Who: Adalyn & Silas Where: Rayner House When: Sunday morning 01/07 Status: Complete Warnings: Some conversation topics
It had taken time to prepare for leaving Bangor, more time than Silas really felt like he had. It was hard not knowing how long he would have to stay in Point Pleasant and not having proper future plans had his anxiety riling up more than usual. He'd given his very short notice at work, given up his apartment and put most of his things in storage. He could start again when this was all over. It wasn't like he was emotionally attached to that apartment and he wasn't about to be paying rent for months if he ended up being gone that long. But god he hoped he wouldn't be gone that long...
It was beautiful at least, driving to Point Pleasant. Boring after the first hour but manageable. It was sunny out and the snowy trees along the road were positively fairytale-esque. It wouldn't be Point Pleasant if perfection wasn't marred with something horrible and he groaned softly to himself when he passed a gruesome scene right outside of town. It looked like a bear or a wolf had slaughtered a deer right there by the road. Blood still painted the white banks of snow and Silas realized he should probably notify the police about it. That was what he was raised to do: notify the proper authorities, make sure a mess got cleaned up, maintain propriety at all cost. For now he just turned up the volume on his stereo. He could be carefree for another few minutes; sing along to his music and pretend he was a Broadway star and not a mortician, pretend he wasn't going back to the place where he kept losing people and seeing things he really shouldn't be seeing. God, he hated Point Pleasant.
He didn't hate his sister though and the thought of seeing Addie again cheered him up a little when he drove up to their formidable house. The Rayner House; every bit as pompous and luxurious as any of the Overlook houses, but darker in nature due to the connotations it had. Funeral parlor, mortician's lair, a house of secrets and death. Everyone had always been a little spooked by their father, Edgar Rayner, though his children knew his forlorn nature was more of a mask than anything. In the private company of his family he was a mild mannered and humorous man. It was going to be hard seeing him in his current state, Silas was sure. He parked his black sedan up front and got out, relieved to find the driveway had been salted. He certainly didn't feel like flailing around and possibly falling with all his luggage.
Adalyn, Addie to her family and handful of friends, had been waiting impatiently for Silas's arrival. It was a quiet day at the Raynor House, which was unusual in this town, but she never questioned the silence. She so rarely got to enjoy it that she was afraid if she even thought about it, something horrible would happen. She was currently in the foyer, a red banana tied over her hair to keep it from falling into her face, mopping the hardwood floors. Every other week she hired a cleaning service to come in and really dive deep into the grim and dirt that settled in the house, but the weeks in between were Addie's job. Surprisingly, she liked cleaning. It had a calming effect on her... gave her something she could control. And she always felt a sense of accomplishment when she finished. Plus, there was the lingering scene of lemon and--
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway drew Addie's attention and she straightened, sure she probably looked like a dog whose ears perked up at the sound of potential company. Gripping the mop tightly, Addie hurried over to the front door to peer out the sidelight windows, the mop dripping soapy water behind her. She spotted Silas climbing out of his car and a smile broke out on her face as she quickly unlocked the large front doors and swung one open. The cold air hit her like a brick wall and she inhaled awkwardly against the chill before hurrying out onto the porch and down the steps. The salt on the walkway and drive crunched a bit under her cat slippers as she hurried into Silas's arms for an uninvited, but enthusiastic hug. "You're here! How was your drive?!"
"Addie!" Silas said with a wide smile as he stretched out long arms and then gathered her in them. "It was boring and gross, but I expected nothing less," he replied to her question before pulling out of the hug a little. "Let me look at you. Always pretty, even under duress. Nana Zoe would be proud." He said it with dry humor in his voice but it was true nonetheless. He could only imagine how hellish it had been to be in the house alone with their father comatose and the creature in the basement needing to be fed three times a week. That was their father's job but with him gone, it had to be Adalyn who took care of it. "Are you wearing cat slippers?" he added with an amused smirk, shaking his head a little.
