2020-09-12 - Are you Dead?

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Are you dead?

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : (After a few minutes) No. I'm very much alive, thank you. Who did you hear it from this time? It's something that's been spreading around town and supposedly was printed in some newspaper.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Hey. I don't spill my sources.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : It was Alexander.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Besides, I don't know if I should trust you. I need proof of life. Send me a picture with you standing in front of your fridge wearing that one t-shirt I got you two Christmases ago eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Cherry Garcia.

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : He told you about the rumor then? There are some people in town who think that I'm either a ghost, my British twin... who you already know, I don't have....

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : I'm at my office currently, so I'm afraid the shirt and the ice cream are out of the question. Though it's easier to pick up the ice cream.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : I don't know. There were a few times in high school I was pretty sure you were a podperson.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : You gave away that shirt, didn't you? I knew it!

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : And how do you not have ice cream in your fridge? What am I supposed to eat when I come over in two hours?

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : In two hours?

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : (A pause since he's probably looking at the time) I think I get away from the casino by then, sure.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Good. I'll be there.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Also... who in the fuck gives away a t-shirt with a pair of narwhals fighting with lightsabers? That shirt was gold, Thorne. G-O-L-D.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Hey did you know Alexander dresses up like Paul Revere? He even rides a horse.

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : What the hell is a narwhal?

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : Oh, is he there with you now? Try and call him Mister A.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : What do you mean 'what the hell is a narwhal?'

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : When does anyone ever think of a narwhal?

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : OK but I want two scoops of Cherry Garcia and rum. In a blender. As a milkshake.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Goddamnit, Thorne.

(TXT to Magnolia) Byron : Fine. I'll pick up some Cherry Garcia on the way back to my place.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : I'm papering your entire apartment in narwhals.

(TXT to Byron) Magnolia : Good. I'll see you in two.

(TXT to Lilith) Byron : Lil, just letting you know that Magnolia will be dropping by in around two hours. I'm picking up ice cream because she requested something specific, unless there's Cherry Garcia magically in the freezer right now. Want me to pick you up something?

(TXT to Byron) Lilith : Thank you for the heads up and the ice cream because I want the one with Stephen Colbert on it.

Magnolia Jones shows up exactly on time. It's two hours after she warned Byron she should show, and there she is, rapping her knuckles on the door with a patient knock-knock-kn-knock-knock knock-knock. She is standing there in the hallway in her usual attire for this summer evening—long sleeved, but light zip-hoodie, old and softened jeans, with her blond hair tidily kept under a ball-cap. She's blowing a bubble with her gum before she snaps it between her teeth with a casual chewing. As she waits for the door, she adjusts the Canon camera she has draped across her middle, the heavy and professional grade equipment bumped up against her right hip.

Approximately ten minutes before Magnolia showed up, Byron had returned home with packages of ice cream and other things he'd picked up from Safeway. "They were out of AmeriCone Dream. I sort of don't think they stock up on it as often as you'd like. So I chose your second best flavor Phish Food." He knows Lilith's preferences. With the paper bag set down on the island, the businessman gives Lilith a peck on the cheek before gathering up the containers of ice cream to shove into the freezer for the time being.

"Did I tell you that Alexander offered to help us test something in regards to... well, I have no idea. For me, I'm usually triggered at the casino, so he was thinking of nullifying the casino lobby. Well, that was my idea. Maybe it will shut down these false memories that people are hav--" There's a knock at the door. "It's probably Mags. I'll get the ice cream and rum if you'd like to get the door, babe."

Lilith leans in for the peck on the cheek and turns her face at the very last possible second to make a little growl into part of a stolen kiss at Byron's lips, "You should talk to the manager, if I talk to the manager again about the stockboys and aisles being completely useless every time something moves, they're going to start calling me Janet or Karen." She's probably not serious about him talking to the manager over ice cream choices, but she HAS thrown her hands up and grumbled to the supervisor on duty a few times in frustration, okay. It's not her fault, that place MOVES AROUND and she'll swear it til she's dead.

Also he's on store duty lately while murder rumors are going around, he's less likely to off someone in public.

