WHEN: 1943 APRIL 13; late afternoon / early evening
WHERE: Eumenides, Roesler's airship
WHO: Delilah Shaw, Alex Arbeit, Niles Roesler
--
[13:41] Delilah Shaw was, to put it plainly, not generally a pleasant experience when she was in a foul mood. Though foul might be a severe underestimation at this point, as she'd returned to town after leaving to pursue personal matters to find her place of residence empty and her lover missing. That this happened after she'd been drawn back to the island at the sudden psychic urgings of said lover indicating they were in danger did unsurprisingly little to assuage her growing fury. And so it was that she went to the next place she could think of, one that could be the source of said danger. That bleedin' asylum up on the hill. When she entered it was with a harsh shove of the heavy entrance doors, her enhanced strength asserting itself just enough so that they banged against the respective walls on each side of the doorway. Loud enough was her arrival that the nurse manning the front desk visibly jumped, startled enough that she sent the things on the desk in front of her sprawling.
[13:41] Delilah Shaw took a few quick, long strides up to the desk and leaned in towards the growingly frightened nurse, and took the cigarette out of her mouth long enough to bark at the woman. "Alex Arbeit. Where are they? What scum-stained, abusive hole of this shitehouse have you stuck them in?" Stuttering came out in response. Floundering, nervous attempts to respond that only served to further irritate the woman. She leaned in forward against the glass, so that her forehead was pressed to it. A hand pushed itself to the glass proper and started to press inward, and.. it appeared to start to strain under her strength. "I know you malicious cunts took them. Where. Are. They?"
[13:46] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) was frequently called in situations like this. His empathic and psychic abilities often helped toward diffusing tensions and being on regular staff as opposed to special consultant had helped him develop more of a rapport with the others that frequented the Sanitarium. He made his way to the front in quick strides, pausing to look over the scene through those circular spectacles. His angular features bore a concerned frown as he stepped forward, letting Delilah's demands run their course before clearing his throat.
"Did I hear you're looking for Alex?" he inquired, reaching out to put a hand on the glass. He did not reach to manipulate Delilah's emotions as a show of... respect, perhaps but there was a calm that seemed to wash over the receptionist behind the desk, a clear sedation of the psychic kind. "They're not here, not to worry. Arrangements were made for their discharge." He paused there, looking over Delilah with a small note of recognition. "From the way you speak of them it's clear you're a friend at the least, if not more. They are safe. Before I say more I'd appreciate knowing your name."
[13:59] Delilah Shaw went visibly rigid when another stranger entered the mix, and to anyone with a modicum of understanding of body language it was clear she was shifting into a fight response. Gods above knew she didn't really possess a flight response to reach for instead. She was perceptive, though, and it was hard to miss out of the corner of her eye how the receptionist went from terrified to calm in the span of a few seconds. "I am." Delilah removed herself from the glass, and the spot where her fingers had been pressing inwards had five little web-shaped cracks from where her fingers had been moments ago. "More'n a friend. Far more." Her head turned back to the nurse for a moment and she stared, memorized the woman's face, then looked back to the man. "Delilah Shaw. Who're you, and where is Alex?"
[14:04] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) likewise removed his hand from the glass. He didn't seem to care about the breaks in it but as the influence of his empathy ebbed from the nurse behind the desk she found herself staring at it in concern. Roesler held up both hands as if to display his own lack of armaments. "Niles Roesler. I am a physician... and responsible for Alex's discharge," he explained, visibly relaxing when he heard Delilah's name. He managed a smile, wide and warm. "I am a friend. Or - like to think of myself as one. Alex is aboard my ship. I can... show you, if you're amenable. No tricks. You can point a gun at me if you like, and if you see something you dislike, pull the trigger."
