everyonelives | hey old friend, whadaya say old friend

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hey old friend, whadaya say old friend

[Stiles has told Lydia several times that she doesn't need to stay in Mystic Falls. She's refusing to listen. Things are starting to get worse here, and whatever impending storm is coming is going to be here soon. She puts herself out and about in town when she can, trying to see if she can catch something that might give her a clearer idea of what's going to happen.

What she isn't expecting, is to run into a familiar face.

She's having another text argument with Stiles about her current life choices when she catches a familiar set of cheek bones out of the corner of her eye. She turns towards them, eyes narrowing before she asks:]

Jackson?

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Sort of.

[She doesn't want to get too bogged down in who Jackson is. It's not why she's here.]

I was actually wondering if you could answer a local question for me.

I might be able to.

( He bites his tongue. "Lockwood," he's expecting. Jackson sits back to look at the menu. But, from under the menu he is very impressed. Damn, Damon. )

[He is not wrong.]

A friend of mine wanted me to check in on a friend while I was here. Jackson mentioned there being a Lockwood mansion. Are there any Lockwoods actually in it?

[Just a curious friend of friend. No big deal. No harm here.]

Edited 2020-10-27 04:01 (UTC)

( A friend of hers is a friend of Lockwood's. Maybe. There are also hunters here. Great. Is she a hunter or a friend. )

Not the last time I checked. Tyler skipped town after his mom died. Which wasn't long after his dad and uncle died. It's a real, tragic story. He hunts in his downtime.

( He nods, trying to read their reactions to that word. )

[Her brow furrows as she considers that. Stiles said the Lockwood guy was a werewolf. And Damon seems to be implying a hunter.

So what does Damon know? There's something that's been nagging about him from the moment she met him and now seems to be the time to figure that out. One hand comes out, and so does the sympathetic Lydia face that Jackson is familiar with because it's not her ... actual sympathy face.

Its the face she uses when she's trying to get something out of someone.]

That's so awful. It's always such a shame when someone goes through so much loss.

[Her hand finds Damon's wrist. It's the first time she's actually touched him, and the moment she does, everything comes into a clearer picture. While past deaths don't do much for her the way that current and future deaths will, she can still tell when someone's drenched in it.

Her free hand curls against the the table, the only tell that she got something out of that.]

I hope he's doing okay. I'll let my friend know to reach out.

( Damon just smiles. He knows loss. His mouth does curl in sympathy but this is Lockwood and there's still bad, but respected blood between them. He gives them another moment to look over their menus. )

Lydia. The Salvatore School is named after the Salvatores. Vampire brothers.

( And that's when the jig is up all around. In a split second, Damon is in the booth next to Jackson, silver knife pressed against exposed deep vee douchebag flesh. Anyone else would just see Damon sitting close, leaning in.

"Alright. Who are you two and what do you want in Mystic Falls. Why are you looking for Tyler Lockwood and, "What is the Underground?" )

Edited 2020-10-27 04:15 (UTC)

[Lydia's eyes go to Jackson's because while she knows silver isn't going to hurt him, getting stabbed will still hurt. And vampires are vampires.

Lydia does not look ruffled.]

We're looking for Tyler Lockwood for the reasons I said. A friend told us he might be able to help us. As for what is the Underground, why don't you ask the head of the school? I'm sure he'd probably give you more trustworthy information if you're so close he named his school after you.

[Then she lowers her voice and leans in closer.]

But if you don't stop threatening my friend, I might find myself less and less inclined to tell you what I do know.

[She folds her fingers in front of her and smiles sweetly.]

We wouldn't want anyone walking away with a scratch.

[And that last bit was for Jackson. Because she's willing to bet of all the things that Damon is expecting, it's not a kanima.]

( Well. He can at least put the knife down on the table and push over so he's not crowding them.

"How do you know Alaric?"

Jackson looks to Lydia, retracting any claws he was ready to use. Flies and honey. )

I rescued supernatural foster children yesterday and brought them to the school.

( Damon nods, looking to Lydia, suddenly disappointed he'd threatened Jackson. But, old habits "What are you?" Hunters? That's what he's expecting.

Jackson grabs up his water glass, taking a drink. Half-truths for a reason. ) Werewolf.

Banshee.

[And that's smart Jackson. Keeping his full status in their back pocket is for the best. But she's expecting questions because as far as she's aware, there's not enough of her.]

And we know what I am, don't we.

( There are questions he has, more personal ones, like whether Lydia knew who he was beforehand. If she played it that well.

