Shane & Toby
Shane wasn't expecting to know anyone at this party. Reza was doing a good job of meeting people in town it seemed but Shane only really knew the AIR crowd and the only person he thought was likely to show up was Mal. He was proven wrong when he spotted Toby by the bar, looking dashing and fabulous as ever and maybe him being there shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. He headed on over there, due for another drink anyway, and stepped up to Toby with a grin. "They'll let just about anyone in here," he said and then gestured to himself with some amusement. "Didn't expect to see you here tonight. Fan of the police?"
Of all the people Toby expected to see there, Shane was probably the last, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a pleasant surprise. Toby enjoyed these events as it gave him a reason to dress up a little, but often found himself mingling with people he hardly knew. But that was okay. Tonight gave him a reason to show off a pink paisley dinner jacket that he probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to wear again for another year. “Not exactly,” he grinned. “But every time there’s a crisis, I find myself working with them in the ER, so I figured it’d be nice to support them. They support me. What’re you doing here, darling? You’ve got absolutely no skin in this game.”
"Oh hey, I'm living in a prominent rich people neighborhood," Shane said with an easy smile. "Cocktail parties and fundraisers are kind of part of the package deal. Appearances and all." He didn't honestly give a shit about the fundraiser - or the appearances - it had just seemed like a fun change of scenery for the evening plus he was curious about his neighbors. "Do you know any of them well? The local cops?" It could be useful if so, knowing if they could trust even one of them. Shane didn't really trust the police on principle but that was more to do with being a former homeless kid and not knowing how much influence AIR had on public offices.
“Hey, you stay long enough, you might just have to meet the neighbors and move on in,” Toby teased. He knew Shane’s situation was temporary, but he could see it happening, which would actually be kind of amusing. Shane was not the typical Overlook occupant. “I know most of ‘em by name, but not well. It’s not exactly a huge department. I think they’re down a couple, but I kind of get the feeling that won’t last long.” He couldn’t say if the cops that left were going to come back or if they were going to fill the positions another way, but Toby was almost sure they’d be back up to staff by the end of the month. “You want me to introduce you or something?”
"Look at you, all mister popular," Shane teased. "And - you get a feeling?" he asked with a quirk of his brow. "Or just an educated guess?" He still had no idea how Toby's power really worked. There was probably more to it than Toby even knew, Shane's power had changed and grown with the years AIR had him locked up, maybe Toby would have been the same if he hadn't escaped, his mind a better tuned instrument in doing whatever the hell it was it could do. "But nah, just keep in mind who we might be able to trust - in case it comes to that."
“Probably a feeling,” Toby said, rolling his eyes at himself. “I could push it, maybe figure out a bit more, but there’s not really a reason to.” When it came to people and the paths they might take, there were so many factors that Toby wasn’t super confident in anything beyond what might happen in the next ten minutes. There were so many things about his own abilities that he didn’t understand, including his own limits, but pushing them always felt like such an intrusion on the people around him that he hadn’t really worked at it. Now might be the time to start, though not at this party specifically. “I could probably tell you who to trust, though sometimes that depends on the circumstances. People are tricky like that. Like, I’m not crazy about Mal. I’m not sure I trust him. Except when it comes to our mutual task.”