2020-08-20 - A Knight's Quest
There's a lot going one in the Thorne-Winslow life, but Lilith makes time to surprise Byron for his birthday the day before. The first part of the surprise is a trip down Memory Lane with a birthday Scavenger Hunt.
IC Date: 2020-08-20
OOC Date: 2020-02-07
Location: Around Town
Related Scenes: 2020-08-22 - The Sultan and the Genie
Plot: None
Scene Number: 5121
It's been one hell of a week or so for Byron Thorne. It's the day before his thirtieth birthday. At this rate, he may not even WANT a birthday or brunch or anything else because the way things are going, it's apt to turn into a shitshow. It's just been like that lately. It's pouring rain when he wakes up, and while that's not uncommon for this region, can it possibly bode well at this rate?
Lightning flashes. Thunder booms.
Lilith has a side job to do appraisals at a large estate sale a few towns over. She worked late the night before too, which usually sees her sleeping in. But this morning, she sneaks out of bed while Byron is in the shower, early rising for a change. The woman has to stop by the pawn first (she says she'll shower and dress in the loft while there) and there's a bit of a drive. She also has to be on site pretty early, before the sale even starts. Naturally, Byron is not comfortable with this given recent events, but she made a business commitment and has promised to keep two of his hired security with her at all times. She even agrees to let them drive and guard her directly in her in her SUV instead of following as typical distance tails.
Despite Lilith's rushed AM departure, the man finds a sourdough toast, coffee, and a breakfast omelet stuffed with cheese and meat and deliciousness. Admittedly, it's folded unevenly and is falling apart a bit, but the taste is on point. There's also a note on a pink post-it that reads: Have a good day. I'll be perfectly fine. See you soon, lover.
Byron is left to go about his half-day before returning to the Penthouse. He's meant to drive out and meet up with Lilith, it's probably good to have their dinner and drinks out of town this evening, truth be told. Gray Harbor has not been kind.
It's true, Byron pretty much wanted the brunch to be cancelled. First of all, many in town believed him to be dead. Murdered. That much he'd learned since the incident at the Black Bear. While both he and Lilith were recovering from the harrowing and explosive car chase, they were confronted by these crazy rumors that she had killed him and had run off with his brother, who Byron knows does not exist. Strangely, some think that /he/ is this Bryan Thorne, which is ridiculous.
Secondly, with his car out of commission and there being a possible need to purchase a replacement, he's been looking into that. Though, really, that's just his surface thoughts, knowing full well what the real issue was. Some men were hired to take them out, possibly to claim possession of the PS4 that they were transporting. They nearly drove him off the road in their pursuit. Then, some fucktard cop blew the trunk of his car to smithereens. Which, Byron had thoughts of pursuing vengeance for, because despite being the generous and benevolent benefactor that the town often sees him as, he's not the sort to let a slight slip. He's held long-standing secret grudges against people since he was a child, even towards those he'd considered friends.
Thirdly, what about the PS4? Was it a good thing that the console was destroyed? Or was that what they wanted to do all along? That whatever was on it held incriminating evidence against them? As much as Byron doesn't give too much of a shit about any of that, this cartel was stepping in on Felix's business and Thorne was attached to that business. So while the console was something he, himself, had no stake in, the fact that Liu and his goons threatened Lilith on behalf of this cartel, that's what's keeping Byron Thorne in this game.
It was summer and it already looked like a shitty day with the thunder and rain. That doesn't keep him from his morning workout and jog, especially knowing full well that there wouldn't be any time to tackle exercise later in the day. Breakfast was lovely, at least, and shaved off some time from him needing to pick something up, though usually it would just be a cup of coffee. His mind was full for the rest of the day (Hell, he's been quietly making up plans since the Pawn Shop had its shakedown.)
If anything, there's a lack of enthusiasm towards this party tomorrow. He wasn't in the mood to entertain guests. After going through the motions of work while his thoughts remain on his single-minded focus for revenge, Byron returns back to the apartment to get showered and changed before driving out of town in the rented Lincoln. That's the best that Gray Harbor had at the moment. Tossing his keys into the dish in the foyer, he loosens his tie and starts to shrug out of his suit jacket.
Throughout the day, the rain slows to a drizzle, then stops so at least Byron has that going for him. The sun is starting to dry pavement already with summer shine and humid heat that comes after showers sometimes. He's gotten intermittent texts from Lilith in the form of occasional gifs, emojis, and updates on some interesting things she found in the house while appraising and marking for the estate handlers to sell. She wants to bring a pair of beautiful stained glass antique Tiffany lamps home for their bedside nightstands. Mostly, though, he can tell she's making a point of letting him know everything is fine with even the emojis and picture texts. It maintains a presence while they're some distance apart.