Moving over to the door to let Mags in with a flash of smile despite everything, Lilith is barefoot in a low-slung sarong skirt with red and purple splash flowers and a summery white midriff cropping tanktop. She's just been working from home all day on the terrace, so it's light and summery casual to suit that, hair twisted at the nape of her neck and stuck through with some antique looking hair-sticks. There's also one hell of a diamond on her engagement finger from Tiffany's with a brilliance that wasn't there before. The cat that's at her heels to sniff at new company entering is less than congenial.

"Mags! He's putting rum in the good stuff. Come on in, mind the cat, I guess, but he really just looks like that. Probably isn't going to trip you."

The door opens, and the short PI looks up with a flash of a smile. She's got her phone out, camera aimed at Lilith. "I'm here to get a photo of the Murderess of Byron Thorne. I hear I can get top dollar with the local tabloid." That would be the Gray Harbor Gazette, because that's what she's been calling it since the editor finally drove Kevin out. Don't worry, though. She's got Walters working for her ow as the sexy receptionist. It's very Ghostbusters -- the new one, with hunky Chris Hemsworth. Kevin is probably a bit better at his job though.

The ring catches her eye, but she doesn't even bat an eyelash. After all, Magnolia Jones might have been all head down for the last two months after everything went to shit with Levi, but she isn't living under a rock. Just behind a rock.

She drops her phone and flashes Lilith a smile. "Cat, huh? Lark's been asking for one of those furry guardians to the gates of Hell. I said I'd get her a hairless one so I don't have to also invest into a thousand lint rollers."

Setting out some large cups complete with spoons, Byron sets the various containers of ice cream out, then starting with the Cherry Garcia, starts to fill two of the cups with the treat. Looks like he's planning on taste testing Magnolia's ice cream and booze pairing of choice. "I personally spoke to the manager saying that if they stock up on Americone Dream, then I'll be sure to buy at least three containers worth per month. In the third cup, he scoops in some Phish Food.

Once Magnolia is let in, he flashes over a wide smile, "Mags, come on in. The town has gone to shit recently. Corrupt cops threatening local businesses. A new Cartel just moved in... which I believe is connected to said corrupt cops." He then murmurs as he walks to the bar, "Rumors about various things that are totally untrue. And did you hear? There's a possible serial killer on the loose. I just happened to have found one of it's victims being burned up in a pyre on the beach near the boardwalk. It's nice to see you. Yay." This last part is said with obvious wryness. Grabbing the rum, he takes the few steps to return to the kitchen to fill in the cups with.

"They can publish a picture of my pretty middle finger, I just painted my nails." Lilith tells Mags with a little scoff, apparently fine with people mentioning it as long as she knows them and knows they probably don't believe it. Then she takes to warning about cats, "I swear, the cat stares at me so much, I wish he'd just throw me into the abyss or suck my breath like he's planning. But no, he makes me wait and flares the paranoia instead. It's pretty clever. I'm also apparently very easy to trip while walking around the house yelling at him. It's this whole thing." She says this with a look that says think-twice-about-cats and a wave of her hand toward the beast running to Byron because he's in the kitchen, interest lost in people in favor of trolling with ragged mews for food, "You sound like a cat-hobo panhandling by a trash fire, that is the worst meow..."

Lilith can't help a swat at Byron's backside in passing when she intersects his path back with the rum to help carry in the kitchen, bumping a hip up to watch, "We'll have a proper pet soon, though. Maybe I can spawn some rumors that we're the new elite class of white supremacists because we have a white Gestapo dog. That seems to be all it takes lately to stir the pot into ridiculous." It's pretty much in vein with what Byron's complaining about, but she leaves the murder details up to him and finally pulls the cat's dish down to get food for while murmuring about it being a fatass.

"In other news, though, yes, lovely to see you. Kiddo and Kevin all good? What about you, what's your rumor? I'm self-isolating to prevent bloodshed, more or less."

At Lilith's scoff, she huffs out a breath. "Damnit, Janet... how I am supposed to get my big break into the paparazzi business?" She steps inside, letting Lilith shut the door behind her. She squints at the cat suspiciously, ready to make devil deals to keep her out of the path of the ranging feline.

