2021-06-15 - The Landlord and the Tenant

Isolde is a good tenant, despite the rumors of her being a little batty. She pays her rent on time and hasn't had any major incidents aside a weird break in a few months back that resulted in her power being cut and a window needing fixed. With this storm coming in, she's been working to help residents secure their belongings and weak points of apartments - like the windows - and pack necessities.

Today she's taking a break from all that and is hanging out in the community room. Sitting at one of the window seats and staring out the window, up at the gathering storm clouds while she listens to the news reports running on the television. Her dark brownish red hair is left in a loose ponytail and she's wearing a pair of faded denim jeans with a gray tank top and a dark green flannel shirt unbutton over top of it.

Conner had quietly come in and fixed both problems, and had never said a word about it. He's a pretty easy landlord to live with, all things considered. He barely makes his presence known unless he himself is needed. Yet as the storm has threatened he's been pretty mindful of his residents too. He enters with a big case full of batteries, as well as a big case of battery operated candles, and places them there in the common room.

He's dressed...well, as he always is. In a denim shirt that really needs to gain a passing acquaintance with an iron, jeans, and a t-shirt. Today said t-shirt is blue. Construction boots. It's like he walked into a store, found something in his size he liked, and just bought one in every color. His uniform. His hair is always just a little mussed, but because it's so short this is never too crazy.

"How's it going, Isolde?" he asks. Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, as always. "You've been busy helping everyone else...do you have everything you need?"

Isolde finally pulls her attention away from the windows when she hears someone else entering the room. A smile is given to Conner as she turns in her seat to see what he's brought in. "Heya Conner." She pushes a hand through her hair and shrugs. "I think so!" Despite a world-weary sort of look that Isolde tends to wear sometimes - signs that she's been through hell and back like a lot of the residents in Gray Harbor - there is a bit of a naivety about her too. Maybe it's the tone of her voice over her overly optimistic disposition 90 percent of the time.

"I have a bag packed and my favorite stuffed animal. I'm pretty sure I'm going to just try and wait this whole thing out at the high school. But I wanna make sure the people who are staying here are gonna be okay." She shifts some, leaning over to sit with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

"How 'bout you?"

"I'll probably be down at the high school myself, just to help out," Conner says, clearing his throat. "I don't know if you have to go there...we're well situated here, for the most part. As long as you have food, water, a few light sources...you should be okay, if you don't want to be down there. If you do, then I'm sure they'd appreciate the company, or the helping hand."

He frowns, though, even as he says it'll be fine. This storm has a Veil-component too, and, well. The apartments back right up to the Firefly Forest, don't they.

"Maybe," he adds. "Maybe it'll be fine here."

"Maybe. I don't like storms. At all. And this storm...is a bad one. I don't think we're going to like the aftermath." Isolde frowned briefly and then finally stood up. "If I'm around other people I'm hoping I will be less scared, you know?" She slips her hands into her back pockets and glanced towards the news before looking back at him. "Besides, more hands to help is always a good thing!"

There was a moment of pause as she seemed to wrestle with asking something before sighing and finally just getting out with it. After all, she knew Conner shined like she did. "Have you...had any weird dreams lately? Like about the storm or, well, anything else?"

"I can understand that," Conenr replies softly, when she says that she'd rather be around others.

As for dreams? "Pretty much all the time," he admits. "Which I guess is pretty par for the course." But he looks at her with some concern. He steps closer, slides his hands into his (front) pockets, and rocked back on his heels just a little. He looks at her in a way that indicates she's got his full attention. Then asks: "Which ones are troubling you, Isolde?"

"That is par for the course in this place." Isolde agreed, watching as he came closer. She bit her lip and averted her gaze while she gathered her thoughts. Deciding how much she wanted to say.