When Byron is inside the Penthouse shrugging out of his jacket, he sees post it notes. He sees a lot of post it notes, actually, maybe a dozen of them in multiple colors from one of her rainbow pads. (Lilith is very into post-its lately.) They have arrows on them in Sharpie marker that direct a path straight into the bedroom. On the bed, there's an outfit laid out to apparently suit whatever Lilith... apparently has PLANNED. Fast and loose was such a lie. He might now realize that's why she went to the pawn and loft to shower, she was waiting for him to leave none the wiser about what time she ACTUALLY had to be at her work site.
There's still tags on the designer menswear but Lilith has made little hearts on them to catch his attention when he goes to pull them off. One has a word in all caps on it, though...
CAT BED
That's a weird direction, but okay.
Obviously, Byron will pretend light-heartedness through text and emojis with each message he receives. It's often done quickly and sent out just as fast. They very well may be in the clear now, with the console out of their hands, but Byron isn't ready to leave well enough alone.
With his tie hanging around his neck and one arm out from his jacket sleeve, the businessman notices that the place was flooded with post its. If he hadn't noticed that Lilith took an interest in writing things on post it notes as of late, he might have been far more alarmed that someone had broken in. Slipping the second arm from out of its encasing, he takes a slow walk through the main room, setting the jacket on the back of an island stool, something which comes automatically for him now, to ensure that the cat doesn't make a bed out of it.
As a precaution, he does a mental sweep of the apartment, in an attempt to pick up whether he was alone or not rather than simply calling out Lilith's name.
<FS3> Byron rolls Mental+2: Great Success (8 7 6 6 6 5 5 4 3 2 1 1) (Rolled by: Byron)
The only sign of life that he senses is the cat somewhere out in the living room. The rest of the brainwaves come from tenants on the eight floor as per the usual.
Slow steps bring him to the bedroom now and the suit which was laid out for him. Switching on the light, he proceeds with that same wary caution, before stopping before the bed to examine the apparel found there. That's when he notices the words CAT BED.
Smog sleeps wherever he wants and Byron would be surprised if the outfit on the bed wasn't already claimed by said cat. But they did have a cat bed out in the living near terrace door, so with the note in hand, he makes his way in that direction.
Byron's outfit is a blue dress shirt that's designer slim cut for style with polished ebony buttons that are sleekly accent fashionable as much as they are efficient. It's made to be cuffed at the sleeves for summer heat and tucked into the slate denim jeans and black belt. Lilith has even picked out underwear, socks and some snazzy black shoes from his wardrobe. Getting ready can surely wait, though. Who knows what Lilith is playing at with a start like this.
When the man goes for the cat bed, he passes the cat, who is not on the bed, he is on the couch. The creature unfurls as Byron comes into the space and watches with an utterly unamused expression when it's revealed what's inside. Propped against the edge cushion, there's a picture of Smog/Smaug. Lilith (presumably) has put a kid's birthday cone hat with elastic band on the cat's head and he looks PISSED about it in the picture. On the back, there's writing.
I risked death for this picture. Look in our Memory Jar. It has the new code for my iPad. The tablet is where I slept the first time I spent the night.
Byron hadn't noticed the cat earlier when he first came up. Must've jumped up onto the couch while he was in the bedroom. "What do we have here?" He asks the feline, reaching a hand out to pet at its overly soft and fluffy stuffed animal-looking fur in passing. From the couch, he can see the cat bed on the floor and its contents. "Did Lilith kick you out of your bed?" Not that Smog normally slept there.
Pulling away from the couch, he then crouches down beside the cat bed to admire the photograph within. "How'd she manage.." He starts to ask the feline, before flipping the picture over to read the note written, the amusement felt spread across his features.
The Memory Jar was Lilith's idea, obviously, but something that Byron thought would come of use when it took him a while to find something of emotional significance to toss into Gohl's casket during the dead man's funeral. This way, some of their emotional treasures were stores in one location... and weren't thrown out and forgotten like so many other things in Byron's life. The jar itself rested on a shelf on the bookcase that was part of the entertainment center. Rummaging through the items within, he finds a matchbook from a cafe that they ate at in Paris along with a Monte Carlo casino chip and other things which Lilith had decided to keep throughout their relationship together. The post-it with with the iPad code is soon collected and he tries to recall the night that Lilith first slept over. A slumber party of sorts. His eyes quickly turn to the couch. No.
He then makes his way to the guest bedroom, pushing the door open and flicking on the lights.
