2022-04-28 - New Business

Look sometimes you just need coffee and a cookie and it doesn't matter if it's getting on in the evening. To double down on the oddness of it, Nicasia has iced coffee with a bunch of cream in it, paired with an oatmeal raisin number that she's picking the raisins out of to eat separately. Later. After they've been made up into a little pile of desiccated raisin-husks on the edge of her napkin. Something something "...paperwork should be done soon. Could probably start taking new business Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. If we want new business. There's a stack of old business outstanding."

Look. A perfect normal conversation in a perfectly normal place. What could possibly go wrong.

"Yeah. That's what I'm lookin' at." Myles rumbles who has been mostly in his phone. He has a styrofoam cup with a black decaf coffee. Which. Why even drink it at that point. But he is. Sipping, slowly. His eyes on his phone, which apparently he took pictures of sheets of their clients and jumpers.

Myles takes another sip before setting it down on the table, leaning back. "The vet was talkin' to me bout this dude. Haggleford. Somethin? Ava was talkin about him too. Dangerous as fuck, apparently. Wanted to know if we could find him."

Sooner or later Nic will have all of that sorted, too; for now it's kind of a mess, but it's their mess. And it's money, and they are definitely going to be needing some of that soon. Sooner or later. Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, will get here soon enough though and there's no more hurrying on it that can be done.

"Wow, they just open right up to you, huh?" There's no bite in it. She's taking the worst of her day out on the cookie, as when pieces of it are suitably separated from the raisins they're dipped in the milky coffee and eaten. "Haggleford." The name is repeated but it doesn't mean anything to her. "What'd they tell you about him? I assume he's some kind of special, else law enforcement would be involved."

There's a gentle rolling of his eyes. "They're just bein' normal. Talkin'. Relax." He chides in a soft voice. Taking another sip of that coffee as he goes through his phone. "I may be gettin' it wrong. Sounds somethin' like that. Some redneck ass name. Also called him Evil Santa." There's a shake of his head. "Barely anything. Leia didn't know a whole lot. Just that he's the kidnappin' motherfucker and he's dangerous. Something about flesh farms."

He squints.

"What the fuck even is a flesh farm?" He scowls over to her as if she would know. He grunts and takes a pull from his coffee. "She said to ask Ava. I guess Ava is informed as fuck 'round here. Her and.. What's his face. Ravn."

Nic pauses the dissection to squint. "Evil. Santa?" She doesn't ask about that. "I wasn't aware there was a kidnapping motherfucker," she points out. "Or that there were flesh farms. I mean, I guess it's a farm which produces or provides flesh. I guess you could call any farm that raises meat animals a flesh farm, but I'mma guess from the context that they're specifically sourcing longpig. It's a totally different class of crime when you're stealing cattle."

She stretches out her legs under the table and parks her feet on the chair beside Myles, crossing them at the ankle. It puts the rest of her into a bit of a slouch, which suggests she's more relaxed than this spot otherwise implies, since from here they can both see the door. "Seniority and longevity probably have some perks. I'm not sure how long Ravn's been here, but Ava was born and raised. Makes me wonder how common it is. Then also makes me question whether it's genetic because Hank is about as mystical as a can of tuna fish."

"Evil Santa." He repeats. "I don't fuckin' know. I assume he has a bushy ass beard." He squints back at her. "Ava was talkin' about the kidnapping." He slowly looks up from his phone over to her. "Weren't you there?" He squints. Oops. He looks back at his phone. There's a quiet grunt. "Longpig." He repeats gruffly.

"Ava was gone for a while, though. But I dunno how long she's been back for." He gives a little shrug. "Ma with powers would be badass though." He pauses at that. Grunting. "Ness?" Slowly looking over at Nicasia. "Think they could've been doin' like us? Ignoring and shit?"

Deacon opens the door for Ava cause he's old fashioned like that. One could even say he's old. Okay not really...but, he definitely could be so if you're one of those young whippersnapper kids that he has to yell at to stay off his lawn. He grins though, shaking off the hood of his coat he's got on, because here in Grey Harbor it's pretty much always damp or drizzling or what have you. He winks though and says, "So they have this thing that is amazing. Like for real amazing. Coffee...poured over ice cream. An Iforgeto...no..afrogato. Affogato. Something like that. Anyway, that's what I am getting. Because...late...and dessert. And ice cream." His hand slides to Ava's back in a more than passingly affectionate way, resting there as they get in line to order before they'll hopefully nab a place to sit.

Nicasia pries another raisin out of her cookie with a fingernail. "No, I wasn't there. Was this when you went over to borrow her lawnmower, or when you went over and she gave you a bunch of beer?" It's fine. "It sounds like a lot of people try and go away and get dragged back, or visit for a little while and can't leave, or are passing through and can't get out. Maybe the town is the kidnapper, here. Maybe the town is Haggleford." It's far too deadpanned to be even remotely serious, not a conspiracy theory waiting to spin up.