Addie snickered softly. She didn't feel pretty at all. She had been cleaning all morning and she knew she looked like a mess. But whatever. Addie felt like she deserved a lazy day, appearance-wise, every now and then. "An excellent deduction, Silas, why yes I am wearing cat slippers." She looked down and wiggled her toes. "They're warm and comfortable, and they look like this orange and white cat that hangs out in the yard sometimes." She looked past her brother into his car. "Do you have your luggage? I can help you carry it in. Well, some of it." She still had the mop in one hand, and it was probably frozen now, being wet and outside. "I got your room clean last night, and I went grocery shopping, so... hopefully I bought you things you'll eat. If not, we can just order in every night and kill ourselves with fat and sodium." Addie cringed almost immediately, the joke hitting a little too close to him. "Sorry," she added, her nose still wrinkled. "That was a terrible thing to say. But you know what I mean."
Silas opted to ignore that bit about killing themselves - or at least take it for the light hearted saying it really was. Yes, they had a bad history with people killing themselves or dying but he wasn't actively in mourning anymore, he could handle a little gallow's humor. "You're such a garbage fire," he said with an affectionate smirk. "I love it." He straightened up suddenly and waved her toward the card. "Come on, you can grab my duffel, I'll grab the suitcases - it's fucking cold out here. Why on earth did you bring the mop outside? Scatterbrain." He was already moving as he spoke, getting the trunk of the car open to fetch his things.
Garbage fire was probably an accurate way to describe her, or at least her life, so Addie tilted her head in brief agreement before grabbing Silas's duffel bag. She clutched the mop and pointed it at him. "I saw you were here and I just got so excited that I didn't think to put it down first. Oh, and I was mopping, so be careful of the floors when we get inside. I got this new lemon scented floor cleaner? Oh, it smells amazing. I kind of want to bathe in it, but I imagine that would just fuck up my skin or something. I've got a cleaning company coming every other week, as usual, but it would really help me out if you took over the bathrooms. I swear to god, men cannot hit the toilet to save their damn lives."
It would take more than one trip to get Silas's things into the house. He always packed too much when he travelled but at least now he felt justified because he honestly had no idea how long he was going to be staying and not packing the things meant putting them in storage. So he had a few things that he strictly didn't need but felt like he did in order to make the space feel like home. It was just a good thing he was alone in the car for the trip, there really was no space for passengers. He wrinkled his nose as Adalyn spoke but yes, he was quite used to cleaning and the trick was to do it before things got gross. Maintain - don't strain. "Men are pigs," he sighed because generally it was true. "But yes, I'll take over for you, we'll figure it all out." There were dapper gentlemen out there but most guys were obnoxious, he wouldn't try to deny it. Damn lucky they were pretty. Silas grabbed a couple of his suitcases and slammed the trunk shut before trailing up to the house with his sister. How's dad. The question was on the tip of his tongue but every time he tried to vocalize it his throat got tight and sandpaper dry. It could wait. "I promised nana Zoe to give you all the hugs and kisses," he muttered. "And I brought presents from her, she knitted you a sweater you'll probably get lost in. I guess she thinks you should gain some weight."
The subject of their father loomed heavy over the entire conversation, but Addie was willing to ignore it as long as Silas was. She was just so happy to see him that she didn't want to do anything to mar the reunion. Following Silas up the stairs to the front door she had left wide open, Addie stepped inside and set the mop up against the wall to deal with later. Her smile softened some at the mention of her Nana, and she hefted Silas's duffel bag over her shoulder to take up the winding stairs. "Save the hugs and kisses for later when I'm not so gross. But I'll take the sweaters! Maybe if I wash and dry them in the machine it'll shrink them to a wearable size. And I eat like crazy! I put on five pounds last month from all the holiday crap people kept bringing me. And besides, you're still skinnier than me so it doesn't seem like she's been forcing you to eat."
"Oh she tried," Silas said with a wry smile. "My stomach is a little bigger than it was when I left, see?" He rubbed at his abdomen and if he pushed out he could make it a little rounder but not by much. Like their dad he just wasn't built to put meat on his bones or fat anywhere at all. Some people envied him for it, but it did have its drawbacks at times. He lined the suitcases up in the hall and shuddered with the chill that went through him at the mere thought of going back outside. That was one of the drawbacks; he was pretty bad at handling the cold. "Why did I bring so much shit with me," he lamented and then shuddered again a bit more dramatically. "One more trip should do it, you with me?"
