2020-11-22 - Check it Out, Ghost Frogs?

It's getting towards that late morning/early afternoon part of the day. The library isn't too busy, which works just fine for Isolde. Her apartment still had a day or two until it was ready for her to move in and trying to do course work at the Murder Motel? Not happening. Too many distractions.

So instead she had claimed at least half of one of the little seating areas, sitting on the floor at the table in the center of the chair groupings. She was alternating on typing something or other in her laptop - slowly - and reading from a text book or one of the few other books stacked near her. The books appeared to be about Art History in some form or fashion.

Isolde's attire is simple - a pair of jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail with a few flyaway strands here and there. On her wrist is a charm bracelet that has a variety of adorable little frog charms on it.

The man who walks into the library not too long after Isolde has settled is not a familiar face; a tall copper blond dressed in black from top to toe almost as if he's trying to make some kind of statement -- leather jacket, turtleneck shirt, jeans, boots. He approaches the seating area carrying a small stack of books and magazines in hands gloved in black kidskin; old copies of Entertainment Weekly, a Steven Spielberg biography, and several books on steampunk design. Add to that, the man's got a chin scruff that says he's forgotten to shave for at least four days straight and blue eyes rimmed in enough red to suggest a week's worth of cannabis high.

"Don't mind me," he murmurs as he pulls out a seat at the other end of the table. His smile is friendly enough, just a little tired. If this place allowed, he'd probably have the largest black coffee available in town sitting next to him.

Isolde's gaze flickers upwards towards the new face. Her own clear green eyes are a getting a little red but it's probably for the best that she's come on what is hopefully the tail end of whatever Gray Harbor's shenanigans caused this. The cloud seemed like it was getting lighter but it wasn't gone just yet. She leans forward some to peer at his books. Quietly mouthing the word 'Steampunk'. "I won't." Isolde confirmed to his don't mind me statement...and then started giggling. She looked back towards her book and then her laptop, then to the book. "....I think. That I've just been writing the book." She sounds a little confused and a little defeated as she peers at the laptop one more time. "This is a bad time to be trying to do important things." She lazily looks back over towards Ravn. "What are you reading?"

Hyacinth is stoned as shit. Is she day drinking too? Maybe but an Addington never actually tells people what is in the Starbucks sippy cup does one? The black cat eye diva sunglasses with the rhinestone edge are on because they are dark and match the silver sparkle shoesie beneath the fitted jeans with the 1940's flare and the white and black herringbone longcoat that flares at the bottom edge.

The cadence is almost that of tap shoes as she walks across the tile floor with that telltale taktaktak as she walks. She leans on the counter as were it a piano with a bit more flare than usual. "Where' the tiny librarian? The pedantic one that can't give a straight answer..." That she's not in today meets with a frown. "Well see if you can't get her here it's important." There's a pause and she awaits the answer, "Flying to see family...for holiday. Can't you just have her cancel it?" There's a pause and Hya sighs tired and pained to her soul, "Yes cancel either the family or the holiday or the flight I really don't care about the minutiae here." There is a small cry of anguish befitting of Snoopy that is distress. "Gooood today is fired. I need Edison back. He'd go to Vermont and track her down."

There's a sigh and well at least a Ravn and -noooo shit. Issy's back. Well well. The coffee cup gets a swirl and she saunters over, "Well my librarian has not our things but check you both out." There's a pause. "That's a pun. We're in a library. It's Hilaaaaaaarious. When the hell did you get back I thought you vamoosed for...whatever." Oh the purple haze is still thick.

"Gremlins. The movie. Movies -- I think they made a second one," the Dane replies and reveals that whoever he is, he's definitely not a local. He's got an accent of the kind that wants to put on a butterfly and declare itself a speaker for the BBC but which is probably Scandinavian or at least North European.

It's entirely possible he was going to say something more. About why a grown man suddenly takes a keen interest in steampunk design and pop culture references from the eighties. Whatever he opened his mouth to say, though, got drowned out in a sudden arrival of Hyacinth Addington, high as a kite, gushing over the woman who asked him the question in the first place. He looks from one to the other in mild amazement and then winces.

Because 'hilaaaaaaaaaarious' is really, really loud. And he's got the weed hangover of a lifetime.