She glances up when the door opens, when the familiar Ava and her unfamiliar companion enter, and she lifts her coffee-hand in a two-fingered wave of greeting. "Could be," she admits after a few moments, "could also just recessive, or random. Just plain old fashioned bad goddamed luck. Could ask her. What's the worst she can do, laugh at you?"

Ava drifts into the coffee shop with a grin, glancing back towards Deacon as he explains. Once they get up to the counter, the girl there looks like she's already getting ready to pull some espresso. "You're regular, Doc?" Ava just lifts a hand and shakes her head. "Not tonight. I'm not on shift tonight, thankfully. No need for Dead Eyes. I think we're trying the coffee ice cream thing you guys are trying out these days."

Ava's hand lifts towards Nicasia and Myles as she spots them, waving. "We should go say hi. I went to high school with them, but they left pretty shortly after. Just got back into town and are settling back in. They're going to be taking over his dad's bail bond business, so you guys might end up bumping into each other a bit. Good to get off on the right foot, yeah? So no really lame jokes? Okay? Try to keep it to like, medium lame and above?" is teased with a grin.

"God damn." Myles rumbles with a roll of his eyes. "Relax, Nico." His eyes slowly lift simultaneously with Nicasia's when Ava and Deacon enter. His eyes skim over Deacon for a moment before the large man gives a little up-nod. His eyes flick back over to Nicasia and he lets out a grunt. "She won't laugh at me." Beat. "Maybe I will." He says in a somewhat defiant tone.

Ava and Deacon look like they're coming over, Myles leans over. "Dude's a cop." He grunts. He reaches down to pull his hoodie down for SOME REASON before shifting in his seat and sitting upright. Ava and Deacon get another up nod before he takes a sip of his coffee and looks back down to his phone.

Deacon unzips his coat and the observantly trained may notice the shoulder rig he has on. It's what he usually wears off duty as it were. A smart cop rarely goes unarmed since you never know whe you'll have to help OR when you'll run into someone you've arrested in the past. "It's not just here by the way. But I'm glad they came up with it. Seriously...coffee chip ice cream, like a mocha chip and then the espresso poured around it. You can thank me later," and just for grins, he waggles his brows at Ava lasciviously before idly giving her a little bump with his hip.

As Ava points to the folks he should say hi to, Deacon nods. The shoulder rig if they notice it, the hair cut, the protective stance and the very functionl hiking boots that allow him to run in this weather likely all point to a military or police background. Or more accurately, as Myles' astutely pints out, 'Dude's a cop.' But Deacon doesn't necessarily know that. He does ask idly to Ava, "Is there anyone in town you haven't met yet? I mean, just curious. If I lined up the entirety of Gray Harbor and had you go down the line, would anyone in our town be someone you don't know? I'm starting to think not." He places his order and slides over his card, picking up his and Ava's (even though between a doctor and a cop I think we know who makes the better $$) and then waits to follow Ava's lead.

The notion that Nicasia needs to relax wins a sharp little twist of a smile. One that sharpens up a moment later, taking on a trace of amusement, as she watches the pair who just came in, but not quite so much so that she points it out. "Relax, Myles," she parrots back to him upon acknowledged assessment of Deacon's probable profession. "If he starts giving you shit, I'll kick his ass." You know. Once she moves. Takes her feet off the chair across the way. Fortunately there are a lot of tables, a lot of chairs, no real reason to surrender that and force anybody to take sides, since she's seated opposite her own partner.

Then they're in range so she greets verbally, "Evening, Doc." There's a polite nod for her and for Deacon, though less of a specific greeting for obvious reasons. "We were just talking about you. But if you're out for an ice cream social we can probably save shop talk for some other day ending in -y."

Ava flutters her lashes playfully up at Deacon. "What can I say? I like to get to know people. Besides, I grew up with these two." There's a little hand wobble in the air. "I'm sure there's a handful of folks out there that I don't know. But I can't wait to meet them." As they approach the table, she leans in to give Myles a hug, accidentally tugging that hoodie back a little bit. WHOOPS. "Stop hiding," she murmurs at him. "Great to see you guys again! This is Deacon."

"Deacon, this is Myles and Nicasia. If you guys don't mind the company, I was actually just telling him that you guys will probably be rubbing elbows a little bit considering the bail bonds and cop spaces tend to run together sometimes. Might be good to get to know each other. Right?" Bright smile.