"Uhm, well. I haven't been in a Dream dream in a while...but I've had a couple lately I...don't know what to do about." She draws in another breath and pushes on. "One had that lady from the park. The one that tells fortunes. She was walking next to me and I was in this big, crowded place with a pulsing ball of electricity in the middle of it. She was saying that I or 'we' couldn't run from what was coming. "

"The other dream...was like a continuation almost...the faceless crowd and the old lady were staring at me. I was in front of the ball. They wanted me to touch it. And she said there was no turning back. But then I woke up. And I haven't had another one. Yet at least."

"I had those exact same dreams," Conner admits, his eyebrows lifting. "I can't rightly say I know what to make of it. Or what to do about it. Sometimes the dream logic and symbolism bits are really challenging. I guess the lightning ball could have something to do with the storm. We know it's gathering Veil-side, too."

He looks out the window for a moment, watching the wind whip at the trees, hissing and chill. Then he asks: "What did you make of them? Did you see anything...I dunno. Actionable? In there?"

He sure didn't. Not directly, anyway.

Isolde shakes her head, relaxing a touch as her suspicions of not being the only one to have these dreams are confirmed. "Not at all. Aside touching the orb of course...but I woke up before I could do that in either thing. If it's gathering in the Veil too then...that's definitely not good. Right? I mean, a wild storm here is one thing. But who knows what will happen in a wild storm over there. It's so thin here already...could it make it worse? Or cause some of the Veil storm to bleed over?"

Isolde shifted and sighed, leaning against the wall some so she could look out the window again. "What about you? Do you know anyone else who's had the dreams?"

"I think you're the only one who has mentioned this one to me specifically," Conner says slowly. "But there seemed to be a lot of people there. They might have been. You know. There. Or not there-there, but..."

His hand rises from his pocket and falls again, a little helplessly. "The storm is definitely trouble. I just don't know that we can stop it anymore than we can stop a normal storm. Was in the Veil yesterday, and the clouds were gathered just as thick and dark on that side as they were here. That damned elk-fish is sure excited about it. I think wants to...take advantage of it somehow, to press its own agenda. And is selling others on it. Sorry, I guess I'm talking like you...have you met the giant elk-fish that is trapped behind the apartments yet? Don't listen to it."

Isolde's eyes widened slightly as Conner started talking about a giant elk-fish. "Can't say I have. Or that I know what an elk fish looks like? But if it's a fish...maybe it's wanting to use the storm to get...un trapped? How is it even trapped?" She peers past Conner, as if trying to look all the way towards the back of the building and then looked back to him.

"I just have a bad feeling is all. I don't know what the people meant. In the dream I mean. All the people. If it's people who also had the dream. Or people that will be affected by whatever is coming. I think it's connected to the storm for sure. It's just hard to say how. But. Like the fortune lady said. We can't run from it. So the best we can do it just try an' prepare as best we can I guess."

"Head of an elk with too many eyes, body of a... a fish," Conner says. "It's enormous, trapped in a circle of aspen, and it's bad news. It wants to eat glimmer. And while it says letting it do that will remove people's pain or whatnot, it tried to grab me and drag me in there with him. I don't think there would have been much 'me' left to feel anything one way or the other. And now there's fool cultists trying to let him out. We stopped them, but they've as much as promised they'll be back."

He smiles slightly and adds: "It really is impossible to give summaries in this town that don't sound utterly insane."

He pauses and says, "Only way out is through. For what it's worth I like the fortune lady. I don't think she's malevolent. Maybe not exactly benevolent, but then neither are a lot of folks."

Isolde couldn't help but chuckle at Conner's description and comment about sounding insane. "Got that right. It's so...impossible. And yet, here we are. I'm glad you're okay though, Conner. That sounds like would have been pretty scary. I've not been using my powers a lot...so I think that's why I've been mostly left alone aside the normal weird dreams. At least for now." The storm coming might just change that.

"Maybe the elk fish is hoping to get free if the storm knocks down the trees? And then it can do whatever it wants. That would be a bad thing." Isolde mused. "I will keep my eye out for any people raving about wanting to feed a giant fish elk thing glimmer though."