[14:11] Delilah Shaw seemed to visibly.. well, relax wasn't the word. De-escalate, perhaps, as the active fury dialed itself back to mere irritation. Distrust was plain in her eyes when Niles described himself as a friend to Alex, and her arms folded in front of her. "I will at least thank you for getting them out of here, I suppose. Whether you're a friend or not remains to be seen." She forced out a perfectly imitated breath, and rolled her eyes at the suggestion of a gun. "I wouldn't need one if you were planning something." That was left intentionally vague, but the cracks in the glass might give a sliver of insight into what she might mean by it. The cigarette was put back to her lips as she looked back to Niles. "You'd have to be an idiot of the highest order to invite me aboard and risk pissing me off by showing them anything but safe and well, so we'll call that the sword over your head and skip the need for gunpoint tours. I'll come along if it means seeing them."
[14:17] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) shrugged his shoulders. "Well. I have been known to be somewhat reckless with my trust. Unfortunate habit when one's gifted with empathy beyond the norm. Hard not to give the benefit of the doubt, hm?" He turned to speak to the staff behind the window. "I will be out of the facility for the remainder of the evening. Please coordinate with my staff liaison to reschedule any appointments," he said before turning back to gesture at the door. "It had crossed my mind to share the memory of bringing them aboard, or perhaps connect the two of you psychically... but such things can be manipulated, you know. Best to see for yourself." He turned down a quietly muttered offer from the nursing staff behind the desk for an orderly escort, tsking his tongue at them before moving to the door on his own and opening it for Delilah. "Shall we?"
[14:22] Delilah Shaw tilted her head as she listened in, grunting a bit to herself. "Can't say I've got that luxury. Being reckless with your trust in my.. general way of life, is being reckless with your ability to stay on this mortal coil." She quirked her lips in a brief grin, self-amused at the hidden irony in the term 'mortal' coil, but she hid it quickly after. "Good call, there. I don't oft trust what my own eyes don't see for themselves." She shot the nurse a /look/ at the mere idea of bring orderlies into the mix, one that clearly communicated what might happen if any such employees tried to get near her right now. But she let it go shortly after, nodding over to Roesler and beginning to follow him out. "Aye, after you. Let's see if you're a mite less full of shite than most people that work here."
[14:31] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) was relatively quiet on the way there, amicable as needed, informational if she asked. He warned Delilah that they were heading for an airship, pausing at the transit building near the docks to wait for a smaller aircraft to take them up. "Oh, it's not been the best way to go about things," he agreed with a little chuckle. "But I am older than this face and that's far too many years to remain jaded." The aircraft was a simple thing, small and propellered and powered by Aetherite crystal. It bore them up relatively smoothly into the clouds, towards a much larger craft that had a zeppelin and engines both. Alex was notified with plenty of time, a little psychic nudge and some guidance from the ship staff that the doctor was returning early, and with a guest they'd want to meet.
The aircraft hovered itself next to Roesler's ship, a plank extended across to cross from the smaller craft's interior to the airship's deck. Roesler gestured for Delilah to cross over, though he readily went across first if she requested such things. It was large - a barge in the sky with multiple levels, halls and rooms - and the deck itself was large enough that personal crafts could likely land on it if skilled.
[14:39] Alex had been sitting in their room aboard Roesler's ship, a large, leather bound book unfolded in their lap as their eye scanned along the paragraphs slowly, when they felt that psychic nudge and the doctor's voice whispering at the back of their mind, snaring their attention away from the volume. They folded the book shut and set it aside before hurriedly rising to their feet and making their way off down the hall towards the foyer where they remembered the entrance being. They'd had enough time by now to get accustomed to the ship's layout, but they still managed to walk right past the correct hall as their mind got distracted with mulling over just who this mysterious guest might be. Still, by the time Roesler and Delilah stepped aboard, they'd have sorted themselves out and already be waiting inside, just past the door, hands folded in front of themselves idly. And yes, it would seem, somehow, they had two again.