Addie gave his stomach a skeptical look before rolling her eyes. "Oh, stop it. You could eat an entire turkey and not gain a freaking pound." She already had enough trouble finding a boyfriend. Putting on weight would just make it that much harder. Addie set the duffel bag down by his other suitcases and headed outside again. It was cold but she was used to Point Pleasant winters and they didn't bother her as much as others. Like Silas. "Come on. The quicker we get your stuff inside, the quicker you can warm up by the fire. I'll make you hot cocoa and all that fun stuff. Mrs. Harris brought me sugar cookies yesterday, so you can eat some of those too because I'll never finish them all by myself. Well, I could, but I probably shouldn't. How is Nana by the way? I keep meaning to go visit, but... it's been harder to leave. I feel sort of stuck."
It all sounded amazing and Silas felt inspired to hurry out into the cold again. "In one word? Amazing. She's got a boyfriend in the home, so at least someone in the family is doing well in that department. Not that she'll tell me any gossip but you know, it's not hard to tell." He let Adalyn take one of the suitcases and the lamp he'd felt compelled to bring, then took the last two suitcases for himself as well as a backpack. Too much luggage... "At least I'm assuming you're not dating anyone since you haven't told me a damn thing," he added, giving his sister a suspicious look as they headed back to the house.
Addie's mouth dropped open in surprise at the thought of her grandmother having a boyfriend. She always figured after a certain age things just... closed up shop! A giggle cut through the shock, however, because she loved her nana and hoped that her boyfriend, whoever he was, was hot for an old man. After a quick, odd glance at the lamp in her hand, she clutched the suitcase with the other and started back toward the house. It was like Silas was going to stay indefinitely with how much luggage he brought. Not that Addie would complain about that. She missed having him there. The house had become way too empty and quiet lately. It drove her crazy sometimes, in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. Addie didn't really want to talk about her love life, or lack thereof, so she shrugged, still smiling although it felt awkward on her face now. "I had a date a couple weeks ago, and I thought it went well? But I haven't heard from him since, so, I guess not as well as I thought. I mean, the least he could have done was rattled my headboards a bit before he ditched me, but what can you do. Are you seeing anyone?"
Silas sighed, closing the door behind them with his hip once they were inside. He was more than ready to get his shoes off and go to one of the more comfortable areas of the house though he also felt like he should probably go see their father. "I was making a valiant attempt at wooing someone when - you know. So that's not going to go anywhere while I'm here. Dating is hard here, you'd be hot commodity in Bangor but Point Pleasant is... cursed." He wasn't thrilled about being back either but what choice did he have? "I was promised hot cocoa," he reminded her. "Are you actually making some or was it just a matter of speech?" His toes were cold, reminding him he probably needed better shoes now that he was staying here.
There was a momentary flash of guilt that Silas was essentially putting his life on hold to be back here, but it passed quickly. Addie didn't like to inconvenience anyone, but she knew her limits, and she knew she needed the help in this place. She needed the company of the living. "Point Pleasant is cursed but other people still seem to be finding happiness," Addie said absently before she set the suitcase down and the lamp on one of the steps leading upstairs. They could carry all his stuff up there in a few minutes. With a deep breath, Addie smiled again and rested her hands on her hips. "I'm definitely going to make you hot cocoa. The good kind, with milk and whipped cream. Are you hungry? I can make waffles, or we have Pop Tarts and donuts."
"Waffles and hot cocoa sounds good," Silas replied. "While you get that started I'm gonna go upstairs and, you know, say hi. In case he's aware of anything." Adalyn had kept him update since the stroke but Silas wasn't sure what he could expect when it came to seeing the old man. Some childish part of him hoped he'd say hello and Edgar would wake right up now that his plan to get Silas home had been so successful. The more rational part of Silas knew Edgar would likely never wake up though and again, he wasn't really sure what he could expect when he finally got a look at him. "Just leave these here, I'll get them up eventually," he added with a sweeping gesture at the whole lot of luggage now crowding their entryway.
She almost suggested she go with Silas upstairs, but Addie bit back on the offer, because it was probably better for Silas to go alone. Their father didn't really look like their father anymore, at least not to Addie. He looked like a body waiting to finally let go and be free. But she didn't want to say that out loud. Probably because she was afraid that if she did, their father would hear her and do it. "I like to think he can hear you when you talk? So... don't say anything crazy." She grinned and rubbed his arm before turning to head down the hall towards the kitchen. "I'll make some food. Come down whenever you're ready."