Just because the majority of his job deals more in the physical aspects doesn't mean that Seth neglects to work out the biggest 'muscle' he has, his brain. The redhead enters the library carrying a stack of books that belongs more in the library of a university professor rather than that of a mob enforcer. Nietzsche, Machiavelli, Sun Tzu to name a few intermixed with Rousseau, Smith, and Rand...with Stephen King thrown in for fun. Seth didn't come to the library with plans on socializing, so he doesn't really pay attention to those that are already here that he might know like Ravn. He just carries his books to the counter, dropping them down onto the surface and ringing the little bell to get the attention of the librarian.

"Excuse me. I think a couple of these might be a little overdue."

"Never seen it. Them." Gremlins. Isolde counters. Television and media have never really been her thing for various reasons. Maybe a little more lately but - still. There's a lot of classics she hasn't seen.

Hya's arrival distracts her too. Watching the woman who is both feels like a total stranger but also she remembers from that one Portland trip. She wiggles a finger briefly in her ear, the way you do if it feels like there's water in there or the ear is ringing. But she offers up a smile to Hyacinth nonetheless. "Uh, I tried. But you know this place. Just brings you back in and stuff." She shrugged. "But that's okay. I'm doing better than I was before. So I think it will be a little easier this time around." She seems to give up on trying to figure out whatever she's supposed to be doing school wise and closes her books and laptop. Leaning forward to lay her head on her arms on the table.

"Why do you need the Librarian?" Isolde asks curiously, eyes flickering towards Seth when he enters and watches him for a second since she recognized him from the coffee shop the other day. Then looks back up to Hyacinth.

Hya's coffee is given another swirl and she sips it. "Yeah it does. It also makes the tourist commission invariably fucking lazy. Ingrates riding the coattails of the weird." The pains. oh the woes. There's a pause when asked about the Librarian and one can almost hear Hya blink behind the stylish hangover glasses. "Because I need her to do her god damned job. I need... someone without their head up their yoga sculpted ass to find us what we need so I can tell people no and have them thank me for enforcing good taste at a time..." her hand rolls, "henceforth."

Looking back to Ravn there's a small frown and her eyebrows do something... odd. Odder. She stops. "yeah I have no idea how to look pathetic. Can I like hire you for the day Ravn? I need someone competent to just assure me we've not lost our damn minds while I try and sort this bullshit ghost issue today." Seth's there. Her expression looks a bit...unfavorable at something, back to Seth. "He looks familiar." She is however awaiting her answer."

"... Are you saying I look pathetic?" Ravn blinks myopically.

Then he nods. "I probably do look pathetic. I feel pathetic. Bloody high is wearing off and I'm... asking myself why I was part of a gang war over cupcakes at Safeway yesterday. I suppose the main reason was that the other gang was gremlins."

The Dane's not very sharp today blue gaze finally hones in on the important thing about the appearance of Hyacinth Addington. In a voice that's almost hurt he murmurs, "Hey, why can you have coffee in the library when I can't?"

"You always look pathetic, Darty, that is part of your charm," Seth explains without turning around. The Dane's voice is nigh-unmistakable because really, who else in Gray Harbor sounds like that?

The enforcer turns his head to look over his shoulder, glancing at Hyacinth and Isolde before they fall on the wannabe bartender, a small smile playing across his lips that fades relatively quickly as Safeway is brought up, "Shit, that was real wasn't it. I was hoping that was just another bad dream."

Turning around fully now, Seth leans back against the counter, folding his arms across his chest as he waits for the librarian on duty to check in his books, "Hell, man, all I wanted was a Pepsi...but they wouldn't give it to me. Stupid gremlins."

Poor Isolde just looks confused at Hyacinth's answer about why she needs the librarian. So she latches on to the one thing she does understand, "You have a ghost issue?" Isolde lifts her head just a little, and then decides she likes it better down and puts it back down. Still, she looks interested. "What kind of ghost issue?"

Isolde looks back to Ravn, "You look scruffy." Is her helpful contribution. If he was closer to where she sat? She might actually reach over and touch the scruff. Luckily for him, she's feeling too lazy to move.

She looks between Ravn and Seth at the talk of Gremlins and cupcake fights. "That sounds...messy. I am a little disappointed that I missed it."

"Because only one person in this city has ever told me no and walked away without their precious dignity mauled into coffee grounds, and." There's a flicker flash of actiol emotion behind the porcelain judgy disdain (so judgy!!!) she generally surveys everything with. Her fingers reach under the sunglasses to wipe at her eye (it's for an eyelash ask her!) and stumbles to steamroll past that verbally, "let's...just never talk about my birthday again. Right? Good."

