2020-10-09 - We're Both Not Dead, Yay Us!

The crisp fall air is full of good smells, the fall leaves, some grass clippings, wood smoke from a woodstove and something delicious on the grill. Easton is playing the role of grill master this evening with frilly apron tied around his otherwise standard outfit of gray tee-shirt and faded blue jeans. He has a bottle of beer in one hand and spatula in the other that currently serves as a drumstick as he taps out a rhythm on the side of the grill. What could be a fun jamming out thing though reads a little more like a nervous tick. Bennie is off working a shift on her rig and thus Easton is flying solo at the cabin, well he and Gunner are holding it down. Gunner is curled up by the door though occassionally he circles Easton's legs and tries to beg for a piece of whatever he smells cooking on the grill.

"I thought we were going to eat Doritos," Magnolia's voice arrives, heralding the blonde with her oversized sweater with its rolled-up cuffs and long hem; it pairs well with her weathered old jeans and her decade-old Ugg boots. She's bearing a large paper grocery sack with the signature blue and red bags inside of the only Dorito flavors that matter; in her other hand she carries a six pack of Manny's Pale Ale. "Better hope whatever you're cooking goes with Nacho Cheese, because I'm not taking these home with me or Kevin's going to eat them all." She plods up to him, huffing out a breath as if bag and beer are burderous.

"Steak and grilled corn are the appetizers for the main course." Easton grins and sets down the spatula to take the beer and bag from her and lean in to kiss her cheek. Are they kiss on the cheek people? Easton doesn't really care, he's been day drinking and right now he'd kiss Billy Ghol on the cheek. Or mouth. He places a few things inside and then comes back out on the deck to join her. "So I'm guessing you were just a touch busy if you didn't notice the fact that I up and poof'ed out of reality for a few months?"

Magnolia actually smiles at the kiss at the cheek, looping an arm around his back to give a little squeeze. Then she surrenders the bag, but not the beer because she's going to pop one open the moment they settle into this whole social affair. She leans against the railing that encircles the deck, and she bobs her head slightly. "Well, to be fair... I think we did the disappearance act simultaneously. I just disappeared without going anywhere. Pulled some out of G.H. jobs, even went out of state." She draws her fingers idly against the bottle. "So, yeah... heard you had gone, thought it was the kind R-U-N-O-F-T type, or maybe you got called up to go assassinate someone or something."

The beers are duly kept where they are, Easton's not going to let them get warm anyway. He shrugs and says, "Hey, I'm not hurt, people have lives." He does quirk an eyebrow and say, "But uh. You didn't tell Benz? Or .. anyone?" Easton isn't putting the hard press on her, but he can't help but be a little suspicious about her sudden out of state jobs. He raises his eyebrows and says, "I'm really more of a plant my flag and be terrible enough to drive others away kind of guy. And sadly my assassination side gig hasn't taken off nearly, I thought the app name murder but with a 3 for the e was pretty good. Shitty UI though"

"Ha." It's a dry, almost breathed syllable. "Take it seriously enough, and you could totally remake Pointe Blank." But, then Magnolia shuffles her feet, looking down. It isn't often that the blonde looks so gloomy, and then she intakes a shaky breath. "Lark's dad came back around soon after school let out. Started just as some creepy stalking... I'd get calls, him asking about Lark's day... real specific questions. Then he started showing up at my mom's house when Lark was there." She wipes her hand across her cheek, only to then occupy herself with the beer, taking several long swallows. "Don't know how much I ever told you about him... but he's kept to himself over in Hoaquim."

"I'd make a fuckin' great Swayze" Just smaller. And no, he really wouldn't because there is no way that he could pull off that hair. He doesn't push her on it but he also doesn't seem very surprised when she opens up. He does growl, "Dick." That's where he starts at the creepy stalking. But then it gets worse and he nearly growls. "Did you call the cops?" Because that is the proper adult thing to do. But there is also a note of hope in his voice that she did not in fact do that, as it leave other options open.

Proper adult things were never really Magnolia's MO. So, when he asks, she huffs out a sharp breath that almost sounds like a laugh. "No. I tried to handle it on my own." She stretches her shoulders a bit, and then takes another swallow from the beer. "He came to the office, came looking for Lark, but you know, I'd already sent her away. Had Mom load her up and take her to Portland for the weekend." Her hazel eyes darken. "I told Kevin he came in, looking for a fight." She looks over at Easton now, surprising herself with how easy it is to tell him this all; maybe it says something about how she sees her friend. "But I knew he was coming, and I wasn't going to let him make her afraid again." She takes a swallow from the beer, swishing it in her mouth a bit. "I wasn't going to let him walk out of there." She sucks in a breath. "So, he didn't." Now she flickers a glance up at him, waiting judgement.

