The next morning, everyone except Jing Yi reads--

Jing Yi doesn't read the news. It's depressing. Also, he was busy.

He is gone from the apartment in the morning and arrives mid-morning just, like, fucking covered in hickies and very disheveled.

Which is quite a sight, from Sal's perspective, as he comes to visit their apartment. "Who is the lucky companion?"

As much as he would like to gush about how Evie is the greatest, he has some tact. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

Terrence smirks as he opens the door and puts on the coffee pot. "Well, I hope everyone had a nice evening."

Jing Yi is saying nothing, but will admit to looking a bit smug. "How was Oxford?"

"Pretty nice. The professor was odd, but surprisingly pleasant company all the same. I didn't learn much of value, aside from that Best was married, so I might be able to find her. Carla or something, he wasn't sure."

"William Way is dead and it happened exactly the way it did in his vision. That's not what I'm here about, though."

"I saw that in the papers. Dreadful news."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised it made the papers. He was prominent enough."

"What do you need, Sal?" Terrence gets up to offer and pour coffee for people once it's ready.

Yes, please, thank you, coffee would be very appreciated.

"I actually had some questions about the play, Terrence. Not about the contents, about its... effects."

"In general, but also -- I have been noticing that the people we've been talking to who read it also grow very interested in the occult, and other people have reported some strange goings-on around them. And I -- well, listen, I don't want to get your hopes up, I don't want you to bug me about this. But I've been... looking into it a bit... and it really does have a strange feeling to it."

"And I was wondering if you'd... noticed anything? Or heard anything along those lines? Or if you might have any similar interests?"

"Not -- I'm not asking if you've seen sorcerers performing magic or anything. But just... anything hard to explain."

"Hm! Yes, intriguing. No, I see. I mean - I, uh, I don't know many other people who've read the book." He sits down with his coffee and adds cream, looking thoughtful. "Oscar, I suppose. I mean, Roby technically, now, Estus technically, but - you know. And Roby is one thing but Oscar is another, he bounced right off it, so - that's a small sample size, so take this with some salt."

"I... don't think there's so much in the line of direct... you know... tangible miracles, or what have you. But the mind is a powerful force and the King in Yellow is a powerful book. A powerful play. It plants ideas with deep roots. Let me think."

Oscar knocks on the door to the apartment.

"Interest-wise, I was interested in the occult and the history of spiritual practices for a long time, I've contributed to research on related topics for years. It did evoke a current interest, but I should think that in the same way that learning something new ever evokes an interest - you know what I mean?"

"It has, um - it's affected my dreams." He looks uncomfortable as he says this. "But that's part of the mind too, so."

"Um, excuse me - " and he gets up to open the door. "Oscar! Good timing, I just made coffee. Come in."

Great. TWO loud skeptics watching over their conversation.

...Oscar, why are you here. This is his house. What are doing.

"Hi, Terrence. Sorry to bother you but I just read the news-- Jesus Christ, right? Oh, do you have any cream and sugar, by the way? Bad habit."

Why is William Jing in Terrence's apartment.

Why is he covered in hickies? What has he walked into?

"It's awful. - Certainly do, I'll get you some."

"Coffee would be great." This is one fucked-up brunch. He's been to weirder parties; he can take it in stride.

"Well, you know, dreams can tell us a lot about the mind," Sal says lamely. (He's followed Terrence over to the coffee.) "Roby had -- not that yours and his are -- just, if you'd like to tell me about them, I'd love to hear."

Oh, they're talking about dreams.

Oscar and Jing Yi are in the awkward position of having some Fellow Feeling about the dream talk.

He can just listen but this conversation went very badly the last time he tried to have it in a group. With Jing Yi in particular.