It's Seth saying 'all I wanted was a Pepsi that brings a fleeting smile of amusement to her and a wry grin, "Well at least they didn't tell you no, you're on drugs so there's that. I mean...technically..." Manicure unfolds as if to gesture ta da and here we are yet*. "Yeah, no gremlins are a menace and cause property damage. They can go. Did you get your cupcakes at least?" God there was another question there. What the fuck was it? God this haze can goooo, "Oh, Isolde it's Gray Harbor. Ghosts are always going to be the bane of our existence. This is just...new."

'Darty', Ravn mouths incredulously. He was getting used to 'Darth', but really, the line needs to be drawn somewhere. Tomorrow. Because drawing lines probably requires effort and he's feeling the last week hard today. "Don't make me break your face again," he murmurs instead and then waves at Seth with his copy of Entertainment Weekly. The mob enforcer takes out philosophy and realpolitik -- the guy who is actually qualified to lecture on a university level, on the other hand...

"It was real all right, Irish. You shot up a Safeway and saved a bunch of lives." Ravn looks at his pile of magazines and books on steampunk design, and then at Isolde. "Figured I'd try to find some information but my brain is not working today. And neither is my shaver. I'm sure it's very fashionable. Somewhere. Somewhen."

And then his mind belatedly taps him on his hung over shoulder and reminds him that someone said 'ghost'. He looks at Hyacinth. "I have a bit of ghost hunting experience. Talk to me sometime my brain is working. Am I the guy who told you no, by the way, or did the other day not count?" A chuckle accompanies that last statement; whatever he said 'no' to probably was on level with 'do you want another sandwich?'.

"It was a lucky punch. Anytime you want to try round two, you just let me know Ravn. I'm happy to oblige and we will see how your luck continues." Seth grins at the Dane, his expression turning a bit more apprehensive as Raven continues to talk about Safeway. "Yeah, great...uh...can we not talk about what may or may not have happened to those windows? Thanks." Yeah, the local law enforcement may just have looked the other way due to Cousin Felix's pockets, but the whole world doesn't need to know about it. "Ixnay on the ootingstay talk..."

Hyacinth's comment draws his attention and Seth nods with a smile. "Well, I was on drugs, but so is everyone so I don't think they can hold that against me, but at least I didn't get hit by a car."

Isolde gets the attention now, Seth shaking his head. "No. No cupcakes, and messy it was. Stinky too. I swear those things were just filled with shit for guts. Literally."

"Yeah, my brain doesn't want to work either. I blame the cloud." Isolde agrees with Ravn. "Your shaver is obviously also feeling lazy because of the cloud too." A quirk of a smile on her lips and a laugh at the thought of a lazy shaver.

She looks curious at the mention of shooting things and saving people but doesn't comment on it since Seth blatantly seems uncomfortable with that particular topic. Instead she answers Hyacinth with, "That's true. There will always be ghosts. And things in the shadows." She sighs, maybe a bit dramatically but then pulls another smile. "I'm no ghost hunter, but you know I like to help. Let me know if I can help with any things."

Then towards Seth, as she points to Ravn, "He said it was a gang war over cupcakes. But...that sounds unpleasant - like a not fun mess." Isolde agrees finally. "I don't think I've ever run into a Gremlin thing. But good to know to maybe bring something to help with the smell if I ever do have to run into them."

Hyacinth casts that slow smile to Seth with amusement, "Doesn't sound like it was very lucky for you. Don't shoot the library please." The Cousin has the city councilwoman's eyebrow arch way way up. "OoooOOohhhhhh" It's one of those oohs. She sips her coffee. "That happened to some that went out for tacos too. Do... we have a health crisis on our hands?" There's a frown and a look between the two men there. It's to Isolde she says, "I'd go... groc' or ...food part hunt or whatever it is you do out of town. How was your trip anyways? As for the ghosts well... we're trying to keep things out of the media by resolving issues before they start but what can you do?" Looking to Ravn she elaborates with a small circle of her hand (from the elbow. Little gestures today are not little) "that one you found I'm...dealing with"

Ravn looks up at Hyacinth. "You Jane, him not bad guy yesterday." He nods towards Seth. Maybe he thinks that it is important for some reason that this very well dressed lady knows that the big Irishman is in his good books.

