Let the moment go… Don't forget it for a moment, though

[jockwitch]

Comments

the preceding

[jockwitch]

( Outside on the lawn, you're trying to find your seat, perhaps accepting a pre-graduation glass of champagne, mingling, or, in some cases keeping a close eye out.

Upstairs, you might be getting ready for the event itself. Changing. Receiving or giving gifts or an encouraging word. Maybe some last minute inspiration. (If a glass of champagne snuck its' way upstairs, this is Mystic Falls)

There are saved seats, at the back and on the sides for out of town guests, specifically those meant to be backup. )

the pre-precedings

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan got in late the night before, after making sure everything was ash the way it needed to be. By the time he gets home, Buffy's asleep, and by the time he rouses the next morning, Katherine and Damian are retreating to the bedroom. He takes a moment to listen, before grumbling and rolling over to press a kiss against Buffy's shoulder.]

Good morning.

[attainathons]

( Buffy's dress sits over the chair in the corner, ready to be steamed in the morning.

Unlike most everyone else, Buffy crashed shortly after Katherine and Damian confirmed the hunter was spelled in the basement. While she has lived on less sleep, she is older and there are times she feels the underlying exhaustion. She may be dating a vampire, but she can also get her beauty rest.

Buffy sleeps soundly, doesn't even stir when Stefan wakes. She curls into him when she feels his lips on her shoulder. She rolls over completely. Nothing can keep that smile off of her face. )

Morning. Derek? Stiles?

( Romantic, right? But, she needs her updates. Did they rescue Derek. Is Stiles dead? Did he transition? It's only been a few hours, but Mystic Falls moves faster than Scotland. Research takes longer. Tactical plans are made. Here in the blink of an eye, four things could happen all at once.

And did. )

[somanyadjectives]

Derek's okay. We got him out and took out the warehouse.

[And the people. But he figures that much is obvious.]

Don't know about Stiles. Last I heard, I think they were still waiting for him to wake up.

[He drapes his arm around her waist and snuggles closer.]

I should probably check my phone.

[He makes no move to check his phone.]

[attainathons]

( One hand rests under the pillow, but already she's feeling more relaxed just having Stefan there beside her. )

Maybe leave it. If there's an emergency, they'll triple text. Or, even call.

( Don't call. She kisses his shoulder this time and then his lips and doesn't move further away. Who would? )

Caroline did say the graduation is now at the Lockwood Estate. Arrivals at 1, the ceremony starts at 2. And then she sent in all caps, BE PROMPT.

[somanyadjectives]

Yes. Apparently I have to give a speech. It's my turn. And by my turn, she means that I'm actually in town and Damon said "Not it."

[Not that he minds picking up the slack.]

But we have plenty of time. Damon hasn't started yelling at the people using his kitchen yet.

[attainathons]

Damon lost the chance to say 'Not it'. I'm not surprised he jumped at the chance.

( That, and, she'd much rather hear what Stefan has to say to the graduates making their way into the world, some of them vampires like Stefan. But, younger, and impressionable. It's been a long time since she's viewed the majority of vampires as enemies, and that included Angel some of the time.

But, like her friends, and Elena, Buffy has come a long way. And she's fallen in love again. With a vampire. )

Only a house of vampires would be up before - ( She glances over to the bedside clock. She groans, nasally, burying her head in her pillow. ) Nine? Really?

( Smiling, she turns back. )

You know, a lot of guys think the early wake up is cute and romantic. Let me guess, you have other responsibilities besides the big, cute, Vitamin C speech.

[somanyadjectives]

[He shakes his head.]

Honestly, if we did not have somewhere to be, I would happily go back to sleep for a few more hours.

[He's a big lazy sleeper, she knows this about him.]

But the longer we wait, the chance for hot water diminishes.

[Normally, there wouldn't be such a strain but ... there are so many people in the house right now.]

[attainathons]

Right. Maybe... we take advantage of that, now? Since we're both awake. And one of us doesn't smell like ocean mist.

( She was expecting him to smell of flame and death had he returned and collapsed. But, she did not shower that night. So, she probably still smells like the day before. )

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam is feeling very much like a fish out of water in these fancy proceedings. He opts for grabbing a glass of champagne and making his way to the back where he can keep an eye on things.

He's here for Jack, but he hasn't lost sight of the bigger picture. His eyes keep scanning the room for any sign of trouble.

He could probably use someone to talk to so he looks a little less conspicuous, being as tall as he is.]

[matriarchate]

( A witch contact dropped Allison's and Scott's graduation outfits for the day. While it is not her first choice, she does wear it well. She's got a dagger ready against her thigh and knuckles in her clutch. Not to mention, she just has to tug her necklace off, improvise and whip someone. She's got hand to hand covered if need be. Her hair is half up and half down, tied with a black ribbon that otherwise she'd use to wrap her hands. A little of everything.

Allison can see a cry from help from across the room, and while she carries the champagne for looks, she only plans on setting it down next to her chair. Until the event ends without a hitch, she's on the clock.