"Ten bucks. He's either a dick or overly nice." Myles rumbles lowly to Nicasia. Then he's falling quiet as the two are approaching. Going to lazily push himself up to his feet. When, Ava pulls his hoodie back a little, his hand is lightning fast to grab at it and keep it from riding up too much. A look is sent up to her. His jaw flexes once. He returns the hug with one arm, almost warily. He then offers his hand over to Deacon.

"Myles Webber." Is grunted. Then followed up. "Just as a heads up, I'm armed." Followed up by his hands going out to the man, palms out in a forestalling gesture. Just making sure if SOMEONE pulls up his hoodie no one gets spooked at the sight of a gun. Then he's glancing to Ava with a flicker of a smile. "Oh. Yeah. Cops love us." They don't. "Nice to meet you, Deacon." He's flopping back into his seat.

"You're lucky you're cute, I hope you know that," he says to the DOCTOR as he grins at her. Like she needs to survive on her looks with that big ole brain inside that noggin. Still, he is in a good mood and obviously feeling a little feisty which usually means that he and Ava will have a good night...ooooooor he's going to get smacked. A lot. Sometimes both happen so it's hard to predict.

"Deacon Fade," he says, a name Nicasia might remember cause how many cops have names that sound like they should be a Bond villain? He will shake Myles' hand, no test of strength or anything macho like that. Just a good ole fashioned handshake. "I'm a Leo." He does of course subtly tense for an expected elbow coming from Ava, but if it doesn't (or even if it does) he grins. "Are we not just sharing fun facts about ourselves? I'm kidding, I appreciate the hads up." "Wait...that's not an every day name. Aldrich?" He looks at Nicasia curiously, trying to account for about 10-15 years of de-aging her to see if she looks at all familiar.

Nicasia watches this with a touch of somberness. She most certainly doesn't get up, but it took her this long to get comfortable on seats that are not comfortable. "Mmm," is all she says to the bet before there's no room for much quiet conversation. "We don't mind the company," she assures Ava. "It's not quite a rule, but it should be; if you aren't in the mood to people, keep your ass at home. I wanted a cookie," she explains further, like this explains everything.

There's no particular recognition of Deacon's name, no. There is something else, though, as when he guesses her last name she tenses up, just a little. "Yeah, that's me. Finally came home." Her gaze shifts fractionally to Myles, then back to Deacon. "This is the part where you pretend to have zero clues who Hank is, so I can say it's nice to meet you."

"I'm not just cute, and you know it." Ava's hair whips around and whaps him lightly, playfully. All just a moment before Deacon's joke. "What did I say about the lameness?" There's no elbow, but she does reach out while he flinches. There's a smirk, but her fingers only wrap around the ice cream and coffee, claiming it. Then it's an easy slide down into an empty chair, leg crossing over the other. The tension around Nicasia's last name and the mention of her dad earns a curious look, but it doesn't seem to be like something that will bring a lot of nice feelings to the surface.

"Soooo." Time to change the subject. Her smile still in place, Ava swirls the spoon into the ice cream and glance around the table. "You guys were talking about me? What did I do? Not something stupid, I hope?"

Myles does not smile at the joke about being a Leo. His shoulders hunch. Just a touch. But then he's kidding and Myles gives a slow nod. "Yeah. Nice to meet you." There's a glance over to Nicasia at the mention of Aldrich and something similar to "Here we fuckin' go." Comes tumbling from his lips.

Back into his chair. Myles looks back up to Deacon. "He's one of-- Yeah he's one of us." He grunts before looking back down to Ava. "Nah. We were just talkin' bout.. Well a buncha shit. Genetics and how likely it is to manifest and.. Hagglefuck, or whatever his fuck is." The big man grumbles with a swing of a dismissive hand. "Leila wanted to see if we could dig up information on him. Is that his name? How do we know that name?"

WIthout missing a beat he looks back to Nicasia, "Hank who?" He gives a smile though, but not an overly nice one cause he's not going to be put in Myles' box damn it! But no, he takes the hint and quickly pivots. And to Ava and Myles' comments about bail bondsmen and cops, Deacon actually gives a little bit of a casual shrug, heading back to that bit conversationally. "I actually have no problem with the profession. Gotta earna living, and cops can't be everywhere. If someone wants to bring in people who missed their court dates, saves us from having to go find them. Some people get a bit too overzealous in their pursuit but that's not a bondsman thing. That's just human nature and general douchery."

He settles down into the empty spot, before looking back to Myles. "Hagglefuck. I'm going to have to use that next time we run into him. Consider it stolen."

The tension isn't quite turned up enough to get Nicasia out of her comfort zone, feigned or clung to. She does twirl the straw in her iced coffee around now, waiting for Deacon to either get the hint or not, and when he does she seems satisfied enough not to start passing out shovels. There's a tiny noise that might be a snick of laughter at the idea of overzealousness associated with their profession, but there's another glance at Myles before she shrugs it off. "It is what it is. No reason to get worked up over some dumbass who can't remember when his court date is, or who turns into chickenshit at the idea of standing in front of a judge. Once in a while, though..."