"It was a gang war. Over cupcakes. Doesn't mean it wasn't real or that it wasn't dangerous. Those gremlins? They kill people. I've seen them several times -- little green buggers that smell like mildew. They live in water and escape through the sewers after doing their thing. Which is stealing something small and harmless looking -- like the screws that hold shelves on the wall, or an electrical fixture on the ceiling, or the hull valve of a boat. I've seen them kill a woman. They nearly killed a dozen people yesterday. They killed Ignacio de Santos."

He pauses. And then adds, "He got better."

Seth nods to Isolde, "It wasn't fun, no. If you do run into those things I suggest you just get out of there, as Ravn said those things kill. Spears and steampunk armor aside they seemed pretty squishy though, but man they stink when they splat."

He partially turns to Hyacinth, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Nobody has shot anything and has no plans to shoot anything, except maybe a Sweedish chef that can't keep his mouth closed. " The 'Ooohh' causes Seth to cast his glance over Hyacinth fully with an eyebrow arched as if expecting more to come from her. When it doesn't, the enforcer shrugs his shoulder and turns to face everyone.

"I don't know anything about ghosts. That is a bit out of my wheelhouse."

"Definitely bad news. Will run away." Maybe. Maybe not. It really would just depend on what the situation was! Isolde pushed a hand through her hair, forcing herself to sit up some and draw in a breath. As if trying to wake up.

When Hyacinth asked about her trip away, a brief, but perhaps odd look crossed over her expression before it passed. "My trip was fine. Portland is...Portland. Not much better than here in the long run." She mused. "And I decided if I was going to have to deal with the weird stuff anyway. Might as well do it here. Where there's more people who 'get it'...you know?" She shrugged.

"I don't know if I've ever even seen a ghost either...but I watch those ghost hunting shows sometimes. Even if they never find anything concrete."

"They killed Itzhak's little buddy with the puppets?" This is news! "That's terribly rude." Hyacinth leaves the eyebrow and shifts her attention to Ravn and then Set, "I didn't expect you did. You look like him." This is amusing to her in any case. "Same ass. Same squint." She noticed but does not dwell on this detail. Man she is frank today. Looking back to Ravn she says "I know Felix because he contributed graciously to two of my renewal campaigns. Some people, regardless of rumor, care about what happens to this town. Especially if they are property investors." Charing the zoning commission there is that odd view of people. Her hand finds Isolde's shoulder and pats it. Glancing back to Ravn looking (maybe naturally) pathetic by Seth Standards she sighs dramatically and hands him her coffee cup. Sharing. Mark that one on the calendar. "Well there was the one that was running around trying to ruin every public engagement last year."

"I'm not Swedish, damnit," Ravn grouses quietly and looks at a picture of Stripe the gremlin and his siblings in an ancient copy of Hollywood Review. "They don't really look like gremlins -- at least not like this. More like... Harry Potter elves, but really sickly and watery-eyed ones. We should try giving one of them a sock."

The Dane looks at Isolde when she speaks about ghost hunting shows, then shakes his head. "It never works like that, you know? The whole electricity goes on and off, things move around on their own, and tables dance? I'm sure there are ghosts who can do that, but most of them just mind their own business. Sometimes they don't mind chatting for a bit. Also, -- hello, Ravn Abildgaard. Resident folklorist and table cleaner at the Twofer."

And then he asks, as if to drive the point home that he's an out-of-towner and often quite oblivious: "Who's Felix?"

"My cousin," Seth says, glancing over at Ravn. "He runs the Firefly Club and has other business ventures within the town, so I am not shocked that he cares what goes on here." His attention divides between Ravn and Hyacinth, " I'm sure he was happy to contribute to your campaign, Ms. Addington. I'll let him know you said hello."

Getting the feeling that his quick run into the library is going to take longer than he expected, Seth moves from the counter and heads over to sit on one of the available chairs to speak with everyone easier, "Wait...someone died and came back to life? That happens?" he says as he looks between the three others. "I mean, why am I surprised by this? After all I have seen in the few weeks I have been back, I shouldn't be. Ghosts, gremlins, pregnant toads...just add it to the list."

"Where are you from then?" Is Isolde's first question to Ravn not being Swedish. Then she offers her own name in turn, "Isolde Morrison. Jobless, sort of college student? Maybe a waitress soon." She nods matter of factly. She does need to see about getting an actual job after all. "Ghosts will talk to you? That's pretty cool...I wanna talk to a ghost..." She gets a little distracted again, toying with a few loose strands of her hair. Though seems a little startled with Hyacinth pats her shoulder and that seems to shake her out of whatever distracted thought process she'd stumbled on to.