[14:42] Delilah Shaw: was alarmingly quiet herself, and her pale-green eyes seemed to never once leave Roesler's face. She was practically boring holes into his head, and only the comment about being older than his looks cracked the stare. There's a dismissive grunt, and she turns to look out the window. "Speak for yourself. The longer I live, the more reasons I find to stay so. What that asylum did to Alex counts among them." When they got to the airship, she paused for a moment to take it in. She'd never been on one before, and even her centuries-earned cynicism broke for a sliver of a moment as she took in the thing. It passed disappointingly fast though, and she disembarked to the deck. "Some vessel you've got for a physician." She spoke, tilting her head slightly back to Niles to keep him in her periphery. "Where are the-" Her question answered itself when she felt a pang of hunger at the presence of some very, very familiar blood nearby, and she walked away from Roesler without much more than a word. The entrance door was yanked open so that she saw Alex standing there in front of her, and.. barely a moment passed before she stepped forward and attempted to pull them into her arms.
[14:47] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) simply responded with a, "To each their own" before allowing the trip upward to pass in peace and quiet. He made no comment in reply to her remark about the ship, any response dying to the eagerness Delilah showed to follow the feel of blood nearby. Roesler followed at a more casual pace, more than happy to give the pair some room. He did seem to watch carefully though, his eyes hawkish as they stared at the back of Delilah's head until he was certain she wasn't about to bite into the poor blonde right off the bat. Sidling in through the doorway, he walked past the embracing pair to give some direction to his ship staff. There were deckhands about and he sent one to notify the kitchen staff of guests before turning back to them. "...This one was looking for you at the sanitorium," he explained to Alex, in English considering Delilah's presence and his own lack of confirmation that she could understand German as well. "She seemed rather concerned."
[14:55] Alex glanced up from the floor and towards the door when it opened rather abruptly, their crystal blue eye widening sharply at the sight of Delilah standing there in front of themas they turned to face her more fully. "Delilah, you-!" They were cut off with an 'oof' as they were yanked into her arms so swiftly, wrapping their own back around her shoulders with a warm squeeze and a bright smile. "You're back~ How was your trip? Did everything go okay? I missed you..." They punctuated the last remark with a soft kiss to her freckled cheek, before turning their gaze back towards Roesler as they lingered in Delilah's embrace. They nodded as he explained, before glancing back to Delilah with a slight tilt of their head. "Why were you looking for me there? You know I... left..." That was one way of putting it.
[15:03] Delilah Shaw was quiet for a brief spell while she just.. held onto Alex, squeezing them in her arms. She finally piped up a bit there. "The trip was.. cut short, a bit. Client tried to stiff me on payment, so I took him for what he owned me and left." The truth in her words was only half there, but she didn't quite see fit to reveal the real reason for her early arrival back while in the presence of a stranger she didn't really trust. Her face leaned into the kiss, then pulled back a bit to look over to Roesler as he spoke. Slowly she nodded her assent to what he said. "Concerned's puttin' it mildly, but aye." She sighed. The cigarette was long gone by now, and she had just enough manners left to not light up an inch from her love's face to settle her nerves. "I did. But I got back, and both you 'n Odette were missing from the house. Assumed the worst and stormed up to the asylum to find you. Roesler here stepped in when I was minutes away from introducing that shitebird of a receptionist to the window in front of her." She let out a slight, brief sigh, before looking to the doctor himself. "You didn't lie on this one, I'll give you that. Seems like I've missed a bit of a story here though."
[15:07] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) kept smiling. He seemed pleased at the reunion and the genuine happiness the two were expressing, curious at the connection and at Delilah's display of strength - all of which was readily there for Alex to pick up on psychically if they were so inclined. He remained a bit aside to give them privacy, only turning back to step into a closer sphere of interaction when addressed. "Well... some things are better shared in person, and in more private setting. The details of Alex's discharge and their... recovery after recent events are somewhat graphic." He nodded at the blonde, lifting his own left arm to open and close his hand. "And there are some things occurring that lead to a bit of caution. I'd be happy to discuss it with anyone who would want to help - so long as Alex is comfortable with such things. I'm sure they are, considering the apparent intimacy." He removed his spectacles, the blue-green eyes and that odd flash of red observing the two unhindered. "It is up to Alex entirely. I will not speak for them unless they find it difficult to recount certain events."