Right. Shoptalk. Less about the genetic manifestation of the powers, a lot more about this mysterious Evil Santa. "You run into this guy a lot?"

"Well, like I said, genetics is still something I'm studying. There's no guarantees in that, it's just one of the factors. Another being thin spots. Grey Harbor is a giant thin spot in the Veil. It's easier for Them to access us here. So our abilities manifest easier here, as well. Part of what I'm studying is if families staying here for as long as they have, has actually altered our biology in a way to make it so that we're more likely to develop them. Or if it really is just chance. I'm doing Biological Mapping as a way to sort it out. I would really love to get my hands on Addington blood. But you know how they are, all mysterious and ..." Ava goes quiet when she realizes she's started to nerd ramble, shoving the spoon in her mouth. "Sorry," is offered around the bite of ice cream with a sheepish look.

That is until--

"Haggleford." Ava's face darkens as the name is said with venom behind it. It's said the same way someone in a movie would say their nemesis' name. "I believe in Do No Harm. I stand by it firmly. Please understand that I will put my own life at risk to save any other lives. So, by my saying that, please understand that I fully mean it when I say that that man needs to die.

There's a quiet wry laugh. "Cops famously not overzealous." Myles rumbles in mild protest before waving his hand dismissively once more."Same people. Cops just have better unions." He grunts. His gaze goes back to Ava and he gives a little nod. "And if you tell people that aren't us. They just forget. Yeah? So let's say if someone had non biological parents. Who weren't like us. They'd just forget?"

There's a blink when Ava says she would love to get her hands on Addington blood. His brows arch faintly and he goes to drink some of his coffee. He lets out another grunt to Ava's reaction. "What do we know about him, Ava? Besides needin' to die."

"Can I kick him under the table? Am I allowed to do that?" It's a joke though at Myles' last comment as Deacon grins, then looks to Ava. "I wouldn't really kick him. I mean look at the size of him. If I did he'd probably eat me. Like, I'm pretty sure I'm only 50 percent of his recommended daily protein allowance." Yes, he pretends a bit but like they can't hear but then the talk turns a bit more serious and so, in true Dumbledore fashion, in order to make the serious talk a bit more palateable, he takes a bite of the coffee covered ice cream and then sits back. He's not the expert here, but he's had more than enough experience and a whole slew of case files tied to Haggleford and the disappearing people. Deacon stays quiet now though, following the conversation but letting the Doc-Expert answer the questions as they come up.

Ah, well, here we go. "My dear, sweet, gentleman of a daddy was one of Gray Harbor's finest for thirty years," Nicasia tells Ava. Surely she's telling Ava; it's conversational, without a look at Myles. Or Deacon, for that matter, though this is clearly prompted by his question about kicking under the table. "I remember one night he came home real late. I was up because I was kinda pissed because I'd snuck out but my date stood me up. He acted real surprised that I wasn't in bed, told me I oughta sleep more. You know. Study harder. Work on my college essays. All that shit." The straw is circled around the inside of her cup, tumbling through the ice. Her voice doesn't raise; it stays calm, like she's drawing from that ice. "Turns out that night he picked up my boyfriend. Cuffed him, put him in the back of his cruiser, drove him about five miles out of town, onto some old logging road. Got him out. Made him get on his knees there. Sat there a while, cleaning his gun. Then fucking left him there and drove home. So maybe you can appreciate why I might not like my daddy, and Myles here might be a little wary of the local badges."

There's still a trace of that coolness when she presses on, wading into the other side of the conversation. "That's a little vague, doc. I've heard kidnapping. Heard something about flesh farms. Right now I'd say there are long odds we can track this motherfucker down but you gotta do a little better than that."

"As much as I would love to have this date end in watching you have your ass handed to you on a platter. I'd say even playfully suggesting kicking people isn't a great way to make friends. With this crowd, anyway." Ava offers Deacon a soft smile, knowing full well that he's trying to lighten the mood, but also knowing full well how well Myles takes to that sort of thing. Or at least hazarding a well educated guess. Nicasia's story has her smile quickly fading into a glower. "Wow. So both of your dad's were straight up dicks. No wonder you both got out of town as fast as you could. I would have done the same thing. "But, I've also known Deacon for sixteen years. He's definitely not the type to pull some shit like that. Though, I appreciate that taking my word for it isn't exactly a luxury your past is able to afford."