Easton listens quietly and only once stops to briefly check on the grill. He forgets all about that somewhere around the line I told Kevin and his eyebrows raise up. He sets the beer down right then and pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers her one before lighting up. His eyebrows barely come back down before they raise right back up again. "Okay." He waits a beat, showing absolutely zero intention of judging her for this. "Do you need any help with that situation? Or do you have it covered?" He takes a long drag of the cigarette before picking his beer back up. "Because I imagine eventually questions are going to start to pop up? I'd guess pretty pointed ones? Especially if his cell-phone gets tracked." Not that he needs to tell a private investigator this.

Magnolia sets her beer down to rub at her face, pulling her fingers back into her hair in a loose gather. When she lets them free, it is with her hands resting against the back of her neck. "Dumped his phone with the duffel he had in the back of his car on a bus out of town. Probably in lost and found somewhere in LA." She looks down. "Buried him outside of town. Kevin helped me with that." Her throat bobbles, and then she takes a cigarette -- something she hasn't indulged in since she was hiding behind the art building in high school. She lights it, and then takes a sharp breath in before letting it slowly out. "Weed would have been better." Then she licks at her lips. "Shit... East... I don't know. I couldn't let him keep coming around."

Easton nods along as she outlines what she did to cover her tracks. He's not an expert in these things, but he's also not exactly going to waffle over someone taking decisive action. "Bennie's probably got some joints somewhere, I don't.." He looks off to the side and with a little effort, he ammends, "Yea, I could grab you one." He only has to think about finding something in the house, which is damn helpful considering Bennie set it all up when he was gone and made some very Bennie choices about where things belong. "Mags, it's done now." He's not saying it was right. He didn't know the guy, and doesn't know much about the background. But he isn't exactly questioning it either. "What's important is that it stays that way. Who else knows? Because the tighter you keep that shit, the better. Much as I get you needin' to say it." He knows the feeling. He also knows how many problems talking causes. And it should be noted that Easton's voice for once isn't booming out across the woods. The loud drunk act comes in handy, but it gets clamped down when needed. Except the part where he is still totally drunk, but still able to focus.

"Is it?" There's some harshness there, but it fades away quick, like a flash in the pan. Her fingers tremble a bit with the cigarette pinched between them. Then she looks up at him with a bob of her head. "I needed to tell you... because, I don't know... I can't tell Bennie. But you." She hesitates. "Seen inside your head, East. I think that's why." Then she puffs out a hard breath. "Fuck, sorry." Magnolia rubs the back of her hand against her eye. "I've got this. It'll be fine." It probably won't, because this is Gray Harbor. She fixes a look at Easton, daring him to defy her. The with another drag on the cigarette, she asks through the smoke leaking out of her mouth. "You want to tell me about what happened in the Veil? I could use a chipper topic." She forces a smile his way before she picks up her beer, indulging in the nicotine and alcohol together; they mix well.

Far from being put off by the edge in her voice Easton leans his head to the side as if to concede that while the actually deed may be done, the situation is probably not. When she brings up having seen inside his head he winces a little. He knows that there's a whole world available for mentalists that he can access with the help of someone stronger, but it still sends chills down his back that people have seen that much of him. He couldn't care less about walking around naked in front of everyone, he just did it at the bar the other night, but opening up like that? Scary stuff. "You do. You got this. Because you're here now, and you can't fuck it up." He doesn't need to remind her of the fact that she has a kid depending on her to be there. So that's his Marines version of a pep talk. You will do this, because it needs doing, end of pep talk. The question about the veil gets a half scowl before she cracks the joke, "Cute. I'd rather let every reader in town peak inside my brainmeats. But I get to have a pet dinosaur for a bit? That was ... better than the rest." Sliding scale. And it's one of the few safe topics he can talk about.

End of pep talk. Magnolia settles into it, letting it comfort her while she takes another drag, only finishing half of the cigarette before she smothers it out. She's looking out across the yard that houses the cabin. She needs a place like this. She looks up at him with a more serious look in her hazel eyes. "You got to have a pet dinosaur? What kind of bullshit is that. I go to the Veil, I get eaten by a suitcase. You go to the Veil, you get a pet dinosaur." She squints. "What kind of dinosaur?"