The guest bedroom is pretty well exactly how it always is when the lights come on, except there's... one of those terribly tacky multicolored large banner HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU signs draped over one of the wall-spanning windows. And there's balloons, the cheesy and ridiculous kind that Byron brought Lilith in the hospital as a joke, once. Some of them seem to be for kids, one says BIRTHDAY BOY on it.
There's a napkin with two double chunk chocolate chip cookies on it next to the iPad on the bed. When unlocked, it opens right to video screen just like Lilith left it. Byron can see the thing to tap to view the last video recorded and when he plays it, it's unsurprisingly Lilith. It's selfie angled mostly on her face, which is absolutely beaming for the viewer from the other side of the screen.
"Hi, baby. We're playing a game. If you've gotten this far, I know you're at least humoring me. And..." Lilith's face on screen loses some of its shine when she quietly sighs, more serious then, "I know it's hard right now, and you're probably in a mood. I was too. That's why I decided we needed the game. It's already working on you, isn't it?" The woman's lashes bat and she pauses here on screen, as if waiting to hear the answer. Is it working? What's it supposed to be doing when she says 'working'? She explains instead of making Byron figure it out.
"I made you smile. I gave you warm fuzzies when you weren't expecting them, even though you might be dreading what I might put you through at this point."
Ah-hah. Lilith is clever. He was in a mood and she made him go smiling with what she's done and where she sends him around the Penthouse. She's giving him a distraction away from everything else to occupy with something GOOD for a while, hence the placement of some of these post-its (the Memory Jar, for instance-- it's hard not to remember France while digging at and looking through the contents, most likely). The video continues to play with instructions as the brunette cards fingers through her hair with the kind of anticipating fidget that subtly indicates contained excitement (or nerves, depending).
"First things first, get dressed and eat your cookies. Dinner will be a while yet. If you don't know where your cookies are, look to your left and know that you're blind as a bat."
"Secondly, you can't skip any steps because one leads to another. In order to access my company this evening, you will have to present one of your guards with the item you find at the end. You will know when you have found it. Follow the instructions included with the access pass item."
"Thirdly, if you get stuck, text me. Love you. I promise it will be worth it."
The woman kisses at the screen briefly and speaks to Byron one more time before the video ends.
"You'll find the next clue in the sewers where we hid your Ninja Turtles."
Does Byron remember where the HELL he put his ninja turtles? Certainly she's not sending him to actual sewers.
<FS3> Byron rolls Remember Where: Success (6 5 3 1) (Rolled by: Lilith)
Seeing the room filled with colorful and obnoxious decor, Byron shakes his head, a grin at his lips. Yes, this is basically the kind of stuff he'd bring to the hospital when any of his friends were Addington Memorial's guests of honor. Entering the room, his fingers brush against a pair of thin balloon strings floating in the air as he walks on through. There was the iPad. And look a plate of cookies. Seating himself at the edge of the bed before laying to the side in a reach for the tablet, he takes up one of those cookies and munches away.
Using the activation code, he then unlocks the device, mid-chew, still sprawled across the bed. It was unsurprisingly Lilith in view, though he will openly state, "When did she even have the time to do this? The last couple of days?" He supposed that was enough time, but he also understands that the plan needed to be hatched out, everything set-up in preparation for the recording of this video and the various clues that she left behind.
The idea of him dreading what would come next makes him chuckle. Then he's given instructions to eat his cookies, when he'd already finished one. Turning to the lone cookie left on the napkin, he considers this for a moment, before wrapping it up in the napkin on which it was placed. Oh great, his guards were a part of this. He did not pay them to goof around! So obviously, the first thing he does is reach into his pocket to pull out his phone. He's calling Frank.
"Frank, do you know where Matson and Bishop are? Tell them to stop fucking around." Click.
The last thing he needs is for them to be so preoccupied with this that they stop doing their jobs. As this conversation is going on, the video continues. His Ninja Turtles? That was so long ago, but he has a few ideas.
Heading back to the Master, he tries to think of every single location where he'd hidden those damned toy. Once dried off, he puts on every article of clothing that Lilith had laid out for him. The most prominent place was back at the Gilford's. The house was still empty. Just to make sure he heard the instructions correctly, he rewatches the video, keeping the iPad on him in his travel, though he's not sure if he'll even need it anymore, as he goes to the kitchen to fill the cat's bowl with food and to refresh Smog's water bowl. They both won't be back til late and who knows what other plans Lilith had.
Grabbing his keys, he takes the elevator down to the parking garage and sets off.
He drives past the Gilfrod's place often enough, but it's been a while since he'd pulled up and park his car outside of it. Not since Tobin left. Exiting the Lincoln, he makes his way around the quaint house to wander the yard. "Now where was that?" He murmurs quietly to himself.