Magnolia tips her head back toward Byron. "Welcome to Gray Harbor, where normal shit just piles onto the abnormal shit, and we have the highest arson rates on a national scale. This is when you tell me something that will surprise me... like there's an entire colony of hamsters living on the moon, or that Lilith killed you with a spoon, scooping out your eyeballs for her Persian stew." She starts to unshoulder the camera, setting it onto a stool in the kitchen before she climbs up onto it with a kick of a pair of brand new, unmarked Converse sneakers. She must have lost the other pair, because she hadn't even worn them to destruction yet; anything that makes her think of Lark she keeps until it disintegrates.

"Kiddo and Kevin are great, except they are creating an alliance against me." Then Lilith hits her with what's your rumor?, and Magnolia freezes visibly in her chair. "Um." She loosens slowly, but does not sell it all that well. "Nothing. Nope. No rumors about me. No one cares enough about me to make a rumor."

"Lilith and I were nearly driven off the road by, what I'll assume, are members of this new cartel who wants to get their hands on some PS4 that's been hitting all the local businesses that the corrupt cops are shaking down." Byron says with clear annoyance in his tone, "My car's in the shop and at this point, the prognosis is to buy another car." It's that bad. His grousing done, he then feels the helpful swat to his backside as Lilith helps escort him back into the kitchen for the pouring of booze. "Love you too, hon."

It's around this time that the loudly meowing cat is nudging its head against the still suited man's leg, getting fur all over his tailored pants. "I'll get to you after I serve the ladies."

Returning to the ice cream back to the freezer, he hand the cup with Phish Food over to Lilith, gracing her with a fond smile, before carrying both his and Magnolia's glass as he makes his way out towards the island to pass one of those cups along to their guest. A curious, yet brief look is given Magnolia and while he doesn't mean to pry he says more in a matter-of-fact tone, "There's even something going on around this new guy who just sowed up in town. He's a Swedish celebrity chef, who... I guess, works part-time at Two if by Sea. Someone told me he's not Swedish at all. Nor a chef. Go figure."

Before the cat can complain any further, Byron sips from his glass before returning into the kitchen proper to prepare something for the feline.

Lilith waves Byron off after he's turned back around, already eating ice cream and nudging a filled plate toward the cat with her bare foot, which is a rare occasion-- usually she refuses to feed him outside of mealtimes on principle and has Byron shut the cat up so it doesn't look like she is spoiling it. They seem to be getting along better since Lilith's 'episode' the other day (in that she's getting tripped a little less and therefore bitching less, or vice versa).

Then she wanders to sit with company, legs curling up alongside herself while settling onto the leather. She does kind of eye the blonde woman for a moment, but decides to play with her spoon, "Makes the guy sound like a Muppet anyway. Though if we're being honest he does kind of sound 'borkaborka' with the accent, if I remember correctly." He actually doesn't but Lilith barely met the guy in passing, and therefore she's a little sold on at least the Swedish-ridiculous-accent part in her own mind.

"Anyway, if you don't have a rumor, you're probably going to get one now, might as well make something up yourself to pass around, see if it works that way..."

Yes, that's a semi-backhanded way of prying without prying.

Magnolia arches a brow at Byron. "PS4... as in Playstation 4? What is this, 2013?" She pauses, thoughtfully. "Didn't Tobin have a PS4?" Then she huffs out a breath at Byron. "Sorry about the car. I'm sure it'll be alright. You wanna borrow the Honda?"

Then she accepts her glass. She nudges around the ice cream and rum before she takes a bite, still not really making eye contact after avoiding the whole rumors question. She glances up toward Byron again, frowning. "Easton?"

Then the PI shakes her head, rubbing slightly at the back of her neck. She glances slightly toward Lilith, and then to Byron, and she shakes her head firmly. "Doubt it." She presses her lips tightly. "Though... people have been acting kinda strange around me lately."