He relaxes back then, seeing Lydia in a different light. She can hold her own. And, Jackson is a werewolf. Just what he needs. )

Are you actually asking for Tyler Lockwood because he's in and out of town. Mostly, his mansion is used by the historical society. Whichever friend suggested him should know that.

( For the record. )

I see now I could have called Alaric before playing the vampire card, but he has his hands full. His daughters. Out-of-towners. Relocating an entire graduation ceremony because of a tip that - I'm guessing you two here are on.

My friend just mentioned a guy named Lockwood. Jackson was the one who brought up the mansion. My friend also hasn't been stateside in a while.

[So obviously he wouldn't be aware of Tyler's current location. Moving on.]

And not exactly. I got a ... feeling. Jackson was the one who told me about the hunters, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd guess it's Tamara Monroe?

( So, her friend was working from old information. Lockwood's off the reservation more often than not. That's not surprising. )

A feeling. ( He can put feeling and 'banshee' together. She keeps speaking. )

I've heard the name. The head hunter?

[She nods.]

I was in Beacon Hills when she got her start. We've been trying to put a stop to her organization ever since, but it's turned into ... putting out camp fires in the middle of a forest fire. More keep springing up wherever we go.

( Jackson takes his cue from Lydia, who seems to be cooperating. So, Jackson can contribute. )

More like wildfires. All over the world.

( Damon listens, and puts two and four together. He even gets six. )

And you two, you're here to stop this wildfire.

We're here to try, anyway. I haven't recognized any of the usual players in town, but that doesn't mean they're not here, hiding in plain sight.

[Or not using any of the usual faces.]

Well. I should apologize for holding Pretty Boy over here at knife point.

( Which - is an apology, right? )

Alright. You two, eat. Fuel up, because, we're taking a field trip after.

( If they are who they say they are, then they'll be of help. And if they're on this hunter's side, there'll be recognition. Now, to explain these two to the others. )

Dana will be your waitress today.

( And then he's up again, giving Lydia one more look. He may have botched this connection by getting hot under the collar. But, try being a Mystic Falls native and not. )

[Not ... quite, but Lydia's not going to push the issue. She also raises an eyebrow at the mention of a field trip, but that's the only reaction he really gets from her until he walks away.

Is it botched? She's not entirely sure. It's going to depend on how things go over the next few days.

She reaches for her phone to text Derek about the change of plans for the afternoon:]

Made contact with the supernaturals in this town. Getting taken to a meeting - want to come with?

[Then she looks up at Jackson. She keeps things vague, because she knows that odds are high Damon is still listening.]

What do you think?

Do you want me there?

( You can take the alpha out of the wolf, and with Derek, you really can. While he travels with his pack, his family, he still looks to Scott McCall and everyone else as equals, especially against the recurring threat Tamra and the hunters pose. )

I think we've been out of high school for over ten years and we're going on a field trip.

I do, but I don't want them to know you are. Jackson will be with me.

[So she's not wandering completely alone into a vampire's den, but Derek is close enough to get there quickly if she screams. She knows he'll hear her wherever she is, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.]

At least you don't need to have a permission slip signed?

Then I'll be close by.

( But not there. In case something does happen. He'll drag Stiles, too. FBI resources are hard to pass up.

Jackson weighs that, half laughing. His phone lights up again. Giving it a quick glance, his smirk returns.

"Or a chaperone?"

Anyone else joining them, Lydia? )

I think we're both a little old for chaperones.

[But she will place her phone on the table so that Jackson can see the notification from Derek, before her phone goes black again. She wants to be able to trust Damon, but she doesn't know how much she can do that yet.

And backup isn't a bad thing.]

In fact, I think we might be old enough to be the chaperones.

( Might be old enough rules out immortals. While he sends the waitress over for a nice lunch on the house, he starts a group text with Caroline, Stefan, Elena, Alaric, whichever Winchester brother is first on his contact list (Dean), Tyler and - sigh - Katherine. )

Two new players are on the board. A banshee and a werewolf. Say they're here to stop whatever 'bad' thing might happen. The banshee name-dropped Monroe.

[Caroline's first reaction, not that she should be surprised given the things that have popped out of Malivore in recent years, is still the tried and true:]

Banshees are a thing? Are they a good thing or a bad thing?

[And then Elena, a little more seriously:]

Did you get their names? What did they say about Monroe?

They are a thing but they're ... pretty rare. I've only really heard about them in theory not in practice. And no, they didn't come out of Malivore.

[They're close enough to human or witches that they likely didn't ping Malivore's monster-dar.]

I'll admit, I'm not sure what to make of the fact that a literal death omen is in town.

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1/??? idk we're gonna see where this goes

2/4, i think

3/3 nope, never mind, it's 3