Stopping next to Sam, she scans the crowd as they disperse from the main lobby and find their seats. )

We're sitting on the right, Dean and Scott, the left. ( Castiel gets the middle He has an actual seat, and a ticket. Does she say it? 'You clean up well.' Is it cliché? It's true. ) You have someone graduating, too, don't you?

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam turns to face her when he hears her voice and he's stopped for a moment. Intellectually, he knew she was going to dress up, but he wasn't expecting.]

... Wow.

[And then he hears how that sounded, before he shakes his head.]

I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah, we have Jack Kline. He's a good kid.

[And he'll make a gesture, like he's escorting her towards the seats.]

[matriarchate]

( It's not the first time she's gotten that reaction. She doesn't hide the smile and the crinkle of her eyebrow as he ducks her head. The chances that her witch assistant did this on purpose are high. But, if it gets that reaction out of him? )

Thank you.

( She lets his arm rest behind her as they follow the path around the chairs. And, right. What they're doing here. )

Scott said. Half-angel. Honestly, until my family reconnected with the Winchesters, we didn't know angels were a part of anything. ( Or demons. ) We thought druids were about balance.

( She glances at him. )

And, you too. Wow. You clean up nice. I was going to say that before. You win best reaction.

[imnot_likeyou]

[He laughs awkwardly, before rubbing the back of his neck.]

Yeah, I guess dressing up isn't usually part of the day, to day. But you do. Look great.

[A n y w a y.]

Yeah, we didn't know either, until a few years back. They have a tendency to be pretty hands off when they can help it.

[matriarchate]

Thank you, Sam.

( A n y h o w. )

Until they have no choice. It's not just hunters that try to tip the scales. It's darachs, shapeshifters. Witches. When I changed our code, I thought that we would make more of an impact, and all I feel is that the playing field is as uneven as it was ten years ago.

[imnot_likeyou]

Unfortunately, that's not really something you can level.

[There will always be something waiting to come out of the darkness and tip the world on it's axis. Sam's seen so much at this point that he's lost hope in the fact that one day he might be able to retire and that the world would stop ending.]

In my experience, all you can do is the best with the resources you have. Put all the good into the world you can and hope for the best.

[Does he sound tired? Probably because he is. This is also the thing that wears on you and he doesn't envy her position.]

For what it's worth, I think you're doing a lot of good.

[matriarchate]

Yeah? When is it going to feel like that, Sam.

( Does it ever? )

But, look who I'm talking to. You've been doing this longer than I have.

[saveslives]

[Jo is having a hard time believing that the twins have grown up this fast, but they have and this is happening. And since her better half is off making sure this whole thing goes off without a hitch, she is left by herself in the parents corner for now, drinking her own champagne and occasionally socializing with the other parents.

Also trying not to be emotional about it. These are her babies. They're all grown up.]

[cholesterol]

( Jack's -- well, like, three. But, also in his twenties. But, also eighteen. And while this started out as a charade, for Dean it became something else, something he could be proud of Jack for. Jack could've been doing it to make it up to them, to try and make it right, but Dean let that go. Dean passed into pride when he realized Jack found somewhere he felt he belonged.

So, he's a little choked up. On edge, but, misty-eyed. Dean's never met an alcoholic beverage he didn't like. )

They uh, they grow up fast, don't they?

[saveslives]

That they do.

[Jo pats him on the shoulder gently as she looks over the crowd.]

Jack's a good kid. I hope this has been good for him.

[cholesterol]

( Jo is one of very few people Dean isn't up in arms about getting emotional around. )

Jack never - had kids his age. Or, like his age. We're on the road a lot. Homeschooled him. This did him good.

( He knows. )

Jack's friends with Josie. He - never had friends.

[saveslives]

Josie really likes him.

[And Jo will never forget what he did for her. He probably saved her daughter's life, and it means a lot. But she doesn't know if Dean's aware of those things, so she'll keep that to herself.

Today's not the day to upset a parent.]

I'm glad that you decided to bring him here.

[cholesterol]

Honest?

( Cards on the table feels like the way it should go. The Winchesters are all in with Mystic Falls at this point. And not just because of his affinity for Elena Gilbert. This is another adventure for them, but with Jack here, maybe it's also a piece of his home now, too. )

He was a plant. At first. We didn't know if we could trust you school, what it was. You got a mixed reputation out in the midwest.

[saveslives]

Yeah, we figured.

[Jo hopes that isn't a surprise to him. She would hope that he was a little smarter than that.]

But we didn't have anything to hide, and Jack was a delight. We decided not to hold it against you.

[cholesterol]

We appreciate it.

( Oh, more champagne. Sure thing, he will definitely set an empty glass down and take a second. Seriously, Jo, he does better buzzed. )

Jack appreciated it. You could've always flipped us off and kept Jack. He needed it. As much as we tried, as much as we wanted, we weren't always enough.