<FS3> Byron rolls Alertness (8 7 6 5 4 3 2 2 1) vs Where Are My Ninja Turtles? (a NPC)'s 4 (7 5 4 2 1 1)
<FS3> Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
<FS3> Byron rolls Remember Why They Hid Them: Failure (5 5 2 2) (Rolled by: Lilith)
The Gilford backyard is pretty nice, especially in full greenery of summer. While not quite the level of upkeep that his mother used to tend to, a lot of the accent garden is being maintained by current property management and has colors of bloom. It smells like those plants all around the back yard, and while none of them probably ever knew the backyard had a smell, in this moment, Byron knows it does, it especially smelled like this when they...
It's probably because they were so close to the flowering bushes. One of the house's architectural corners makes a nook for the flowerbed. Under the plants there exists a french drain to catch excess runoff from rain and relocate it to the back of the yard so no standing water damage is done to the house during deluge season. Some of the soil is covering it, but the circular drain gate is shiny and catches the sunlight. Why in the hell did they hide Ninja Turtles? They played with them too, sure, but this spot was specifically the sewer hideout. Why not put them with the other toys?
There were multiple places, but this was the main one. Maybe Byron should open the grate.
<FS3> Byron rolls Composure (8 4 4 3 3 2 2) vs Argh (a NPC)'s 4 (8 6 4 4 2 2)
<FS3> Marginal Victory for Argh. (Rolled by: Byron)
<FS3> Byron rolls Athletics: Good Success (8 7 6 4 4 3 1) (Rolled by: Byron)
Just being in Tobin's yard brought back a lot of childhood memories. He could imagine them running around with laughter in the air as they chased one another all around the Gilford's house. Then there were times that the boys were forced to sit at a quaint tea party thrown for Lilith by Mrs. G. So of course, little Byron wasn't about to complain. Then there was that afternoon where they were watching television inside and they saw a figure creeping its way towards the house, trying to get inside.
That memory is one that makes Byron freeze in place. It wasn't so much a memory, but a memory of a Dream. Or something like one.
As he reminisces about the past, he wanders around the lush yard, even if his mind is plagued by this uneasiness set off by this one dark memory of a thing that never happened. It was quiet and the fragrant garden scents were reminding him of his youth, helping to jog his memory some. Where was it that they were crouched down at, parts of her were starting coming back to him, especially when he sets eyes on the grate. That's it. Or it better be.
He was dressed to impress in this suit and now she wanted him to get down on his knee to open up some drain? Carefully, he lowers himself down, trying not to let the hem of his pants touch the ground below, while also maintaining his balance in this position. It all goes well until he pulls that grate up and hey, his turtles weren't in there, but there's a duck instead. That's wei... is that a fucking spider?!
In reflexive reaction, he pulls back, taking a few steps away from the drain. Luckily for him, the nasty surprise didn't have him falling on his ass on the grass in an attempt to get as far away from that fucking thing as possible. "If she put that thing in there.." Is his open gripe, but rather than dealing with the spider, he zaps the fuck out of it to easily get it out of his way. He can only assume that he needs to get the duck, but if he doesn't...
<FS3> Byron rolls Mental+2 (7 7 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 1 1) vs Spider (a NPC)'s 2 (8 8 7 4)
<FS3> Marginal Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Byron)
Currents zap down into the grate tubing and tunnel before grounding out and now there's... well, no spider on the duck. The little eight legged corpse probably got knocked down the drain, there's more grating to hold the duck that's been placed inside. There were probably still turtles in the grate that got pulled out at some point when the drain got clogged with grass and debris, it's been a long time, they didn't pick a smart place for a time capsule, but it sure felt like the sewer place to put them.
Reaching in to get the duck, it's warm to the touch and easily quack squishy from the burst of charge sent down, but the plastic didn't melt. There's sharpie on the bottom that reads a single clue.
You + Me = 1st base
<FS3> Byron rolls Alertness (8 7 7 7 7 7 5 4 4) vs Memory Trigger (a NPC)'s 4 (8 5 5 5 3 2)
<FS3> Crushing Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
<FS3> Byron rolls Oh Man Which Time?: Success (6 5 4 1) (Rolled by: Lilith)
Once the duck is retrieved, Byron sticks his hand into drain to give a bit of a feel around. No Turtles down there. Crouching down beside the drain with the grate laying off to the side on the grass brings about memories that remind him of the why. He'd struggled with this earlier, but just being down here, as if he were a child hiding plastic green figures in some hidey-hole is enough to bring everything flooding back.
They were but children when Lilith came running up to Byron with bearing gifts. She was so proud of herself, but Byron knew something was wrong. Despite this pride and joy in this idea that she could give him something nice for a change, there was something else lingering there. Another emotion. Something akin to nervousness or fear. When he reached into the shiny metallic gift bag, he was surprised and pleased to find a figure of Leonardo in there. The best turtle if you asked him. Leonardo was level-headed and a leader. He is then followed by... he pulls out a Rafael. And then a Michelangelo and...