"Kidnapping. Five last month. Many more before that. Attempted kidnapping of myself and a few of my friends. Murder and torture of numerous Cryptids. We're not yet sure exactly what he's doing with these bodies, but it can't be good." There's a sigh. "Tracking is harder. He doesn't reside on... this plane."

"I didn't stand you--" Oh. She's explaining. Myles initially leaping in to defend himself as the story starts and he starts sitting back a little, letting out a quiet grunt. As the story goes on Myles gradually falls more and more silent. He slowly looks away from the conversation, perhaps the memory makes him uncomfortable, perhaps her retelling it this way does. "Left the cuffs on me. Motherfucker tried to take me in on destruction of property." Even if Myles thought he was literally going to die that night. There was also the cuffs thing. Easier to focus on that part. Maybe. Myles seems a little shifty in his seat after the story, an odd moment of looking uncomfortable for the big man.

He waves his hand dismissively about kicking under the table. He's happy to move on in the conversation. "How do we know that alias? Haggleford? He introduce himself that way?"

Taking another bite of his ice cream as the story goes on, he looks between Nicasia and Myles. His spoon in his mouth before he takes it out, he finishes swallowing before he says, simply, "Well that's some bullshit." Not that he doesn't believe what happened. No he is referring TO what happened to Myles and he looks over. "I mean, I can't imagine why that would make you distrust cops. I mean..." he says sarcastically before looking over to Ava. "You do realize one of these days you're going to introduce me to some of your friends and they will actually like police and I won't know what to do." He's clearly not really upset though, more just amused at Ava's choice in relationship giving those that seem to surround her. He is about to say something more before he looks down at his phone and takes it out of his pocket. "Fade here..." he says, before raising his brow. "As in, Kentucky? How the fuck did he get all the...yeah, tell Lexington we want...hold on." He sighs and stands up, before leaning over to kiss Ava on the cheek. "I'll be outside, in the rain. I need to take this. It was nice meeting you all...good luck with this confo. The more people that know about...Hagglefuck...the better. God that sounds better and better every time I hear it in my head." And as he starst to head out, Ava's words about Haggleford having to die have him thinking and humming that song from Jesus christ Superstar. Only instead of 'This Jesus Must Die' It's Haggleford must die playing in his head. He slips out front, likely still on the phone sadly when the party breaks up but he will be there to take Ava home and pick up their date night.

The less Nic talks about her father, the better.

Ironically this means she's loads happier to discuss whoever this particular Haggleford creeper is, though she offers Deacon a little tilt of her head as he gets up to go handle whatever business. "Believe it or not I don't just straight up distrust cops. There's assholes in every profession." Anyway. There's a glance at Myles, but it's a shift of mental tracks. "How exactly do we feel about killing cryptids? Some of them sound like they're petty big on torture and murder and eating people as is." And, "By 'this plane' you mean Earth?" She curls her fingers in a vague wave at the space. "Versus the fucked-up sideways place we apparently get hauled off to now and again? Or are there stranger realms than these? Is he even human?"

Ava accepts the cheek kiss with a smile and follows Deacon with her eyes for a moment before glancing back towards the others. "I'm glad to hear that. Because he's one of the good ones. Hopefully he'll get a chance to prove that." She's still picking at the ice cream as she listens to the questions. "These particular cryptids don't actually have minds. They're just blank instinct. From what I understand he's releasing them here just to use them to torture and then kill in order to use them to open portals to get back to wherever his home is." There's a glower there, because that clearly makes her angry. "There's a guess that he's also, somehow making copies of these creatures just to kill, because when one of them was killed, it split into two. I wasn't there for that one, so it still kind of confuses me a little bit."

Her brows knit. "But, he has also split himself in two. Because I have pretty much, mmm, roasted the front of his body once. When that happened, the man he was with said it didn't even matter because he was still at home, safe as can be. That wasn't even the real him." Surely this is just adding to the list of questions the pair must already have. She glances to Myles. "His name was already know by the people here when I came back to town. I learned it from them, and then from his lackeys as well while we were fighting them." Back to Nicasia. "Earth, yeah, I guess. The Other Side, being the Other Side of the Veil. But I think he's a step beyond that. They don't use normal portals, like you would to just get to the Veil. They have to sacrifice life to get where they go. There has to be a reason."

Myles watches Deacon for a moment. His lips making a wry almost smile at the comment on people like police. He looks dubious at best. There's a knit of his brows, looking from Nicasia to Ava as Deacon leaves. He's given an up nod in his departure before Myles is returning to the conversation. "Th'fuck is a cryptid?" Is grunted out as a near scowl envelopes his face. "Did that lesson come out while I wasn't payin attention?"

