(TXT to Isabella) August : and in the end the only thing she'll succeed at, is getting him killed.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I don't think she cares if Alexander dies in the attempt. That's what I'm worried about the most. And there's also...ugh. God, I wish I could drink while I'm texting you about this but I need to keep my mind clear so I can monitor my changes.

(TXT to Isabella) August : I'll drink for you, I had a hell of a night. and I'm sure she doesn't care, if she's being that reckless. but, well, she sounds unhinged.

(TXT to Isabella) August : also?

(TXT to August) Isabella : There was a conversation I had with Dr. Hailey Stevenson, who used to work there under Dr. Marshall's mentorship. She refused to remember her time there, but what she did tell me was that the facility isn't what we think it is.

(TXT to Isabella) August : that's kind of a weird way to put it since I have no idea what I think it is.

(TXT to August) Isabella : What I'm trying to say is that she seems to have ascribed a benevolent function to it. At least in the past. But she also told me that she left right after Dr. Marshall kicked it. It's under new management now. So whatever its mission before? Has probably changed. If that's the case, it might parse with what Alice said about the Doctor, the person in charge now.

(TXT to Isabella) August : oh, she thought we thought it was benign? because I've never thought that. but the first I knew of it was from Julia, and she had only bad shit to say about it.

(TXT to Isabella) August : so I just assumed it was some kind of thing out of my worst nightmares. you know, the way they used to run asylums. except, with the art.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I think she wanted us to consider that it had a purpose and that purpose wasn't necessarily terrible. I can't help but go back to what little Margaret Addington told us about the place before. Also...

(TXT to Isabella) August : purposes don't need to be terrible. but if what happens in the pursuit of them is, well, it doesn't matter

(TXT to Isabella) August : maybe they just wanted to help people whose art was out of control and making them hurt others. if the way to do that is torture them, then the purpose is a moot point. it's still a garbage institution.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Did Joe say what exactly he did remember? About his time there? Was HE tortured?

(TXT to August) Isabella : Sorry for all the questions, I actually don't know what he experienced and before we destroy anything HUGE on the other side, especially since now we know the kind of supernatural ramifications that come with doing anything that affects it, I think we should consider whether we should and we honestly can't make that determination with what we presently have.

(TXT to Isabella) August : no, not to me. honestly I don't know him well enough for him to tell me that. de la Vega is your best bet there. it's...well. whatever megan did to him, it hurt him a lot. and I don't know if that's the memories, the fade, or both.

(TXT to Isabella) August : that's my other concern, yes. destroying it. we don't even know, yet, what destroying FCN did. aside from break all those things--which is something to think about. why did FCN have to exist for all of that to still work? that gets back to how we changed something, when we wrecked that place.

(TXT to Isabella) August : if we destroy the Asylum, what changes?

(TXT to Isabella) August : the only torture I know of is from the book. and of course, that was alice, so can we trust it? not sure. but I feel like a place doesn't need to erase someone's memories if it's not up to shady bullshit.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Alright. Maybe Alexander knows, or maybe I should talk to Joe. I don't think I asked you about what you actually read from the book. What did you see?

(TXT to Isabella) August : violet, dead, and alice finding her body. alexander said one of the other books had the, ah...murder itself, I think.

(TXT to August) Isabella : All Alexander told me was that something had been after them, but didn't know what it was. Do you remember what Julia told you about her experiences there?

(TXT to Isabella) August : she described it as being slowly digested. I don't know that she remembered much more than that, I never spoke to her about it more than once.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Okay. Well, nothing to do now than to do some additional digging. Joe lives by my houseboat, I'll see what I can do to stop by in the next couple of days. How are you doing, by the way? You said something about drinking?

(TXT to Isabella) August : right, more information gathering. maybe if she comes sniffing around easton he can get her to share a little more information. we have the pattern from Ruby, and I know Julia had a map but I'm not sure if she gave it to someone before she left.

(TXT to Isabella) August : had a couple of rough excursions. they've been hitting below the belt lately.

(TXT to August) Isabella : We can probably see if we can open the right door with what I have at the moment, but let's see if she gets in contact with Easton. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't approach him first given that he's Dr. Marshall's only relative in Gray Harbor at the moment.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I'm sorry. Do you wanna talk about it the next time we get together? I feel like I haven't seen you in months.

(TXT to Isabella) August : eh, not sure it's the sort of thing worth inflicting on others. we should keep an eye on erin, though. she healed a lot of us after we got out of one mostly dead.

(TXT to Isabella) August : I'm wondering about that too--she went to joe and de la vega, and alexander and you, but not him or me. so it doesn't seem to be just people who went there.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I need to catch her up on everything. How's she doing?

(TXT to Isabella) August : alright, as far as I know, but given how much of their attention she has to have on her right now it's worth being careful.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Easton's generally very reluctant to touch on his uncle's legacy, and for very good reason. That might be why. And okay, I'll check on her soon.

(TXT to Isabella) August : that he doesn't know much, you mean? could be. or, well, maybe it's because he's the nephew. maybe the, uh, zombie doctor marshall is a concern there.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Easton's in the know, Alexander and I caught him up recently. But yeah, maybe it''s the familial connection. I don't know, I need to sit down with what I have and actually think. Maybe something will shake loose.

(TXT to Isabella) August : here's hoping. I can't imagine he'll take her up on the offer if she shows up, but you never know.

(TXT to August) Isabella : I really doubt it. He doesn't want to have anything to do with that place and the only reasons why he's involving himself is because he's worried about all of us who can't stop touching things.

(TXT to Isabella) August : look in all of your defense, this is a thing that touched you, not vice versa. but, I hear ya.

(TXT to Isabella) August : just let me know if you need help tying alexander to a post or something so he doesn't run off with alice to do something stupid.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Hah, that's true enough. And alright, I will. He said he would try, but he's not so sure how successful he'll be. For all my bellyaching and worrying, I DO trust him to be able to handle whatever gets thrown at him. When he fights, he wins. Or he wins just enough to be able to come home.

(TXT to Isabella) August : in this case winning might be running for it. just saying.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Well that's why I was non-specific as to how he wins.

(TXT to August) Isabella : Anyway, you should have that drink, and maybe a hot soak in the tub or something. I'll keep you posted if I find out anything more. See you soon, yeah?

(TXT to Isabella) August : yeah, bourbon and tub time. take care.