[15:26] Alex's brows furrowed with a hint of worry as Delilah explained why she was back from her trip so soon, getting the sense that she wasn't telling them the full story, but they'd not press her about it for the time being. It was likely something best saved for a more private conversation, they assumed. "Well I'm glad you're safe at least..." they murmured, pale fingers rising to tuck a few wayward strands of ginger hair back behind Delilah's ear. Their eye winced slightly when she explained having come back to find Odette's house empty, a flicker of guilt in their features. "Yeah... you have missed a bit..." They murmured, then took a deep breath to steady themselves. "Odette had to leave on family business rather abruptly not long after the night with the... device. The bank reclaimed the house. I guess they took the note I left on the door off too. I wasn't sure how else to get in touch. But... essentially I didn't have anywhere to go, and I'm still wanted for what happened at the Sanatorium..." Their lips pursed, expression tight, but they managed a smile as they nodded their head back towards Roesler. "Doctor Roesler stepped in when I really needed someone. He gave me a place to stay, he's been helping me learn to control my abilities and protect myself, and he even gave me a new arm." They raised their left hand, which if one looked close, was slightly off-color from the rest of their skin, flexing the fingers. "He's a great man, and I was looking forward to you getting to meet him too. I'm endlessly grateful for everything he's done." They glanced back to the fae with a bright, glowing smile, nodding quickly as he sought their permission to speak about things that had been happening recently. "Of course. Speak away. I don't keep any secrets from Delilah."
[15:33] Delilah Shaw looked.. conflicted. Her reassurance of Alex's safety helped calm the worst of her distrust and discomfort, but it was clear some still remained. "I agree. And believe me, I've seen, heard, and caused worse. To others, at least." Another forced, imitation breath was taken to calm her nerves. With it her body visibly relaxed and she turned to Alex. "Your call, love. I'm content to know you aren't locked away in a cell." When Alex started to explain away, she quieted and listened with an intent stare. They practically sung Niles's praises to her, and even she had to admit it was quite the gesture out of the man. But.. something remained in the back of her brain. A doubt, born of personal experience. "I guess I have to thank you, then, for not throwing Alex to the wolves when you had the opportunity and authority to do so." She looked up to Roesler, and for all intents and purposes her expression seemed amicable. It was a horrible fit wih her rough features. So much so that something might seem
[15:33] Delilah Shaw 'wrong' about the way her slight smile didn't at all match the way her eyes still tried to peel past the doctor's skin. "But.. yeah, seems like I missed a fair bit. How's the.. abilities developing?" She seemed unsure what word to use, as she wasn't quite sure /what/ Alex could do still.
[15:40] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) shook his head. "I have had time, and between the Cabaret and Eumenides and my own endeavors prior to my arrival here, I have means. The ship hardly suffers from another mouth to feed, and Alex has been assisting with some clerical work and bookkeeping besides," he said with a wave of his hand. "It is my pleasure. And as a psychic practitioner myself it is always a delight to assist with the development of someone's abilities." He side-stepped to allow one of the ship's crew to get through the door and hummed. "Shall we take this to more comfortable setting? There is an office I use to consult with patients for private practice. It has seating and refreshments would be easy to procure." He gestured down the hallway, which Alex eventually led to the galley and the staircases up and down towards residential quarters. "Alex's development has been focused on the interior. They've found... entities, forces attempting to exert influence and sway, and our efforts have been toward shutting out such things. Exercise on affecting the exterior - moving objects and so on - will be better founded after that." He turned, only leading them off if they seemed agreeable to a change of locale.
[15:51] Alex's expression quirked slightly at the way Delilah chose to phrase the expression of appreciation towards Roesler about not 'throwing them to the wolves', though they knew well enough it was just her way, and she did seem genuine, so they smiled, sliding a hand down to rest over hers with a warm squeeze. They nodded back to Roesler though as he suggested they take the conversation to his office, continuing to hold Delilah's hand as they turned to follow him, if she would follow along too. "We've mostly been focusing on blocking... external influence. For obvious reasons after everything that's happened recently." Delilah was there for all of that, the possession, no need to rehash it. "And I've gotten more keen at sensing things in my mind too. Now that I can do it intentionally and not just by accident. Though yes, it seems like there's much more still I have to learn."