Myles frowns lightly before nodding. When his question is answered he gives a quiet grunt. "He has... employees? Or followers. And they called him Haggleford." A light nod. "Alright. We could try lookin up the name? Has anyone ever done that? Do we have an age range, descriptors, shit like that? If he's from Gray Harbor we could narrow down a field. Figure out who he used to be and it may help you understand who he is now."

What is a cryptid? Nic has that one. "Sasquatch, chupacabra, Jersey devils, sirens. General weird... living... shit." Okay she sort of has it. It's not a definition, but maybe examples are clearer than a more verbal descriptor.

But she processes what Ava says slower. Takes her time to work around it. "So he makes these blank things and let them loose here so he can fuel his superpowers and get back home when need be?" And, "He doesn't reside here. Is he not human? Can you live, long-term, on some other plane? Or does he have to come here to like, eat and shower off the blood of his enemies?" It sounds flippant but it's a serious question, feeling out the nature of this quarry. "Attempted kidnapping. He actually get anybody? Did they get away? He got a particular neighborhood he likes to frequent, or does he show up on your doorstep like a Witness wanting to talk to you about the end of the world?"

"That's it exactly," Ava answers the both of them. "Mothman, giant White Stags of legend, the Loch Ness monster, etcetera. Not sirens though. Those are actually just a thing, be careful on the waters. Cryptids are more like, individual legends. There's only one them ever kind of deals." She glances at Myles and shakes her head. "I'm not sure anyone's looked up the name. It's worth a try. I can work with the police sketch artist to give you a sketch of his face if you think that will help. But I really don't think he's from here."

Ava frowns softly. "I don't know if they're considered human if they're like us but from a different plane. I'd love a chance to ask while I'm freeing all the people he's taken, though. I haven't been to the other plane, but we did find one of the portals, and are working on a way to sort of open a window through it, using the door opening ability like Myles has. So we can kind of see what the other side looks like. /I/ want to find a better way to open the portal and go to the other side, but everyone keeps making angry faces at me when I suggest it." She huffs.

To Nicasia. "When he tried to grab us I kind of, um, roasted him. On accident. Used way too much fire without meaning to. Dropped like a ten pin. Itz managed to keep him alive, but we found out from his henchman it didn't matter anyway because it wasn't actually him. The others stopped the two henchmen, and the raging Mothman. So they weren't able to get anyone. Itz opened a door to the Veil. We told them to fuck off and not come back, and they left. Then they came back. I'd just gotten back to town after being gone for almost two years, so I didn't know about all the other stuff he'd been up to, or I would have insisted they stick around for some more questioning." she grumbles. "That was at the Saw Mill. The other abduction was at Humptullips which is rather far away. So no general neighborhood. Just wherever he can lure, I think. Out of sight.

"Why's it called Cryptid?" He rumbles over to Ava and Nicasia. But a moment after asking the question he waves his hand dismissively. "Never mind." He slowly looks over to Nicasia and that question. Does he come back to shower. Though his scowl doesn't seem to be that she asked it, as it is turned back to Ava.

He brings his hand up to scrub at his features. He's watching Ava through his fingers. When Ava goes over the areas the man goes to, he leans back in his chair letting out another grunt. "Could be random. Could be places he's already familiar with but.. That seems like a detective thing." Myles grunts, glancing out the window in the wake of Dean before looking back to Ava and Nicasia. "We can look up, see if he has any records."

There's a question Nic has zero answers for. Maybe Ava does, and gets a slight arch of an eyebrow to punctuate the why of it, even if it isn't particularly important to the discussion, more academic curiosity.

But she listens to all of it, teeth catching her lower lip and biting into it, methodically and contemplatively. There is a sidelong glance at Myles, midway through, and an arch of an eyebrow at the idea that he has the door opening ability, possibly related to his scowl, possibly not. "Why do they make angry faces? I mean, I gather that some of this is dangerous, to some degree, but how and why remains a little bit vague. Surely it isn't all just hot shit on a shingle; surely there are some good parts to it.

She doesn't bother taking notes though. Only nods once or twice. "Could be opportunistic, but yeah, if he needs these planted - or loosed - cryptids to navigate back and forth it maybe suggests he seeds certain areas for easy transport. Or does it? Might be that standard rules apply. May be that they don't, but we can absolutely start by running searches on him. The sketch might be useful. Might be that he shows up in some image someplace, unless... I guess the same thing that makes records rewrite themselves might apply to photography, too."

"I don't know why they call it a cryptid. Which came first, the cryptids or the cryptozoologists? Did they name themselves that, and then the creatures? Or the creatures and then themselves?" Ava gives a little shrug. She really has no clue, clearly. "A lot of information we're searching for is still really up in the air until we can get our hands on Haggleford or one of the goons who will talk. But we're piecing together what we can in the wake of the shit storms he's leaving. Which really sucks. I don't like being a step behind."