"Gray Harbor is a very, very gray place." Isolde nodded towards Seth comment about all the things going on. "Always something bad and dangerous going on, even when there are good things happening. It tries to strangle the good things. That's why we're here. To make sure that doesn't happen." She's rambling just a little bit, which she seems to start to realize and quiets herself. Averting her gaze quickly back to one of her closed books.

Hyacinth seems appeased at this and smiles to Seth, "Do that and I'll forgive the Ayn Rand." There's a pause and a mild look of repulsion, at pregnant toad, "God you poor thing...and... " There's a frown and she has a seat on the edge of the desk hand out to Seth. "Too often. Which cousin do we have the pleasure of addressing?" There's a pause and a heavy sigh as she takes her coffee back. "Well the last ghost was a goddamn serial killer making tourism promotions a goddamn nightmare and property values shift. Again." There''s a stillness and her hand comes up wn a pause adding, "I'm really tired of burying my family and I'm fairly certain others feel likewise, so if we can get rid of this ghost. thing? Better. Besides, it seems like other issues are on the horizon so-" She lifts her coffee to Isolde flatly adding joylessly, "Welcome home."

Ravn smiles at Isolde; he seems to be a friendly enough person in spite of the I-partied-all-week level of unshavenness and the red-rimmed stare. That weed cloud has been rough on some people. "I'm Danish as it happens," he replies. "I'm not a chef either, for that matter. There is a thing going around -- one of those Gray Harbor things. It had me set up as a Swedish celebrity chef for a while, but thankfully most people have forgotten."

As an afterthought he adds, "Talk to Bennie Oakes or Easton Marshall, I think the Twofer is still hiring. Or the Gyres at the Pourhouse -- I heard Maggi say something about more hands too."

He takes one long sip of Hyacinth's coffee and then hands it back to her. "If you need a displaced academic's help, you know you only have to ask."

Seth stands, because it is only polite, and extends his hand over to Hyacinth. "Seth, Seth Monaghan. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Addington. I will for sure let Felix know I ran into you, and in doing so I will forgive myself for Rand. I couldn't get through it." he says with a chuckle. Noticing the look about the toad, he continues "As far as the toad, it wasn't one of my best moments to be sure. But it has at least cemented that I need to wear pajamas when I go to bed." The enforcer shrugs, "At least I was able to borrow an apron...which then got toad egg residue all over it. Yeah, it was as messy as it sounds. I think I took an hour-long shower afterward."

Seth looks over at Ravn and Isolde, "If you strike out for work there, I am sure the Firefly could always use new staff as well. I am sure there are plenty of places for you."

Isolde grabs up her pen that she definitely had with a notebook or something because all college students keep a pen and note book handy. Or something like that. She doesn't write on the notebook though. She writes on the palm of her hand the bar names. "I will check them out!" She smiles. "Thanks." Is said to all of them. "I..." She looks at her books and laptop and sighs. "should go try and figure out how to sober up for a bit. This thing is due tonight." Whatever this 'thing' was. Probably a paper or something. She starts to stand up, gathering her books. "It was nice to meet you all! And see you again Hyacinth. I'll see you around." Giving another smile before heading out.

Hyacinth lifts her fingers with a gracious smile to Isilde seeing her off. Once she steps out Hya the Destroyer(tm) declares what everyone knows "Well that project is doomed." No one's getting sober any time soon. Looking back to Ravn she murmurs, "Your'e a good man, Charlie Brown." And to Seth there's a smirk, "Other people's sensibilities are highly overrated as are wearing pajamas. " Turning, and here is taht random amazing fact that sober Hya wouldn't bother sharing by blunt force (it'd be different things, let's be honest) "Did you know in India that's where we got that word and that's the name of those swooshy pants they have. I need to go there." We'll see how long that feeling lasts. "You didn't bring anything back with you did you? There's theory that they can track that shit. Alexander and I and a couple others have been looking into it."

"Would expect the Firefly to require some level of professional training," Ravn murmurs, surprised. Then he looks at Hyacinth and says, "You say that now. I mean, yes, we could definitely have scraped some dead gremlin off the floor yesterday after Devlin beat one to pulp with a stick."