"Lilith... where did you get this?" He was a kid who was now in possession of some Ninja Turtles like they watch on t.v. However, Byron was also a smart kid and even he knows that Lilith couldn't afford any of this. "Did someone sell them to Hank?"
No...
"Lilith!" She'd stolen it from the toy store at the strip mall just because she wanted to get him something nice and make him happy.
Byron was happy. But he was also panicked. His father was in law enforcement and he knows what cops do to bad kids.
Where could they hide the Turtles though? Where no one would find them and haul Lilith to jail? Byron knew they couldn't bring it back to his house, but what about Tobin's place? They played with the plastic turtles all afternoon while thoughts of where to stash them continued to race in Byron's mind. That's when he saw it, the sewer grate in the garden! The turtles thrived down in the sewer, so it would be fitting for these little guys to make a base down there too.
To all of this, Byron just has to laugh. "And when it started to rain, the toys were covered with rain gutter sludge." Not that they didn't just rinse them off. Alas, there were no toys here and so he replaces the grate over the drain.
However, when he reaches for the duck again, he sees some writing in marker somewhere on it. "First base...?" Wow, that was so long ago and he could think of a few instances. They were still young and before they knew it, they would be living separate lives. Slowly, he rises to stand, going through every location in Gray Harbor where they'd made out as teenagers. "The library?" That's quite a juicy and probably awkward memory there.
With the duck in hand, he returns back to the rental, but not without giving the old house one last look before driving off to his next location.
<FS3> Byron rolls Alertness (8 8 8 7 6 3 3 1 1) vs Memory Trigger (a NPC)'s 4 (7 6 6 5 2 1)
<FS3> Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
<FS3> Lilith rolls Byron Remember How It Started: Success (8 5 3 1) (Rolled by: Lilith)
The roof of the Gray Harbor Library isn't much, but kids seem to like it for some reason. They aren't supposed to go up there through the staircase and access door, there's warnings that an alarm will go off if the door is opened, like any emergency exit. When Lilith and Byron were in 8th grade, the door bar lock used to stick and the security system didn't actually buzz or beep, it was a pretty ancient install at the time.
There's also not much on the roof at all, it's a flat and open expanse that spans the building width with some blocky corner alcoves. It's just cement, really, and it's not the tallest building in town but you can see a lot of town from up there. It really felt like being on top sometimes. One time, Byron had a picnic waiting up there for Lilith, he was big on those excuses to feed her and make her grin. But they were pretty young for that, still. Was it some grand gesture he did that had them so young and relatively hot and heavy at the time?
No, it was... he remembers it gradually while taking the stairs, he feels like he just needs to see the space to really remember, it's been ages.
Now a grown Byron Thorne is finding himself popping that same door open. But... hm. Does the security system work NOW? Will it actually set off alarms?
Pulling up into the library parking lot, Byron parks as close to the doorway leading up the roof as he can. There were several other vehicles scattered throughout the lot, but he's not expecting to run into anyone else where he's going.
Entering that stairwell, he can't help but feel young again. There's a spring in his step as he races up those stairs, looking down behind him as if expecting to see Lilith there. Was there a security system activated before? That was so long ago that they could have installed one. But then again Lilith snuck up here to leave him his next clue... right? What if he's wrong? What if this is not the location?
She doesn't have the same Talents as he does, so she couldn't have shorted out any alarm or camera. With his hand on the door knob, rather than open the door immediately, he does an electrical scan, trying to figure out if there are any security devices attached in this stairwell, especially if he might set off an emergency alarm when opening this door.
<FS3> Byron rolls Mental+2 (8 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 3 2 2 2) vs Follow Currents (a NPC)'s 3 (6 6 6 4 3)
<FS3> Crushing Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
There are electrical currents here at the top of the stairs, but they're sourced by the buzz of a bulb panel overhead, powering a sprinkler system, etc. Nothing is coming out of that bell up there, and the door only locks from the outside, not the inside... which might be important to take care over, but he remembers that, doesn't he? The alarms won't go off and all he has to do is not lock himself on the roof now while looking.
When Byron gets out onto the roof, all he has to really do is turn a slow circle or walk one for a look. He doesn't see what Lilith has planted initially, he sees the cement corner that served as a windblock when... Lily came up here to hide. That's what it was. They were doing parent interviews in a class and... she didn't want a zero because of Hank. She couldn't use Tobin's mom because that was HIS paper. They said that aunts and grandparents were fine too, but she doesn't have those either. Lots of people from classes were down in the library trying to make a list of questions to ask for the interview.