"I actually have one. It's right there." Byron doesn't point, but if anyone looks, there's a PS4 openly stored inside of the entertainment built-in. "It's not just for the PS4, I don't think. We took the one apart that was pawned to Lilith's shop. Nothing. Got a feeling that there was something saved to its hard drive, so we were going to pass it over to... well, Abitha Machinae, who I believe the console was stolen from. She's the gaming console expert. Not sure if anything was encrypted. Anyway, some damned cop set the trunk of my car on fire, blowing not only that up, but the PS4 that was stashed within a compartment in the backseat of the car. Harvey Liu." He mentions the cops name, "I can give you names of the others in the precinct working with him. Hell, they even strong armed a judge to sign off on a warrant that I checked." If Byron sounds annoyed, he really is. His poor car. Oh and being nearly driven off the road in a high speed car chase with someone shooting at his car.

At Magnolia's mention of Easton, the man in the cat fur covered business suit shakes his head slowly, "No. Easton's gone missing. Has been for a while now. Bennie runs the place and they have a few new bartenders, one of them being a Swe--... Dane." He doesn't know why it's so difficult to get that straight, "Newly arrived in town."

Having returned to the kitchen, he forks over some meaty stew onto the cat's plate before setting it down on the floor near the island, before grabbing his glass to rejoin the others. Taking a sip from cup, he lets Magnolia know, "Oh, you'll hear about it. Did Alexander tell you? There are those who believe that he either taught middle-school social studies or high school history. That's why I told you to call him Mister A."

"Yeah. Easton..." Lilith listens with a vague screw of her nose at the subject of the console and Liu-crew before she pipes back in. She really doesn't really want to say it, but... she also doesn't have to explain more than Byron does to Mags, glancing absently out of the terrace doors at the casino on the water and all the lights it's putting off in the distance for a pretty stellar night view from the Penthouse. Eating from her cup, she picks out the little chocolate caramel fishies with glance down, then exhales a noise that sounds like recollection, "Oh. Tobin's was a PS3. Or two. How old are we? Damn. I just remember they wouldn't let me take any of the systems apart to look at the insides."

Lilith looks at Byron here, like she still needs to prove a point-- she really was just going to LOOK at the insides of a video game system, okay, it would have been FINE. (Maybe.) Suddenly, there's a tiny shake of her head, though, like she was going somewhere with that, "Anyway, Tobin left town." There's small pause, "He couldn't sense his mother anymore and went... to live his life outside of Gray Harbor for the first time ever, so that's... that's good for him." All the same, Lilith sounds a touch bothered by it, probably due to the actual motivation for the man to finally leave what he's known as 'home' for so long.

Magnolia turns to squint suspiciously at the PS4. "Huh." Then she turns slowly back to Lilith. "No ring hidden in the PS4?" Her voice is a bit dry, but then she huffs out a short breath. Her fingers lift to rub slightly at the bridge of her nose before she finally tugs the hat off from her head, combing through her blond hair to get it reorganized in its loose pony tail. "Sure. Give me the names, but I'm not sure that PS4 plus Cartel is really fitting together in my mind if there's nothing actually special about the console."

News of Alexander has her snorting. "Yeah. I heard. He didn't appreciate me calling him Mister A, and I'm supposed to do something horrible to you for suggesting it. But being remembered as some quirky social studies teacher isn't like being accused of killing someone." Her throat doesn't even bobble.

To Lilith, she bobs her head. "Yeah. Tobin sends me messages now and then. I think he's doing okay." Now she slips into thoughtful silence, looking down into the cup with its rum and ice cream. "He's doing okay."

"Nothing special as in, what we know of the world. But they are a new Cartel moving in on..." Byron doesn't have to mention Monaghan's name. "And taking violence to the streets and our local business to get at him somehow. In fact, they sent a hitman after him and there was a whole mess in the casino's parking garage. I'm still discussing the matter with my lawyers, with how many guest vehicles were parked there that day." He then ends with, "The hit failed."