[15:54] Delilah Shaw nodded her assent when Roesler proposed moving to another room, shoving her free hand into her pocket and waiting for Alex before she moved to follow. "So, like whatever it was that caused the incident at the house they ran to after their escape." She looked down to her midsection for a moment there, then, and her gaze lingered for a long while. Fresh blood was seeping through her clothes, staining her vest a dark color, and she swore she could feel a touch of the stuff leaking from her lips as her guts tried to spill out, and- nothing. Just like that, it passed. Delilah had to swallow back a grimace, then leaned in to press a kiss to the side of Alex's head. "Good, love. I'd rather not lose you to the next ghost that comes along and gets ideas in its head about taking what's mine." She nods over to the room ahead of them. "After you, doc."
[16:01] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) led them down a staircase and to a nearby door that opened up to a room much like the "surgical" theater Alex had seen when the regained their arm. Wooden flooring and comfortable furniture lined the walls, a rack of bottles and a small bar in one corner. Past a divider a desk and chairs were visible, as well as a book shelf with binders and journals - patient files likely. "Quite like that," he said, nodding at Alex's insistence that they didn't need to relive the details of the possession. "Currently, we are dealing with something stronger than a run-of-the-mill spirit." He waited until they were all inside the office before shutting the door behind them and moving to the bar. "Can I get either of you something to drink? Or..." he raised a brow, glancing from Alex to Delilah. "...anything else that might help make one more comfortable?" He poured himself a little glass of wine before going to remove two more glasses and set them on the bar. "Alex's current... shall we say, pursuer, is a powerful thing. Invading dreams, imparting abilities beyond their own. I've not been able to stop it on my own."
[16:13] Alex smiled back to Delilah lovingly, squeezing her hand again at the comment about not losing them again to some restless spirit, though the optimism was tempered as Niles mentioned what they were dealing with now on the way to the office. "Yes... I'm afraid we're not sure what it is exactly... or why. It just keeps..." They trailed off, deciding to leave out the part about the painfully violent introduction into the dream each night. "It tells me to 'find the center', and then I'm forced into astral projection to wander the city. I have no idea what the 'center' is though..." they sighed, their free hand rising to rub their cheek as they moved to take a seat once they were all settled into the room. "Just water would be fine, thank you." They mentioned at the question of a drink, before glancing over to Delilah with a worried look. "I didn't even ask, how are you feeling? Have you eaten?"
[16:18] Delilah Shaw listened in as the hallucination faded out, following Roesler into the office they'd been lead to. "Never been fond of spirits. Can't beat the daylights out o' em like you can most other kinds of restless dead. Too keen on trying to steal bodies what aren't theirs, too." There's a hint of almost genuine disdain there, but it passes when she nodos her assent to Roesler's offer of refreshments. "Whiskey if you got it, preferably Irish, most definitely not anything the English pissed into a bottle and tried to pass off." Alex's mention of astral projection caught her attention, and she sat herself down next to them. "Whatever this thing is, I'd like to have a rude word or three with it. And then promptly kick its spectral arse inwards. We got any kind of plan for that, or is it just wait 'n see, and hope something doesn't try to jump into this one's skin again?" She folds her arms a bit and leans back into the couch, tilting her head a bit to Alex's question. "I'm.. fine, love. Mildly disappointing trip is all. Aside from work going a touch south, a thing I was looking into bore no fruit. Ate on the way back into town, but the trip was a bit of a waste."