Thirteen year old Byron Thorne thought Lilith went to the bathroom, but she's gone a long time and she'd been real quiet all day. He thought maybe she didn't feel good, but she said she wanted to come along with everyone anyway because Byron was going. Somewhere in the middle of the stacks on the way to check the bathroom area to see if Lily is sick for real, he stops and realizes exactly what's wrong with Lily. He feels a little stupid for not realizing or catching on sooner, he wouldn't have taken her to the library to sit with everyone else, they would have figured something out. Why didn't she say something? No, that's not fair, he knows better, she wouldn't have. And she'd rather take a zero than talk to the new teacher about it, the lady isn't a local.
Byron knows where Lilith went now. He gets a book off of the shelf in the appropriate section and brings it up the stairs. Lily is in the stone alcove corner, huddled against the wind. She's not crying, she's just sitting and picking at her fingernails looking abjectly miserable, but she sits up a little straighter when Byron comes through the door. After giving her his jacket, he doesn't bother asking her what's wrong. (When she looks sad like that, he wants to kiss her, they've done that a few times, sometimes a lot of times in a row... with tongues. He's a teenage boy, he can't help but think it and maybe hope he makes her happy enough to do it again, but it's okay if not.)
Younger Byron puts his jacket on her, sits down with the book, then he starts to read to her. He makes her read along with him until she's laughing a little with the recitation. She doesn't need the book. Neither does he. They know it by heart from when they were quite small, it was the first book Lily learned to read and she read it to him once when he came to school with hidden bruises that she happened to secretly see. By the time it's done, she's looking at Byron.
... I can help you. You don't have to fail.
I know.
Lily, at least let me talk to the teacher, you don't have to tell her, I can tell her and she--
Don't, it's embarrassing.
Okay. Do you want me to take you home?
No. I don't want to go home.
Where do you want to be?
Just here right now. Hey Byron...? Do you want in the jacket with me?
He did. He very much did want that and he got even warmer when she guided one of his hands under her shirt while she kissed him for the story. He can't remember who she ended up interviewing, but it was someone, he knows she got an A.
Byron sees it flat on the concrete, a single page out of of a notepad with a moon drawn on it colored yellow, held in place by a large rock. It has a message on the back.
HANK'S STASH
Byron lingers with his hand at the door, his eyes following the paths of the currents that he can sense and only when he's certain that he won't trip an alarm by pushing this door open, he does just that. He's also been here many, many times with Lilith. Using it as an escape with a view. So without even thinking, he fishes out the rubber duck from his pocket and uses it as a door stop to keep the door from shutting, before he starts his trek around the large, flat space.
He could recall a lot of incidents that happened here; remembering where he laid out the picnic blanket, so they could eat sandwiches and sip at drink boxes. Or that time when he brought her out here to watch the New Years fireworks. But neither of those events is what brings him here now.
There were a few stone alcoves up here, but he knows exactly the one where he met up with Lilith after she'd fled during the parent interview. Lilith wasn't the only one who had a difficult time with parental representation that year. At thirteen, Byron was living alone with his mother. They barely spoke. And yet, she eventually agreed. Perhaps it was to save face or to make the town know that she was doing fine. Maybe she just felt the obligation when the school reached out for her to remind her of the interview.
Heading over to their special alcove, though that's a weird way of thinking about the cement structure, Byron crouches down to inspect the sheet of paper with the yellow moon drawn on it. "Goodnight noises everywhere." He remembers the poem well enough, especially after Lilith's read it to him so many times already. This place truly did bring back memories and as would be expected, it was a little awkward, yet also exhilarating. Especially for a thirteen year old. At this age, with his father's passing, Byron Thorne felt like he could conquer the world. He could do anything he set his mind to... and at that moment, apparently, this was what he wanted to do.
"Hank's Stash? Hmm." He murmurs in thought. Folding the paper up and stuffing it neatly into his pants pocket, he considers the various places that Lilith could mean, but really, he only knew of one good place that Hank Winslow stowed away anything. Making his way back to the door, he kneels down to retrieve the duck before he hops into his car to take the quick drive to Huckleberry's.
The trailer park brought back many a fond memory as well, though he knew that Lilith shouldn't have been living that life. It's still unrented, so that means no one will care if he snooped around. Well, obviously, if anyone found him, they may question it, but those who grew up living at Huckleberry should be used to seeing Byron Thorne by now. The child, if not the adult.