By now, Byron has the names of the men burned into his mind. "Officers Liu, Russo, Poppenberg and Zakrzewski. They trashed the Pawn shop looking for the console... which they missed in their search. As well as wanting our security footage of the day the console was turned in. In fact, the Control Pad, that gaming store, was burned down after the cops visited it, looking for the signed receipt of the person who purchased the PS4 from there. Now, I thought it was Liu who burned the shop down, because from what we learned, that fucker has the same powers as Lilith. He's the one blew the trunk of my car. But no, there were others involved who burned the shop down. I'm just glad that they didn't try anything with the Pawn Shop." Even if Byron's car did take the brunt of the damage for that whole ordeal.

"And if it wasn't fine, who do you think would have had to save up the money to purchase Tobin a new system?" Well, Byron's sure that Mrs. Gilford would've let him pay for it, but at some point, young Byron had a job. Many of them.

"I'm currently looking into this serial killer thing. Don't ask me why, maybe because this is something that I can help with? I'll be getting together with Machinae, the same person who owned the burned down Control Pad because I heard that she was working on the technical aspects of this... case. There's some connection between the murders and this video game. And no, this is completely separate from the PS4 thing."

Lilith opens her mouth as if to argue or clarify to Byron just how they'd get a new system, but puts more ice cream into it instead, squinting as she listens to him explain the details of the cartel complications to Magnolia. Then she squints more, as if she's getting brain freeze, right in the middle of watching the other woman's little ticks and demeanor. She might be about to punch the elephant in the room she's picking up on, but suddenly, she's not so sure if Magnolia even knows what her talk-about around town is, and she sure doesn't know, so maybe it's not... that the woman doesn't want to talk about it, maybe it's-- ow.

Yes, that's brain freeze, killing any perception or thought processes Lilith was working through while listening. Mumbling 'ow' around the spoon, she stabs it back into her cup and puts the heel of her palm up against a brow instead, "... needless to say, it's a lot of damage control around here and general paranoia, other issues not included. I might need to go into the shop tomorrow in-person to pick up some things and do some mailing, want me to punch anyone trash talking you? You know. Since we're on the subject of damage control."

Gradually the woman's hand drops as the freeze pain passes, murmuring to Byron, "... I wouldn't get brain freeze if I had the kind with waffle cone bits in it to make me slow down and chew."

Magnolia rolls her eyes dramatically at the memories of childhood's long past. She isn't impatient enough to snap her fingers to get their attention back on the topic, because Byron latches back onto the info dump easily enough. "You know I'm not really into getting mixed up with the Cartels. Those people go after families, Ronnie. Lark just started second grade, and I finally got her to stop talking about ghosts and other freaky things with her classmates. All I need is to have some Cartel brujahs on my ass." She just referenced Vampire: The Masquerade without even knowing it. Kevin might notice, though, if he was here.

Magnolia scrapes around the bottom of her glass. "You know, Byron... you should consider a vacation. I swear you haven't had a break in two years." She pops the spoon in her mouth, arching a brow at him before she sighs out a breath. "Alright, so. I need to go pick up the Songbird. Vin is hosting D&D and Lark likes to be his DM Helper." She looks between Byron and Lilith. "Let me know if I can help, yeah?"

The first thing that comes to Byron's mind is 'How can you stop Lark or anyone from talking about strange things in school with her classmates?'. Perhaps, he's been in Gray Harbor for too long that all of this is pretty much normal now, even if they had very little impact in his life as a child. Hell, Tobin practically suppressed using his own abilities for a time. Byron can't even remember having run into any ghost as a kid, but he's met several now.

"I know, Mags. I"m letting you know so you know which cops to watch up for if they ever come knocking on your door. Liu and his goons. This, the cartel, has reach across the whole town. Lilith and I were just unlucky bystanders caught in it all. And if /I/ can be caught in the crossfire of this madness with all of my security and my high profile, that means anyone can." He swishes the creamy content of his cup before taking another drink.

"A vacation? The last time I went on vacation, which wasn't very long ago, thank you very much. I was away for a week only to learn that there was a hit in my casino's parking garage." He then adds, "That's when I proposed to Lilith by the way, our French vacation." Licking the mixture of ice cream and rum from his licks, his gaze follows Magnolia, "You know, I'll let you get yourself resettled and when you're ready, I will probably have a job or two for you. Just, be safe. And tell Lark that being Kevin's DM helper won't make him more lenient if she ever crit fails."