"Then how will he know it's me?" Silas joked but it came off dry, even for him. He forced a little smile and ducked down to kiss his sister's forehead, then headed inside, kicking his shoes off when it was time. His time spent with his father was brief, or at least he guiltily felt like it was. He sat down for a bit, held his hand, spoke to him and tried to coax him out of his strange little coma. He was much like Silas had imagined but somehow it was worse to see it for real. Edgar had always been thin but he somehow looked more so now, small and frail on the large bed. There were tubes, Silas had for some reason not remembered to account for that, and his hands were cold on top of the covers, like he was already dead. Silas pulled the blanket over them, every little bit helped, he supposed. "I'll be back soon," he promised when he finally did leave, knowing Adalyn would have the waffles and cocoa ready soon. "You're missing out on a pretty great welcome home party," he added, watching Edgar for a few more moments, as if the words might tempt him to wake up. When they predictably didn't, Silas headed back downstairs to meet Adalyn in the kitchen.
"That smells good," he muttered as he entered because it was better than anything he had to say about the state of their father. "I thought about stopping somewhere for food on the way but now I'm glad I didn't."
Adalyn generally ate frozen waffles in the toaster when she was alone, but since Silas was home, she mixed the proper batter and made them in the waffle iron. It was a bit messier, and a bit more work, but it would be worth it. "Cocoa," she said, motioning to the mug she placed on the table a few moments before. There was a mountain of whipped cream on top that was very slowly melting into the hot liquid. Focusing on fixing their plates, Addie glanced at Silas, half expecting to see something in his face that would tell her how he was feeling. It was strange... dealing with emotion both above and below them. Just very different kinds of emotion. "He didn't wake up, did he? I kind of kept hoping once he heard you were home he would just sort of... open his eyes and scold you for not visiting more."
"Yeah," Silas said quietly as he helped himself to a seat, his seat since most things in the house had stayed the same for his whole life despite all the traumatic events. "I kept expecting him to open his eyes or crack a smile. I might go up there again and play him some music I know for sure he hates, see if I can irritate him out of his coma." He huffed humorlessly and pulled the mug close. It was still very hot to the touch so he waited to drink it, idly clicking his fingernails against the ceramic. "I don't even want to ask but... No change in the basement?" They both knew that thing that lived there - that thing that wasn't quite their brother - had a link to their father through some dark magic neither of them understood. Silas had often wondered if that meant it would die when their father did, or if it would change somehow and it was never a thought he wanted to think through.
"I tried singing," Addie admitted, glancing over at her brother. "And you know how terrible that is. So if he wasn't going to wake up with that racket, I doubt anything else will work." She carried a plate of two large waffles over to the table, where she had already put the syrup and butter if he wanted any. A lot of the lightheartedness she had been feeling since his arrival dulled when he asked about the basement and Addie turned away from the table to grab her own plate, wiping her hands on her hips as she wanted. "No change," she said, not really sure how much Silas even wanted to know. "I think it... he... misses dad? I don't know. They played chess, you know? And I don't know how to play." She didn't want to play. She didn't think she could be down there for an extended period of time without losing her head.
ยด"I don't think you really need to know how to play," Silas said and he often wondered just how much Not-Elijah actually did during those infamous chess games. Sure, it moved the pieces, but did the moves make any sense? "I guess I could... play a game or two." He wasn't thrilled about it, being in the same room as that thing was soul draining at best. He was never really afraid of it, it had been there for so long and it had never harmed anyone, but it was unsettling, unnatural. Only their father ever called it Elijah, Silas usually just talked about 'it' or E. He didn't really want to talk about it and somewhat regretted bringing it up but it had to come up at some point anyway so it might as well be now.