<FS3> Byron rolls Alertness (8 8 7 5 3 3 2 2 2) vs Memory Trigger (a NPC)'s 6 (6 6 3 3 2 1 1 1)
<FS3> Marginal Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
<FS3> Byron rolls Which Stash Matters Most?: Success (8 5 3 1) (Rolled by: Lilith)
<FS3> Byron rolls Alertness+Glimmer (8 8 6 6 5 3 2 1) vs Temperature Changes (a NPC)'s 5 (7 7 6 5 3 3 2)
<FS3> Marginal Victory for Byron. (Rolled by: Lilith)
Now. Here's the problem with this hint and clue. While it's pretty obvious that the stash is at the trailer, Hank Winslow MOVED his stashes around. And Lilith used to find them every time he moved them to keep an eye on how much of which drug he was using at any one given time. Mostly he drank, but he went through occasional binges of the hard stuff when he had gambled up excess funds or when Jameson was pushing some kind of dealer/usage plan. Stepping into the trailer trying to think of where to start, Byron's a little unsure. He'd helped Lily dig around a few times when she couldn't immediately find where he moved it.
Byron, how come this drug's called Blow? Every time I see Hank do it, he sucks it up his nose with a straw or dollar bill roll. It should be call... Sniff.
Ew, don't TOUCH it, Lily. You'll get drugs on your hands.
They were ten.
It's in a baggie! You can't get high from drugs on your hands anyway. Do you think snorting this stuff up your nose is what a blow job is?
... Yeah, probably.
Doesn't make sense. Drugs have stupid names. Wanna hide it from him?
Now that Lilith and Byron know what a blow job is, she'd probably still point out that no one's blowing on anything. Wait. Where did THEY hide it when they moved the box? There's a screwdriver in the middle of the kitchen table. It's the only thing on the table. It's also stuffy and warm in the trailer, she's not wasting money on AC when no one lives there. But Byron feels fingers of chill start to creep down from the hall. Maybe the AC is on. That's where the unit is with the filter vent screwed into the...
There's no hum of AC coming from down the hall, though, these trailers are like tin cans, it all echoes and reverberates. Right now, it's very still and quiet.
... too quiet. Maybe he should just tell Hank to fuck off before he pops out.
The first place that Byron would have checked would've been the stacks of trash that they had built up outside of the trailer, but Lilith's cleared that up because she was expecting renters. That doesn't stop Byron from checking every crevice that he knew held Hank's stash at one point or another, but unfortunately, he comes up empty. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the key to the place, letting himself in.
What Byron's looking for now is more tell-tale signs that someone's been here recently, more than trying to jog his memory. I mean, he's going through his memory bank as well, but he's relying primarily on visual information. He spies the chair on which Hank often sat, sometimes there was good stashed in the space beneath the cushion. Where else? He turns to the kitchen, remembering that there was a hiding space in one of the lower kitchen cabinets. Making his way in that direction first and foremost, that when he notices the screwdriver on the table. "What do we have here?"
Taking it up in hand, he examines it for a moment, spying the entire room now to figure out what this tool was used on last. It's only then that he feels the temperature drop considerably, something which is, at first, shocking, which makes him spin around the room to locate the AC unit, but he soon realizes what might be happening here.
"I'm a little busy right now." He calls out with heavy annoyance, though he remembers telling Hank's ghost that they'd talk later. In the wee hours when Lilith was still sleeping next to him was not the time. Approaching the AC unit, he lifts his free hand to run across i's surface, before feeling the grooves of the screws along the filter vent. "Lilith's been here, hasn't she? You get a nice good look at your little girl?" Byron's not saying this to be an ass, but he remembers the look the deceased Winslow gave Lilith when she was still asleep.
With screwdriver in hand, he begins to loosen the screws of the vent.
"Saw her long enough to see where you little assholes put my stashes at. There was still one inside. She didn't even leave it for me. It could have been an honor of my memory. Can't drive down a damn highway without seeing shrines and crosses for car wrecks or a memorial bridge, I can't even have a shrine of fifteen year old Columbian cocaine."
The voice comes first, and while always hoarse from smoking and coughing and drinking, it's whispery raw instead of boisterous Hank on a self-entitled rant. While Byron is unscrewing the panel vent, it gets colder behind him and he hears some nasty snapping and cracking. He'll probably turn around to see the damn ghost of Lilith's dad now because he went acknowledging it and giving it attention. At least he has the panel opening to focus on while... conversing. With a dead person. Who wants Blow they can't even snort? Wait. Does that mean Lilith is walking around carrying cocaine?
The panel pops open and Hank's shade continues to go on and on at Byron, like he's just plain offended and clearly a suffering ghost victim. Apparently, the 'stash' being taken out of the house has made him pretty riled, "I bet it's still perfectly good, the bag was still sealed. Those rappers pour one out for their homey-boys and I can't even get a bump?"