"I haven't actually met her. Just heard about her but...yeah. More, uh...neutralish maybe. I didn't get any bad vibes off of her in my dreams at least." Isolde's hands had moved from her pockets at some point and her right hand was idly toying with the frog charm bracelet that never seemed to leave her left wrist. "I wish I was able to cross over into the Veil myself sometimes. Like Itzhak can. And other people with the same sort of powers. "

"That's how it was for me, long time. I hid upstairs, didn't use my abilities, got left alone. But...I dunno, Isolde. There's horror and terror but there's beauty too. And friendships. And a whole lot of good I didn't have. Not telling you how to live, cause everybody's different, just...saying how it was for me, is all."

He frowns, though, at the notion that the storm could knock down the elk-fish's prison. "I hope not. And that would maybe free him. The cultists were trying to kill the trees. Aidan and...some girl I don't know...they strengthened them a lot, but who knows if it'll hold."

As for crossing over, he nods and says, "It is a pretty incredible trick. On the other hand the Veil sure seems to open its own doors when it wants a person."

"There is a lot of beauty and ...some good memories even." Isolde agreed. "Still don't outweigh the bad ones but...at least here we're in it together. Whether we like it or not." She smiles again. "I've been...hesitant I guess. To try and reconnect with people I knew before leaving the first time. On both sides." Normal and Veil maybe!

"Well, now that I know where it is, I'll keep vigilant! If I see anything I'll let you know. maybe August too? He's good with tree stuff." Right? She was sure she was remembering that correctly. "I've just been wondering if maybe Pwill has any answers. He's a satyr I met forever ago over there. And helped with stuff. Well me and others helped."

"It does like to open up doors for people to fall through, definitely. Not as good for people who don't want to be there though." Isolde chuckled. "Is...can you do that sort of stuff? Or what can you do?"

"Couldn't hurt to reach out," Conner says, though then he thinks better of what he said.

"Forget I said that. What I meant is, it could be useful to reach out." There's no such thing as couldn't hurt with the Veil. "Your satyr-friend, ...that's a bit of an informant others might not have access to. But whether he'll know enough to make it worth the risk of contacting him? Hard to say, for sure."

She asks what he does and he gives a faint smile. "Mostly fling lightning around, I guess. Read things, which is real useful. Mind-talk. I try not to use the other things. The illusions and the manipulating people's emotions and whatnot. I don't like doing that bit...but I guess I have in a pinch and will again, if it comes right down to it. Either way, that 'flavor' of things is pretty much my lane. You?"

"Yeah, that is the million dollar question. If it would be worth the risk or not. I might reach out to someone and ask their opinion first. I mean I don't even know if Pwill is still around or not to be honest. I haven't seen him in a long while." Isolde made a thoughtful noise and then shrugged. It also meant reaching out to Itzhak since he was the only person she knew who could open doors and she wasn't sure if she wanted to do that. Or was ready to try that again.

"Anyway. If I do get more information, I'll let definitely let you know." Isolde smiled again and listened with interest as he explained his powers. "Me too! Lightning stuff and reading objects and doing illusion things. I can also fling objects too or like...hold them sometimes. In the air. Like uh. What's it called...is it telekinesis? " She half asked.

"That's appreciated," Conner says, to her offer to give more info. "You certainly know where to find me."

As to the other?

"I think that's what it's called," Conner agrees, with a nod of his head. A hint of a smile tugs at his lips, and a mischievous twinkle enters his eye. "Seems real useful for getting the remote when you don't wanna get up. Probably a good thing I don't have that one. I never would have been able to go on hiatus. I'd have been attracting the Veil's attention on getting the remote alone."