"Well, my whole excuse for not playing chess is that I don't know how, and I'm going to stick to that," Addie said simply, setting a couple of waffles on her plate and grabbing the whipped cream to spray a bunch on top. With that done she carried her own food over to sit across from Silas. She didn't see the thing in the basement as her brother either, but she kept it alive for their father. And she was terrified as to what could happen if Edgar died. What then? Would the thing that used to be her brother die too? Would he get worse? Addie was feeling out of sorts now and she began to cut tiny pieces of her waffle apart with her fork. "It's just... been a stressful couple of weeks, and you would think taking bodies apart would be easy, but it's not. It's a lot of fucking work. And it's harder when they're dead, you know that." She was not interested in eating anymore but slicing her fork through the whipped cream and waffle with a frenzied sort of energy gave her something to do as she spoke. "I just can't play chess. I don't want to. I can't do it."
"Hey," Silas said quietly, reaching over to rest his hand on her arm. "You don't have to play chess and I'll handle the bodies now." He was stronger than he looked and he was stronger than she was so it came easier to him, at least physically. It wasn't exactly a job anyone was eager to do but it was what it was and he'd taken part in it far more often than she had growing up. "Let's talk about something else, something less dire. Something... oh shit." His shoulders flopped down a little as he remembered what he meant to do when he got home and that was also a very bloody and uncomfortable topic. So much for cheering things up. "I need to call the police station," he groaned. "Clean-up on aisle Witcham." He thought of that bloody mess next to the road and so directly after talking about E it just turned his stomach a little. "It can wait," he decided almost sharply. "Now, there has to be some juicy gossip in town about anyone - and I mean anyone - I know."
Addie didn't mind doing what needed to be done, and she wouldn't make Silas put the entirety of it on his shoulders, but having the help would be nice. It would certainly ease some of her anxiety, anyway. It hadn't been so bad when their dad was up and moving around, and it wasn't like Addie could put a Help Wanted sign in the window. Her manic energy faded and she set the fork down, clasping her hands together in her lap under the table. She had no idea why he needed to call the police station, but it had seemed like an afterthought, so maybe it wasn't terribly important. "There's always gossip here," Addie reminded him. "I mean... tell me wjo you know, and I'll tell you what I know. Things haven't really changed a lot. People still coming and going... and the coming back. Like you."
Silas thought about it and there really wasn't anyone in particular he wanted juicy gossip on, not really. The Lucases were probably still just... being Lucases. The big time families were probably still doing their thing, was he really dying to know about them? Not really. Gossiping about them had been fun when he was in high school and his best friend was still alive, now it just seemed kind of pointless. Unless something super interesting was happening, of course. "Does Carson Durand still live in town?" he asked with a little grin because at least there was a sweet memory there - for both of them. It had been hilarious but weirdly not off putting to find out Carson had hooked up with both of them. Maybe because there hadn't been feelings involved so there was no reason to get hurt? Silas didn't know. But it had been long ago enough that it was just a fun little thing to dish about now.
Addie still wasn't hungry but she took a small bite of her waffle anyway. Silas had always been good at calming her down and her heartbeat seemed normal again. Not talking about Elijah helped too, though she knew they couldn't avoid the topic. She just didn't want to talk about it right now. Gossip was good. Gossip was light and easy. Swallowing her bite of food, Addie giggled into her hand. "Yeah, he's still here. He's a trainer at the gym. I don't work out so I don't see him much. But he's living at Castle View with his cousin. He's still looking really hot too. So if you ever feel like having someone spot you at the gym, I bet he'd do it."
Silas nearly choked on his waffle, covering his mouth as he coughed and then laughed. "Oh my God, Addie, like I'd ever set foot in a gym." He was active in other ways, active enough that he didn't really worry about himself but a gym was just a cesspool of bacteria and BO and he'd rather drop dead than work out in one. Adalyn knew this which just made it funnier that she'd suggest it. "If I wanted to impress him in any way, trying to lift weights would not be my way to go about that," he added. "That sounds more like a recipe to scare him off, honestly." Silas's strengths were not in the physical department but yeah, he could see how Carson Durand would be a trainer now. "Wasn't he in the army or something?"
Addie nodded. "Got hurt overseas. Lost a leg. Still sexy." She took another bite, finding her appetite slowly beginning to come back to her. She looked up at Silas and arched a brow, smirking a bit around her food. "Any other past conquests you want to know about?" If there were, hopefully they were still alive. Addie did her best to keep Silas up to date with all the terrible news here, but there were times she was just too busy to do anything but focus on the family business. She barely had time for her own social life now. Not that she'd ever had much of one to begin with.