Easton wants to find the balance between letting her talk about what she obviously needs to talk about, and letting that thing threaten to overwhelm her and freak her out. He's a Marine captain, he literally trained for situations exactly like this in bolstering his men and forcing them to keep their heads about them in horrific scenarios. He knows a little bit about how to manage that high level of stress, hence: dinosaurs. It helps to vacilate between humor and serious, you just have to find the balance. And it would be way easier if he weren't drunk. But then other things would be harder, so oh well.

"The velociraptor, like in Jurassic Park" Except that's not a velocirapoter as people who know things about dinosaurs will tell you, but Easton is not one of them. So Jurassic Park, Velociraptor is how he describes it. "I named him Clint Eastwood, because well, he was bad ass mofo who literally bit things heads off. He was awesome. And then of course the veil fucked that up and lava men burnt him alive from the inside out so.. happy story." And Easton lived. Obviously because he's here to tell the tale.

"Mags, you ever need to talk about this, you show up. Or call. Or whatever. I realize this can't be easy, so, don't think you and Kevin need to do this alone. I know I don't know him, but well he buried a body and he's still around?" he's pretty sure that's a yes? Bennie mentioned them at the bar the other night. "So that's pretty much definition of solid guy." In some circles. "If things start getting hairy with this, you let me know." Easton is not an underworld crime boss, but he apparently works with a couple. And he's tangled with others now more than once. So if that's what his friends need, he's also willing to do what needs doing.

"They'll just eat your face." She's seen Jurassic Park. She knows how this all goes down. Then something clicks. "So that's what it is. Clint Eastwood." Mags winces slightly at the whole Veil retaliation. "That is why we can't have nice things in this fucking town."

Magnolia holds her jaw tight, but that stubbornness loosens into a heavy sigh. "Yeah." She flickers her eyes up to him. "I know. Kevin's... he's okay. Not sure which of us was more freaked out when rumors starting going around that I killed Edgar back when we divorced... some sick shit there." She presses her lips together, rolling the beer between her palms. She glances up at him. "He's a good guy. Pretty sure I'll have to ask him to marry me at some point. Think he'd be cool with that?" Easton doesn't know Kevin all that well, so the question doesn't hang there. "I'll let you know. I think at this point, with the dirty cops and mob shit... I'm not going to attract much attention. Edgar was a piece of shit anyway, and everyone will agree."

"Seriously" Is the agreement to why they can't have nice things in town. Stupid Lava men always burning all their fiends slash pets slash familiars to death.

Easton grimaces and says, "Yea, I think I'd roll the dice on the Revisionist there too. I mean..." Yes, it could get worse, but worse and farther from the truth might be better. He just leaves the sentence hanging though, knowing that she's run these scenarios already. "I think if he were a better shot I might try to edge you out." Not really, but that's about all he can offer to the talk of marrying Kevin. "Yea, I think there's plenty of other more serious things happening here. Did he have anyone who might get all weepy and start looking for answers?" Not that he's implying anything should happen to that person, just wondering if that's going to pop up.

Magnolia tightens her lips together, and then she nods. "Yeah, I know." Then she chokes out a quick, abrupt laugh and she smiles over at Easton. "Yeah. He's pretty hot." She takes another swallow of beer, only to realize that is the last of it, so she sets the empty bottle aside. "Doubt it. Though, never know... maybe." She licks at her teeth a moment. "I sent a text from his phone to one of his buddies before I dumped his phone, saying he was going to take some needed vacation." She grimaces. "I hate knowing how to do this shit." Then she lifts her hand to her nose, rubbing at the bridge all the way up to her brows. "If someone comes around, then... we deal with it. But it's been four months, and nothing." She looks up at Easton. "I'm not going to poke around it... so I'm going to go find out about this mob guy who apparently has started derision in the PD. You heard of Felix Monaghan, right?"