[16:25] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) nodded and put the wine bottle away, properly stoppered. The aroma from it was sweet and heady, fruity... but coppery, oddly enough. He filled a glass with some ice cubes from a nearby chilled bucket and poured some water for Alex before returning to peruse the bottles. "Hmm. I do have a bottle of Redbreast. Hard to find a variety from the Dublin distilleries after a certain point," he said, uncorking the bottle and pouring a low ball. He took up that and the water, handing the former to Delilah before going over to hand the water to Alex, his eyes lingering on the other psychic for a moment. "I think I prefer being hands-on to waiting and seeing," he admitted with a small smile. Once the glass was handed over he returned to pick up his own cup, sipping at it quietly. "...I think tracking where they go when they project, figuring out what they do may be a good start. Ascertaining the motives of this particular being may help us narrow down what they are, and from there perhaps we can narrow down who. It may not be a bad idea to look into what else Alex may have come into contact with at the Academy. When you have as many... magical persons congregated in one place as Khymeia does, some things are bound to go awry."
[16:37] Alex: 's lips thinned with a grim pallor falling over their features as Delilah expressed her distaste for ghosts, nodding along slowly in hesitant agreement. "They aren't all bad... they're just people, really." They murmured, recalling some of the spirits they'd met through Hector. "But the malicious ones... yes..." A bit of humor slipped into a smile and a chuckle at Delilah's comment about English whiskey, and as she fantasized about kicking the ass of whatever might be fucking with them now. "I'm not sure that's going to work in this case..." They mused, leaning in to rest their shoulder against hers as she settled beside them. "I'm sorry your trip didn't pan out..." And they silently hoped she wasn't lying about having already eaten.
They nodded in agreement with Niles as well about being hands-on with their approach, taking the water with a careful sip before they chimed in again. "It's different places each night. Around the island. Mostly I just wander. Do you really think it could be something from the academy though? I was only ever there once..." They sighed, glancing out the window and sipping the water again as they mulled it over. "I hate the idea of doing whatever it is this thing wants, but... it mentioned something about 'learning mastery of the self.' Maybe it's trying to teach me something? I've been... actually trying to find the 'center' it mentioned. the only places I can think to look would be the academy, the Sanatorium, or that weird house I was drawn to that day... unless it's being metaphorical and means 'my' center, like... introspection?" They hummed uncertainly.
[16:44] Delilah Shaw took the glass with an appreciative grunt, then started to sip away at it. Alex's attempt to dissuade her rather sour opinion of ghosts gets a brief, rare apologetic glance, before she turns back to Niles. "We're of a mind there, then. Drives me mad when a problem can't be fixed straight away. Worse so when it affects something, or someone, I'm pure fond of." Delilah sat and stared at the glass, thinking on the problem, thinking turning to hesitation, before she let it quietly pass with a sip of her drink. The silence drug on a bit as she contemplated how to respond. "Sure look, I'm likely gonna be dogshite at trackin' anything that immaterial. People, animals, physical beings, I can semi-reliably get a bead on. Astral whateverthatwas? No, nothin'. I'm an even worse study, so unless we have the blasted thing in front of us I ain't gonna get much on its.. motivations, or what have you. What I can do-" She leans forward some. "-is intimidate some magical nerds into telling us more about what Alex might have got hands on."She looked back to Alex as they spoke, and her mouth flattened into a doubtful line. "I don't know if I'd trust the bloody thing to be after your genuiine self-improvement, so my inclination is it wants you to find something. Sanatorium'd be my guess, as much suffering as there is in that plae. And your little spirit friend found you there, did it not?" She looks up. "Thoughts, doc?"
[16:51] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) sipped at his glass before licking his lips, humming as he savored the flavor of the wine before letting it slip down his throat. "It is troubling... it seems to be blocking psychics from tracking Alex during those moments as well. The device that Alex... recovered from the Academy was from the Technomancy college - that'll be the best place to look. Or perhaps it was something to do with the device itself, rather than something else. As far as I'm aware, the broken parts of the thing are still in the ravine and the student responsible for its creation is already dead..." He shook his head. "If you do investigate the Academy, perhaps asking after his behavior would be fruitful. If he was projecting, or acting strangely before this all occurred, perhaps whatever was affecting him has transferred to Alex." He took another sip, swirling the remainder in the glass to watch the red liquid swirl. "I could see if I can sense something at Eumenides but that place is afflicted, already. There are spirits, forces everywhere. It'll take some doing to narrow it down."