This gets another giggle from Isolde and a grin. "It's very useful for those other things. I don't do much of my own cooking or TV watching honestly though so I don't think to use it much...now I might." She laughed. "My powers manifested during that last bad storm we had...like last year. It was terrifying. But I like being useful with them you know? Despite the side effect."

"How long have you been able to do your stuff?" She asked curiously. "I mean. I've always been aware of stuff. Been bothered by the Dreams and running and stuff. But I wasn't able to do anything to fight back until after that one storm." She elaborated, pushing a hand through her hair.

He rubs the back of his neck, maybe a little embarrassed. He drops his gaze, and there's something about him that looks young despite the fact that he is pushing 50. "Since I was a boy," he says softly. "I used it to...warn off some bullies. Attracted a little attention, and realized the more I used it the more...you know. So I got scared. Tried to go to college before my grandparents died and left me this place, thought I'd even leave it all behind. And then...just...shut myself in, you know?"

He exhales and says, "I've only been doing otherwise just 3 months. It feels...like I put off my whole life and now I'm suddenly living it."

Isolde gave him a sympathetic smile and gave his upper arm a brief squeeze. "I can understand that yeah. It's hard. My parents had me in and out of psych facilities until I eventually just ran away. Figured it'd be better for everyone." She relaxed against the wall again. "If it's any consolation? Going off to college prolly wouldn't have helped either. I've been all over this country and there's few places that it hasn't followed me or touched me in some way."

"Besides. I like you hanging 'round here. You're a pretty chill land lord. " Isolde grinned. "And...yeah. Things change when there's people who understand, you know? People who don't think you're crazy or that you can turn to after having a run through the crazy."

Conner actually grins about being a chill landlord. He's got no complaints about being seen that way. "Maybe you guys are just good tenants," he points out. "You don't give me any real reason to not be chill." Granted, the rents here are very cheap for the PNW, and if it's not the fanciest or the most updated place it is one where he tries to keep things fair and affordable.

Still, she's making a more profound point. "Understanding does make all the difference," he says softly. "I'm also glad we're talking today. I guess this is the longest conversation we've shared."

"Aside the occasional broken window or something." Isolde winked and chuckled. "I'm glad we're talking too. I don't really do a whole lot of socializing lately aside working the bar at Pourhouse. So this is definitely a good thing." She agreed. "We should do it more often! Maybe when the storm passes we can do some kind of complex barbecue thing or somethin'." She suggested. "Could be a fun way to socialize with everyone. And celebrate the end of the storm."

"You know...that's a really good idea," Conner muses. He pauses, remembering that he brought those supplies in, walks over and makes a small sign, folded into a little tent. FREE SUPPLIES - STORM - TAKE AS NEEDED. "I'll start planning that," he says. "I kept thinking I should do...I don't know, something like that, but..."

He gives a sheepish smile. "I wasn't sure if anyone would really want to come."

Isolde watches him put up the sign, nodding. "It would be a good thing to do. But I get it. People can be...intimidating. Like as a whole. Having to socialize and stuff. But even just helping people get ready for this storm I think has been a good exercise in it for me personally. Something under much more relaxing circumstances could be good. And hey, I'll show up no matter what. So it'll definitely be a success."

"Do you need any help with anything? I'm always happy to help out with stuff."

Conner gives that question some due consideration. He doesn't dismiss it right away. But finally he says, "Not today. Not yet. Day will come I'm sure, and when it comes, I'll surely ask." He smiles at her. "But for now? I'm in good shape. Unless you wanna help me bring a few more of the cases out of the car. Just a few more things that folks might require."

Multi-trip jobs, after all, when it comes to hauling things out of cars, are a pain.

"You better." Isolde pushed off the wall. "Yeah! I'll help you bring 'em in. I don't have anything better to do. And if you think of anything else just let me know. I'll make sure you have my number too." He probably does on her paperwork but likely hasn't had to use it for anything. She tightens her ponytail, not wanting to potentially lose her hair tie in the high winds and such when they ventured outside.