Easton walks to grab her another beer and pull the food out of the grill but casts back a look 'oh?' when she mentions the texting subterfuge. He gives a pushed up bottom lip of 'not bad' but doesn't comment on it until she mentions hating it. "Well, don't make a habit of it?" Easton is used to a pretty dark sense of humor. The fact that she's going to poke around the PD's business gets an intrigued look but then she drops Monaghan's name and he laughs a little. He hands her the beer and beckons her to a table that has some basics setup. "Yeah. I'm sure you remember the paper trail on the bar I asked you to follow? Well, I stopped you when I figured out where it led. Monaghan did business with my father, maybe strong armed him into doing it, not sure. So when one of those shell companies popped up as something I recognized I knew I wanted to stop digging." She already knew his bar was intertwined with something shady, he's hardly reading her into anything new or deep. "But why do you ask?"

"Shit. I hadn't made the connections." Magnolia huffs, mumbling the word idiot under her breath. "Right." She crosses her arms as she slumps into the railing of the deck. She looks up at him after a heartbeat, frowning to herself as she carefully navigates her words. "I'm... investigating the death of two of his thugs... off the books. Hell, I'm not even on PD books." Yet. "I think that this is connected to the shady shit going on in the PD, and with the new drug push into town. Kevin's dropped the paper, so he's now my receptionist-slash-rookie investigator." She rubs slightly at the edge of her jaw. "I think Felix is losing the arm-wrestling, because I think this new guy has a tighter grip on what's going on."

Easton nods and says, "Good. That was the point. I didn't want you anywhere near him, it was bad enough my bar's tied up with him." Of course things have gotten far more complicated since those early days in GH, and now Monaghan is pretty far down on Easton's list of things to worry about. The news that she's investigating things causes him to wince a little. He nods, "I hear it's gotten rough." He looks at her as he butters an ear of corn. "How much do you know about Monaghan's side? And Reyes is the other player, right?" He may have just returned from the dead but he has some friends who are excellent at catching people up. "Also" he adds, with a food in his mouth because he's classy, "I love the thought of Kevin in a sweater set and pearls, cat eye glasses." Like receptionist has a very specific bent in Easton's mind.

"That guy," Magnolia agrees. "I'm not like going out to avenge these guys. They were pieces of shit, Felix's thugs. But there's stuff going down, particularly within the PD, I'm a PD kid so that's like coming up and stirring shit at home." And Easton just got a good preview of what Magnolia does when the threat is high enough. "There's lots of shuffling around happening in the PD with the dirty cops, trying to figure out who to back. I got a guy in there who was on Felix's payroll, but Reyes is starting to bribe him over. De La Vega is making it clear no one is going to be doing favors for him, but I know a guy who is definitely on Monaghan's payroll."

Easton leans his head off to the side at the pronouncement that they were two pieces of shit. He might have once readily agreed with her but now that he's a little less 'arms-distance' than he once was? It's harder to say. "Yea, I know it's basically a shitshow in department. Cops on both sides aren't exactly on the right side of anything anymore." And Easton is just about as pro-law enforcement as they come, like most ex-military. "Obviously be careful Mags, people are ending up dead and both sides are probably not going to love anyone sticking their nose in asking questions?" Which is exactly what Easton intends to do, but he hopes to do it on the friendlier of the two sides only.

"But my nose is so cute." Magnolia angles a look to Easton, but that derisive response is fleeting. Instead, the blonde flares her nostrils and offers a slow nod. "I know. I'm taking it easy." She glances aside toward him, casting him a winning smile that is all sunshine. "If it gets dicey, I'll drop it." Then she pushes off the railing, finally getting herself a second beer. She pops the cap, palming it. Now she's sips at the beer slowly.

"Until someone take a tire iron to it." Easton grins, he knows that she hears him about being careful so he's fine with cracking jokes about what happens if she's not. He looks at her skeptically and says, "How are you at dropping things? Because if you need an investigation intervention, you can call me and I will show have Alexander show you morgue photos of people who've ended up dead because of these two chucklefucks until you give."

"I drop things... like hot pans... my newest rap album." Beat. "Acid." Despite that automated dryness, Magnolia takes a sip from her beer and frowns thoughtfully. "Alright, alright... I'll watch it. Promise. Scouts honor." She holds up her three fingers. Then she pushes off the railing. "Alright, talk to me about food."

The list of things she'll drop gets a low rueful chuckle. And then she's asking for a menu run down and it's complicated so he starts right in,
"Well we have our basics of meats and starches. Some heathens might say meat and potatoes, but we're more cultured than that here..." describing the grilled steak and corn with beer that serves as a amuse bouche to ready them for the culinary masterpiece that is: Doritos.