[17:00] Delilah Shaw shrugged her shoulders a bit, taking another long drink from her glass as she thought it over. "I'm sure I could get my way in if I really wanted to. People have a hard time saying no to this face when it's really keen on something. Not that I'm any kind of qualified investigator, mind, but I've done just grand before at getting people to.. open up." Her hands hold the glass up a bit to look at the liquid inside, staring into it as she thinks for a spell. "Better you'n me. I dislike the place so I couldn't promise I'd not go about it arseways and leave a few of their orderlies in shite shape on the first answer I didn't care for. Could try that house, if you could convince whoever lives there to let us in. Didn't seem too keen on our being there to begin with though." Another long drink, and she was grateful as she swallowed that the particulars of her undeath hadn't robbed the glory of whiskey from her. "Not sure what our other options are, though. I'm not exactly verse in the spirit nonsense. Pissin' a bit out of range here, sadly."
[17:07] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) smiled, raising his glass to Delilah. "It does seem a very convincing face," he agreed before going to take a seat and set his empty glass down on the table in front of him. "Please, have a seat. Unless you're more comfortable standing. If you have no lodgings arranged yet, you're more than welcome to stay. It'll be easier to collaborate on watching what happens to them when they sleep if you're nearby, after all." He leaned back, tucking a leg over the other. "The staff at Eumenides is hardier than they look. Comes with the territory of being so dreadful a place and feeling the need to keep its patient occupants in line." He sighed, reaching to loosen his tie. "I think... an arrangement could be made with the residents of that house. Those that deal with the dead tend to follow rules and codes of a kind. It's simply a matter of speaking their language, so to speak. Investigating it further is a good call, as is not trusting whatever this thing is to have Alex's best interests at heart. The nature of the dreams... as I understand, is not pleasant."
[17:14] Alex hummed in thought, going quiet for a few moments and staring off out the window as they considered their options and the discussion happening around it. "So then... I should avoid trying to find whatever it means by 'the center' you think?" they asked, glancing back between Roesler and Delilah with worriedly furrowed brows. "I suppose asking around about that poor student might be our first best lead then. I've been... worried over what may have become of him for a while now anyway. That it might have been my fault for having stolen his device." they sighed heavily, slumping forward with their head in their hands, but glancing up to Delilah for her reaction when Roesler offered to let her stay there on the ship as well.
[17:17] Delilah Shaw grunted her appreciation at Niles humoring her being 'convincing', then tilted her head a bit at the offer of somewhere to stay. After a moment of deliberation she nodded her head quietly. "Wouldn't object to that, if you don't. I'm without currently and I don't sleep much to begin with. Whenever I do it's at fuck-odd hours, so I'm more than capable of being nearby when they're asleep." She reached a hand out to gently rub at the back of Alex's neck when they appeared distressed at the thought of the student's wellbeing. "I think listening to the bloody thing at all is a shite call, love. If it had your best interests at heart it wouldn't be so gods-damned vague about what it is you need to find, or why." She breathes out, then takes another drink. "Eumenides sounds like it might be more risked effort than the potential payoff, for now. Badgering the residents of that house and people at the academy may be our call for the immediate future."
[17:23] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) nodded. "I'm not opposed and I'm sure Alex will enjoy you being around," he said with a raise of his brow and a little tilt to his smile that could be seen as teasing. "Given that I do work at Eumenides more regularly these days I can devote small amounts of time to searching about but yes, I agree. The Academy and the Mercer House would be better focuses of our time and energy. There was the consideration of enrolling Alex at Khymeia more formally anyway, to bolster their psychic training with me with other magical foundations." He got to his feet, brushing off his pants and retrieving his glass. "I'll inform the staff of another guest. If you have preferences or particular needs, as far as diet goes - do let me know, or have Alex tell me. There's more inhuman than not on the crew and we tend to try covering our bases of supernatural need." He went to set his glass on the bar before approaching the two and reaching out a hand to shake Delilah's. "It was a true pleasure to meet you, Miss Shaw."