Inside the panel is a genie lamp. Yes, a genie lamp. That is the last thing you should probably tempt fate with in GH, but there it is. It's strange for a prop choice. There's a liftable top that has pillowed empty space inside and Byron sees it's also a jewelry box. Inside, there's an address written with a note that says, Congratulations. This is your access pass. You may now text me and tell me I'm a pain in the ass. <3
Hank is still going, "But BECAUSE I am a man of my word..." Seriously? He shouldn't be allowed that phrase, his mouth should just zip shut when he tries, "I didn't say SHIT about it and now it's gone. So look, son. How about this-- you get my stash back, maybe it will exorcize me."
Giving cocaine to a ghost is probably not how exorcisms work, Byron doesn't need to be a goth ghostmaster to know that.
Hank's long-winded grumblings doesn't hinder Byron from opening up the vent compartment. He works meticulously, knowing the job that needs to be done. Listening to the ghost is a simple background noise. Despite the chill at the back of his neck, if he gives the ghostly Winslow any visual attention, it's a brief one. Byron Thorne has work to do. Then it's done and panel is loosened before being removed completely. Setting it down to lean against the wall on the floor, he just has to ask, "Can dead men even do a bump?" He's somewhat genuinely curious, even as he reaches in to grab that lamp.
Not being so much of an antique collector sort, Byron's gaze doesn't linger on the lamp for long, though he'll assume that it's one turned into the pawn shop. Instead, he almost immediately opens the cap to realize that rather than just a dusty old Arabian lamp, it was, strangely, also a jewelry box. Now he has to wonder if it repurposed to look like one or if it was created this way all along. Longer fingers unfold the note found within, his mind mentally locating the exact position of this address given. One corner of his lips tug up into a smirk, but no, he' not going to call her. Even if he were stuck, it would be hours before he admitted defeat enough to make first contact.
Setting both the lamp and the note onto the table, he places the panel back against the AC unit and begins to screw it in. There's this odd desire to cover his tracks for whatever reason.
Once that is done and he stuffs the note into his pocket while tucking the lamp under his arm, he finally addresses Hank after all this time, staring at the apparition. "Look, if I happen to come across your stash, I'll hand it over. Though I don't know what good any of that will do you in your current state." Right now, Byron had places to go and people to see, but since he's here and he's got the ghost of Hank Winslow's attention, he finally brings up, "So you know that Lilith and I have known each other for most of our entire lives. And you know that I had a hand in helping to raise her." Despite the pair being the same age. "Sure, I've fucked up in the past. It's human to do so, but I do my best to try and remedy all of that. And make up for what was always lacking in her life." By now, his gaze meets and holds with Hank Winslow's, at least at those moments that the man's gazes holds still enough to make contact with that Thorne kid's. "I would be honored if you would give me your blessing in taking your daughter's hand in marriage."
"That's a damn fine question. We should try it out, see. More reason to get my stash back."
Hank latches onto that idea in the name of... well, himself, not exorcism science, but he's using that angle anyway. When Byron turns, he sees the janky angle of the neck, the pale blue eyes that were often bloodshot are even paler now. But this isn't the first time he's seen these things, mostly, he sees that the figure isn't fully opaque, but it's still just Hank Winslow, wearing what he was wearing the day he died.
Instead of laying into Byron more and more about the stash, though, he quietens when the man starts to really speak after he has possession of that hidden genie lamp. The shade of the man flats his expression and lips out and looks off to one side (which puts his neck at more skewed angle and causes another creak and crack). After a moment, he speaks and then turns into cold air and memory once more, fizzling out to wherever it is he bides his eternal time.
"Aw, son. Have at it..." Byron was around so much, he just got that title from the guy as a kid, but now it kind of means son-in-law, doesn't it?
"All the blessings in the goddamn world. You'll need them. She gets pissy. Don't make her wait, kid. She's waiting on you."
No, she didn't look pissy at all in the video, despite it all. And yes, Lilith is waiting. Somewhere a few towns away.
Byron doesn't bring up the fact that Hank left a young Lilith home, alone and waiting for him on multiple occasions during her childhood. Instead, he just pulls out the address once more to tap into the map on his phone. She was in Centralia, which is where he was originally supposed to drive out to meet with her before this treasure hunt began. But now he had an exact address. "See you around, Hank." The dark haired man says as he departs, tossing the magic lamp in the passenger seat of his car to sit with everything else he'd collected.
Starting up the engine, he knew that this would be around an hour drive. Switching on the radio, he goes for that 90's and early 2000's rock. He'll let her wonder how far along he got. As much as he'd love to surprise her, he had some of his hired help to fire (meet up with), so that he can continue on to the finish of this game.
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