Why the angry faces? Ava sighs. "Because it's dangerous. I'm a scientist, I experiment. Sometimes experiments mean doing dangerous things in the name of finding out information. But they are, rightfully, worried. We don't know what's on the other side of the portal, or if there's an easy way to get back. If someone would be immediately alerted to our presence. If we can survive the other side, or would be immediately lost. All sorts of 'could go wrongs'." Ava spreads her hands.

"Don't go to the Saw Mill at night and don't by by yourselves, please." Surely they heard the rumors when they were kids about the disappearances at the old saw mill. All the talks about hauntings, the horror stories. Just meant to scare kids. But now, with their fresh perspective, well...

Myles features are still screwed up. "He has people workin' for him?" Beat. "Are they human? Normal lookin' people?" There's a few moments before he gives Ava an apologetic look. "Sorry to be hittin' you up with all these, Av. Don't mean to ruin your..." There's another glance out the glass door. "Ice cream coffee date."

He's quiet for a second, Nicasia gets another sidelong look before he's shifting gears entirely. Again. "Do little kids struggle when they figure this shit out usually? Did you? Know anyone else who has?"

"Life's dangerous. Maybe more so for some of us than others, but nobody gets out alive, you know?" Nicasia finishes the last of her cookie and then begins lining up all of the raisins, the last bit of her late-night whatever this is. "Seems like if you all are serious about doing this you may actually need to get serious about doing it. Whatever it is." She doesn't actually know, just feels around the edges of it, contemplative.

There may've been more, but then Myles is changing the subject. She catches that sidelong look and realizes a beat in advance what's happening because she sits up straighter, but the question is out before she can stop him. So she just scowls, a little. Scrubs her face with her hand, shoves all of her carefully aligned raisins into her mouth, as if to forestall some sort of something not worth getting into just here, just now.

"Normal looking. Human as I think they can be if they're not from, you know, Earth as we know it." Ava shrugs. Her attention moves behind her as she grins to the man on the phone. "He'll probably be a while anyway. It's alright. " Attention shifts back to Nic and Myles. "Thank you, Nic! That's what I've been saying. But, I also understand their concerns for safety. We probably should at least try the safer ways first, before going hog wild." Even if she just wants to jump in feet first.

Here Ava thought she'd smoothly dodged that question the first time it was brought up earlier. This might not be where he wants to hear the answers he definitely doesn't want. One leg slides over the other as Ava looks down into her ice cream. "I was one of the lucky kids," Ava states as she pokes around at the cold treat in her hands before glancing back up. "I was six. My cat got hit by a car right in front of me. I freaked out. I just held him, and I cried and cried. And then, he started to heal. My mom didn't understand what was happening, but my dad did, because he had the shine. She just thought he had a close call. Her memory got rewritten. But my dad remembered and was able to help me understand, and learn."

"There are kids here, and kids outside of here whose parents don't shine. They'll use the powers right in front of their parents, explain everything that's happening. But it doesn't matter how many times they show them, the parents won't ever remember. Nobody but those with the Shine will. Some learn to be quiet. Some start to doubt their own sanity. Some don't get quiet, they get loud, yell and scream and wonder why nobody believes them. Those are the ones who end up in the asylums where no drug under the sun is actually able to help them because they're not actually crazy. There's nothing wrong with them. It's just that nobody else can see. It's one of our curses."

Myles glances over to that little scowl from Nicasia. But then he's focusing on Ava. Shifting his entire body weight to make that more clear. It's not exactly a hmph. But maybe it's close. As the explanation goes on Myles' face slowly starts to drift over towards Nicasia though he never fully looks over to her. Instead he grunts.

Some will be quiet. Some will doubt their own sanity. Myles reaches up to drink down the rest of his coffee, slapping the empty cup back down on the table. "Wonder if that's why Hagglefuck is Hagglefucked." Myles growls, looking down at the ground. "Havin' power, but not understandin' it. Goin' crazy on it."

But he continues. "What would you do, Ava? If there was a kid you thought had a good probability of shining. And you knew the parents most likely didn't. What would you do?"

"Sure. There are safer ways to do everything, I guess. But we're not really in a position to tell you how to handle your business. Best we can probably do right now is do what we do, and see what comes up. Which could be nothing." Nicasia is prepared for that. As prepared for it as she's going to get.

She's a lot less prepared for the other question and the answer that comes. The first part is okay. Ava's story maybe isn't familiar but also doesn't immediately bother her; there's a slight arch lift to her jaw though, like she's bracing for the part that comes next. The part that is the other kids, the ones who don't have understanding parents, and she's fine through that until the part about ending up in asylums. Her eyes close then, a harder set locking up her jaw. The napkin and its cookie crumb remains are wadded up and shoved in to drown in the milky water in the bottom of her cup. "We had powers; we didn't go crazy," she mutters quietly.