He pauses. Sharing is caring, and there are things Hyacinth needs to know. "They've evolved since last time. They use tools now. And masks -- like these." The Dane points at his steampunk magazines and picture books, open to pages of plague masks and breathing gear with too many valves. "I don't think they can breathe our air for very long. I filled the air with flour and they bloody well started suffocating in their masks. But they didn't take them off."

Letting out a bit of a chuckle and snort combination, Seth nods to Hyacinth. "True, and for the most part I agree with you, but the concern about lack of clothing wasn't because I was embarrassed or worried about other people's moralistic sensibilities. I just didn't want to get my dick caught on anything." Talk about blunt, well there you have it. "I uh..I grabbed some shit from the pile that the toad was offering us to take from. I didn't think it would be a good idea to refuse since the last thing I wanted to do was offend a horny toad that just squirted toad babies all over me." Seth shudders a bit at the remembrance. "Anyway, the coins I got are tossed in a drawer at home somewhere. They didn't seem worth anything."

Seth looks over at Ravn with a shrug, "Depends on the job. I doubt the barbacks need all that much in the way of training."

High class doesn't mean unamused, "Well good for you employing some common sense and defending what's yours." her coffee cup lifts and she looks back to Ravn, "Smart. Lots of things can't breathe our atmosphere like those... um... god those bug things from the space movie. The Gand." Sure she can't say Star Wars but she knows obscure races from within why not. "Their natural atmosphere was ammonia so nitrogen-oxygen based environments proved toxic. Seems to track. God I need lunch and nothing to do with frogs. If you want to know about the ghosts though that is a discussion for over drinks and not in a library." There's a pause and she adds, "You can't drink in the library." Implying other people not her, not the general rule.

"You have any idea how much artful dodging is required to handle the omnipresent Karen who found a dust mote on her napkin?" Ravn murmurs distractedly and then looks back at Seth. "The coins? A pregnant frog gave you coins? That reminds me of something. Why don't the three of us have a drink and talk ghosts sometime then?"

Crazy as it sounds, the resident nerd boy seems to consider the resident Monaghan-that-isn't-Felix a pal.

"You want the coins, you can have them." Seth retorts to Ravn with a shrug of his shoulders. "I have no use for them. I mean, we can all meet for drinks sure, but I don't know much about ghosts." Except maybe creating a few.

Switching gears, the enforcer looks over to Hyacinth with a chuckle, "Well, a guy has to have his priorities."

Hyacinth boggles and sips her coffee having no expectation of people 'knowing' about ghosts. Maybe that wasn't the point or maybe it's noted and cataloged meticulously for later. Her hand does come up, pauses and she points one glittery fingernail at the Irishman, "Good. Don't lose that." Looking to Ravn there is a wide, high gloss grin that is absolutely all sharp and pointy teeth (at least proverbially) "I want to meet her. You have problems, show me. I will consume a Karen alive and screaming and it would be my delight." There is a sigh of contentment at vindicating someone hard working at their art. "Bougie bitches think they know a lobster fork from a pitchfork. They can be buried alive with both." Her hand pats Ravn's shoulder with a tut tut. "Don't let them upset you. I got you." Good bye filters, though this could also just be Hya being Hya and not giving a damn today too.

"Wouldn't mind seeing one of those coins sometime." Ravn hitches a shoulder. "There's a story tradition, about -- well, a pregnant toad. Anyhow, ghosts. Ghosts are real, also outside of Gray Harbor. I grew up in a house full of them. But the question I always want to ask in this town is -- are we talking ghosts, or are we talking the Veil making up something terrible that looks like a ghost in order to screw with us like usual? Because there's a considerable difference. Ghosts are rarely malicious."

He winces when Hyacinth pats his shoulder. Maybe there's a reason that Ravn always watches everyone within touching range of himself like he half expects them to grow shark's teeth and eat him. The reason being, if he doesn't see something like that coming he might end up screaming someone in the face. Which is really a very rude way to behave in a library, so it's probably a good thing that he's an observant guy. "I can get you three or four Karens any random night at the Twofer, dear. And double in the tourist season."

Seth nods to Hyacinth. "I've got no plans to."

With that being said, Seth falls quiet to let the two of them talk about ghosts, listening and learning by keeping his mouth shut.