"God, so many Point Pleasant conquests," Silas replied dryly. "I've lost count." There hadn't been many at all, Point Pleasant was a small town and while he knew he wasn't the only queer kid in his year, it sometimes felt like he was anyway. "I actually met Brian in Bangor a couple of months ago. He turned into the sleaziest business man kinda guy you could imagine. Serious American Psycho vibes, so I guess I dodged a bullet there." He paused, letting his gaze roam dreamily along the ceiling. "Although he is rich..." No, not worth it, the guy had been so sleazy. "Remember how sweet he was back in high school? It's like it got erased. Or maybe it was all an act, who knows."
Addie took another bite of her waffle and rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Money changes people," she said, her mouth still full. "He's not worth it if he's an asshole. Unless he's a rich asshole with a big you know what. Then maybe..." She swallowed her food and reached for her hot chocolate to wash it down. "I mean, depending on how long it's been for you since you... you know... had an active social life." Which was her way of saying sex, because it was weird to say that to her brother, even though she usually didn't have much of a filter. It was probably because he had just gotten home and she was still getting adjusted to his presence again.
"I could never date an arrogant bastard," Silas murmured, then pressed his hand to his chest in a dramatic fashion. "That's my role in the relationship, step off." He smiled at her again and helped himself to another waffle. "Nana wants to know why you're still not married with kids. I told her it's hard for us millennials but she says it shouldn't be when you're beautiful." He tilted his head and gave Adalyn a corny little smile to indicate he knew exactly how she'd feel about hearing that. "You're not hiding anyone away, are you?"
Addie snickered. At least Nana was sending the question along with Silas rather than calling her to ask Addie herself. "Tell Nana I keep scaring men off with my beauty," she shot back, amused. "Or maybe it has nothing to do with my beauty and I'm just weird. I'm the girl who works in a funeral home and likes to talk about embalming over dinner. That doesn't always put them off of sex, but it certainly puts them off of calling me back." She shrugged and set her mug back on the table. "Anyway, I have plenty of time to get married and have kids and all that, if I want to. It's just not really the ideal time for any of that now. You know how it is."
Silas took a deep, exaggerated breath, pressed his hands together as if praying and then dropped them to his lap as he exhaled sharply. "Addie," he sighed then. "Maybe don't talk about embalming over dinner." He was sure she was joking - he really hope she was joking at least - but it was worth putting an emphasis on. "Most people don't like corpses much, they don't want to see one, they don't want to be one and they don't want to talk about them at all." This of course hadn't stopped him from spooking people in high school but that was in high school and he hadn't been trying to score a second date.
Addie lifted her hands up in frustration, her fork full of waffle. "What else am I supposed to talk about? That's what I do! People talk about their jobs on dates all the time. So I'm supposed to just hem and haw because people are uncomfortable talking about dead bodies? Please." She huffed and shoved the piece of waffle into her mouth. "It's a fascinating process, Silas. It's not like I'm showing them an embalmed body." Addie paused, her chewing slowing down momentarily. "I offered once, but that was it."
"Oh Addie," Silas sighed, after his smile had grown steadily throughout her rant. "We need to find you a weirdo who's fascinated by this stuff but also not a serial killer." It made him wish his sister was gay, he'd met a few morbid and weird girls in Bangor who'd be perfect for her but alas. "For now it's just you and me though, miserable spinsters. At least we have each other, you can talk to me about corpses anytime you want." He got up to take his plate to the sink. "I need to get back into everything. At least I like the way dad ran things more than I liked my last place of employment so... Silver lining, I suppose."
"There just aren't enough weirdos in Point Pleasant," Addie said. "And the single weirdos are gonna steer clear of me." She grinned, just to show she wasn't upset by it. Or even totally serious. "But yeah, I'm on board with being a miserable spinster. I mean, we have the creepy house. And there's a cat that comes around a lot, which I think is a requirement for all spinsters." Addie watched her brother walk to the sink, selfishly happy that he was home, even if the circumstances weren't ideal. "Did you ever meet the cemetery caretaker? Rost? If not, you should. He's awesome."