Myles maybe looks generally at her but she pointedly does not look at him: her gaze has gone out the window, out into the dark, someplace way out yonder. "What do you do if you aren't supposed to talk to that kid?" There's an edge to her question, piled onto the heap, but it's brittle. Glassy.

"I'd have to say that depends entirely on the situation and how I knew them, honestly. There's a hundred different reactions to a hundred different situations." Oh no you don't. Ava's not getting pulled into that one, Myles. Nice try. But then Nicasia is asking too. Oh boy. There's a slow breath, that ice cream settled on the table as those bright eyes glance between the two of them. "I would get a visual on the kid in question to see if there's a Shine to be worried about in the first place. If there isn't, then there's nothing to worry about, right? Then I'd do a periodical check in to make sure that stays the case. If that happens to change, then I would arrange for a trusted, local to the area social worker, guidance counselor, therapist or even a teacher that Shines to intervein and guide. Since I am not supposed to talk to them for whatever reason."

"Are people who shine that common, round the world? You can find em just like in any city?" Myles asks, leaning forward. He is now also pointedly not looking at Nicasia. He lets out a quiet grunt when she makes it very tempting with that question but he keeps his gaze trained on Ava.

"If you couldn't find one of those?"

"Probably more common in bigger cities. 'Course this isn't a real big city." But Gray Harbor is special, so...

Nicasia is definitely not looking at Myles. She's done with her drink and maybe just done in general, though doesn't quite abandon the conversation. She sits now and listens, invested in the answer for all that she might be trying very hard not to look like she is, like the darkness pooled up outside is real interesting.

Finishing up outside, Deacon comes back in. He's been able to see that the little group is deep in chatter. He also isn't the most lacking in perception, so when he comes back in he holds the door open for a large group of teens out for a late night java jolt, and then he gets in line after them. He gives Ava a wink if she looks over, and then waits his turn. He's not n a hurry and he sees that the conversation is going along perfectly well. He doesn't have to hop right back into the center of things. He does casually check the level of everyone's cups (if they happen to be the clear kind) and will snag refills for folks. If they're not the clear kind, well then...no extra drinks for you.

"We're everywhere. Just like the Thin Spots are everywhere. If you have the right kind of connections, it's not hard to get set up. I can help with that if it because something you guys are actually looking for, rather than a hypothetical." Ava glances towards the door, following Deacon with her eyes. She grins at the wink and gives a pleased little finger wiggle in his direction before turning back towards the seriousness of the conversation at hand.

"If I couldn't find one? Again, it depends on my relationship with the child and how well they were handling things. But, I'd what I had to make sure they knew that they weren't going crazy. Answer their questions, give them my number. Let them know they aren't as alone as they might feel like they are."

There it is.

Myles gives a slow nod. "Thanks. Ava." He reaches over to pick up his empty coffee cup. (Which is styrofoam not clear). As well as picking up Nicasia's. The two cups are tossed in the nearby trash before he's coming back to the table. "That helps. Thanks for all that shit. I don't wanna keep your..." He glances over to Deacon standing back in line. "I'll let you two get back to it." Finally there's a small glance to Nicasia, and he gives a little head bob over to Deacon. "Nice to meet you." He takes a step forward to give Ava a single armed hug before he's heading out of the shop. To his jeep. Where he will wait to see if Nicasia joins or if he's just going to be driving off.

"Thanks." It's not entirely clear whether Nicasia is talking to Ava, thanking her for the information, or Myles, for getting rid of the cups. She scrubs at her face again, then shoves a couple of stray tendrils of hair away. "For sure, see if you can get us a sketch. Might track down some of the other locals and see if they can add anything to that, and then we'll look under some very mundane bushes for your cryptid-killing mystery murder, though..." Oh look there's Deacon. "...well. Maybe we just have different sources." She gets to her feet and wipes her hands on her thighs, like there might stray crumbs or raisin-trace that is better suited to denim than her skin. There are no hugs, just, "See you around." A breath is drawn in, a little two-fingered wave offered, and then she heads off after Myles.

Ava nods to the pair as they both get up and look to be heading out. Considering the news and all the stuff she gave the pair to think about, it doesn't seem to surprise he very much. "It was nice to see you both again. I'll work on getting you the sketch." Watching them go, Ava sighs softly. Don't try to understand how they work, that's what Myles said. But that doesn't work for someone like Ava who needs to know how things tick. People included.

Shaking off the conversations, she scoops up her own trash to toss in the bin before working her smile back into place and making her way back to Deacon's side, an arm tucking through his. "So! Where were we?"