Hyacinth shakes her head. "Usually. This is... different when you get into the Baxter factor on things." Her eyes roll up with a shake of her head. "You're talking normal ghosts, bb. There is... an added factor here that is tied to the city itself and, lord seriously, drinks." She looks Seth over appraising him and nods in silent judgement. "Hmm. You can go too." Who knows what she is judging but he passes. Looking back to Ravn behind the glasses she says soberly, "We're talking a ghost that can possess people and has killed upwards of 23 persons over the years. Mostly my family. There've been others, but it's a long story and I'm either far too fuzzy or far too sober to get into it here. Some curse in this town defy the moral patterns. Incidentally this never goes to the tourists. It'll kill local business."

Ravn steeples those gloved fingers of his under his chin and leans back on his chair. "And that's what I mean when I ask -- is this a ghost or a Gray Harbor thing that looks like a ghost. It's clearly the latter -- real ghosts don't generally get up to that sort of thing. Or this place empowers ghosts in a way they are not elsewhere. The exact hows don't matter. Putting down the ghost does. Send me what you have in terms of people it's killed, when and where, Hyacinth? I can try to see if there's anything we can use against it -- if there's one thing I've noticed in my four months here, it's that these things follow rules a lot of the time. The kind of rules that I kind of happen to have that Ph.D. in."

"I'm always for drinks," says Seth with a nod. "If I am going to explore all that this place seems to offer, I suppose I should dive in with both feet. Preggers toads notwithstanding. Serial killer ghosts sound like something I should know, just for no other reason than to know about it." Seth turns to Ravn, "So...there are stories about pregnant toads and coins? Why didn't you mention that before? I'd be curious to know what the story is, because I don't relish the idea of getting hit on by another pregnant toad anytime in the future...at least not without knowing everything I can about it."

There is a deep sigh and an order to things. "Wow it'll be fun putting last year's quiet massacre into a time line. De la Vega has the police files if you wan to get gritty and snoop. Alexander and myself and a couple others have...the rest. Yes it's a different kind of ghost and with everyone's aptitude for trouble they have no real problem running the gambit of things some how."

"Well, for one, all you told me in our mutual weed infused haze is that you got sexually harrassed by Kermit," Ravn points out in response to the enforcer's question. "I can tell you the story over a beer sometime. But if you got out of it with a reward that isn't a curse, then you didn't screw it up."

He looks at Seth a little more intently. "And that -- that right there, the dive in with both feet. That's the thing that made me decide to stay here. Because this town has its good people and its bad people just like anywhere else. But when the manure hits the propeller in Gray Harbor, almost everyone bats for Team Humanity, together. I made friends here who'll take an Aztec goddess to the face before they let her get to me. I could be on a plane to Denmark in five hours. But I won't be, because it's everyone's backsides on the line here -- and my friends need me."

Then the Dane shakes his head at Hyacinth's words. "I'm not going to go be a pain in the backside to the police. Let's just sit down sometime and you can tell Seth and I what you know. Should be enough to tell whether this thing plays by the rules. I have this theory that most of them do because the Veil lifts the ideas from our heads in the first place. Like Seth's sexual assault by Kermit there -- it sounded to me like it was lifted right out of a book that this library probably has, or can order a copy of."

"Ok, ok, can we not talk about that?" questions Seth. "I was hit on, I was not assaulted. You make it sound like the thing had its way with me...all it did was ogle and make some off-color comments. And give birth into the apron I was...ok. Yeah, I was assaulted." The enforcer purses his lips and sighs. "I'll grab the coins next time I go home, you can have them for all I care."

Hyacinth doesn't crack joke one about the man being sexually assailed by amphibious afterbirth. "We can order frog legs for snacks. We'll set it up. Dinner my place. Seth, I'll see you get the information. I'll call teh people who know a thing about a thing ad we will go from there." There's a pause and a wry smile, "If you feel the need to wear your apron wash it first and let me know so I can put a towel down first. That's just polite." Okay it does amuse her a wee bit.

The comment brings a bit of a chuckle from the enforcer, "Are you kidding? I burned that fucking thing. Which reminds me, I owe Joey a replacement. I will have to find the most obnoxious and inappropriate one I can find. Something that says 'Eat my meat' with a photo of a hot dog in a suggestive place. or something equally as bad on the front of it. Just because."

Seth moves to stand in preparation to leave, giving Hyacinth a nod as he does so, "I am sure you have people that can get to my people and iron out the details. I look forward to it, Ms. Addington."