Silas thought there were plenty of weirdos in Point Pleasant, they just weren't the kind of weirdos they'd get along with. "A few times in passing, yeah. He seems like a character." He took a seat again, crossing his legs at the ankles as he leaned back in his chair. "I've never seen a cat around the house... What kind of cat is it? You sure it's an actual cat?" He was joking, at least mostly, giving her a cheeky little smile. Given where they lived it wasn't a given that this cat wasn't some witch's familiar or a shapeshifting demon, being alert never hurt anyone.
"It's a cat," Addie said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't know what kind. It's orange with white stripes? Sometimes I'll come home and it's sitting on the porch watching me. I've tried feeding it, but it doesn't touch what I put out for it. Anyway, it comes and goes as it pleases. Super cute, though. Big fluffy tail. I will not accept it being anything more than a cat, thank you very much." She settled back in her chair, her hands falling into her lap. "What're your plans for the rest of the day?"
"Let's see," Silas murmured, taking his glasses off and putting them on the table. He rarely wore them but he'd been driving so that was a necessity. "Settle in, call the police about some roadkill, familiarize myself with the business and what we have coming up in terms of services... Anything you need me to do?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm guessing we have no appointments today," he said with a little grin because she'd be dressed up more nicely if that was the case.
"I have an appointment later," Addie said. "But you don't have to be there unless you want to be. We have kind of a busy week coming up... as usual." At least he had missed all the fog nonsense. The aftermath of those few days had kept Addie insanely busy for the entire week. "So if you want to just... relax for the day and get reacquainted with stuff before you jump back in, that's totally fine too."
"I want to be there," Silas told her and mainly it was that he didn't really like not being in the loop of things. "I'm all ready to be professional again." It wouldn't be fair to leave her to keep dealing with all of it on her own, she'd already weathered the storm for long enough while he took care of loose ends in Bangor and got ready to join her. "I hate to ask this, but... do we have enough... food?" He didn't want to be specific but he pointed to the floor, below to what had once been Elijah. They'd always had a set schedule for feeding him but it wasn't a task they'd had to deal with often - not before Edgar's coma. Silas still knew what to do and how to do it, Edgar had made sure all his children were cared for if something were to happen to him.
Addie frowned, but nodded. "We do. Um... you weren't here but there was some pretty terrible fog a little over a week ago. Some people died, so... we're okay for a while." It seemed like there was a never ending supply of "food" for Elijah in Point Pleasant. Addie wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse, but she never tried to think too deeply on it. Having Silas back was good, because now he would shoulder some of the burden with her. "The appointment is at four o'clock. So if you have things you want to do before then, that's fine."
It was morbid that people dying meant they were doing well, but it was what it was and the two of them had gotten used to that early on. "I know," Silas said quietly. "I mean, I don't know how many people- how bad it was but you told me about the fog. I'm sorry I wasn't here." If they celebrated Christmas he might have been there already, visiting for the holidays. He would have been there when their father collapsed and Adalyn wouldn't have had to deal with that last day of the fog all by herself. He knew she didn't want to linger on that pity party so he straightened up shook it off. "So I'm going to go get changed into something more presentable and unpack some of my things. Then you can update me on who's coming and what you need me to do."
"You don't have to be sorry," Addie said with a smile. "You're here now." She could have told him he couldn't have known about the fog, but this was Point Pleasant. Silas had to know scary shit would happen here, and often. Some things were just worse than others. She was just glad he was there with her now. Maybe things would get easier. She pushed her chair back from the table and stood to pick up her plate to carry to the sink. "I've got to finish cleaning up, so take your time. We'll do the boring stuff a little later."
Like most natives of Point Pleasant, Silas was continually torn between the urge to stay away and the urge to come back. He couldn't deny that a small part of him wished his sister would up and move away from the town if their father didn't make it and at the same time he felt so attached to the place, despite all of the horrors. The roots were strong, he supposed, he loved Point Pleasant in probably a self flagellating kind of way. "I'm here now," he agreed before heading out. "So you know where to find me."
"I do. I'll just yell," Addie called after him, smiling a bit to herself. She knew Silas wasn't thrilled about being home, but she knew she couldn't do all of this without him. Maybe if Elijah wasn't.... well, Silas was there now and they would get through this. That was all that mattered to her at the moment.