some roads you really fly

[beanchaointe]

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[beanchaointe]

[She shakes her head. She didn't like it when she was a teenager but over the years, it's become clearer that certain problems aren't going to go away unless you take the heavier approach.

It's not like she hasn't done the same.]

No. Lately it's been the kind of thing we've needed.

[unforgivably]

That's the worst of it. I'll even try to be a team player again. The -- hunter, I should've thought him through. Now he's my responsibility. But, that doesn't mean I want him to suffer.

( To have free will, on the other hand... )

You're sticking around.

[beanchaointe]

[She nods.]

Stiles is staying to learn from Caroline so I'm at least going to stick around. Moral support.

[There's going to wind up being more of them, but Lydia doesn't know that yet.]

[unforgivably]

I thought you were coming back from a work trip.

( Take note, he's not sounding disappointed. )

[beanchaointe]

Not my work.

[Stiles' work. Which might not have been entirely clear at the time.]

And right now MIT is on summer break so I don't have to teach any classes. I just have to work on my dissertation and that I can do from anywhere.

[unforgivably]

That you can. Does... that mean you'll have time for me to take you out properly? In an establishment I don't own?

( Or, here. Let's not like, but he'd like to drive her into Maryland or even into a nearby city. Maybe between here and Whittemore for closeness and eateries. )

[beanchaointe]

[She leans forward, making like she's going to say something, when her tablet comes to life, featuring Isaac's face on the caller ID.

She glances down, and then glances up at Damon again.]

I'll think about it.

[Because she may be older and somewhat wiser, but she can still play hard to get.

And with that, she will answer the video call and head off to one of the tables where they'll probably be holding their little conference.]

Hi, Isaac.

[And they'll chat amongst themselves about nothing important while they're waiting for the rest to show up.]

[engender]

( She'll think about it. That's a yes.

About the same time, Derek pulls up into the back parking lot, pulling the break. )

We're early.

[impetere]

[Cora nods, before tipping her head to the side to listen. It doesn't take much to pick up Lydia's voice talking to Isaac.]

Lydia's already inside.

[She glances over to him.]

Are you sure you're okay with me staying?

[engender]

You want to stay, you should stay.

( She's worried about Stiles. Maybe curious. Wanting to make sure he's fine. Maybe for the good of the Pack. Probably not. He doesn't say that out loud. Plus, she's never been in the same place for longer than a month at this point since South America. Maybe it will be good for her. )

Do you want me to come in?

[impetere]

Up to you.

[She would understand if he wanted to just bail and head to New Orleans.]

Do you want me to tell them?

[engender]

No, I should. I owe Scott that.

( Allison... too. )

Come on.

( And off the ignition goes as he steps out of the car. As they round the corner, they'll hear Stiles on the phone.

"Sabbatical. Yes it's a word. A real world. You're in the FBI. Just. Call my partner. Because I'm on - itisaword!" )

[impetere]

[Cora stops and turns at the sound of his voice, before raising an eyebrow and looking back at her brother. Good to know that some things about Stiles don't change, even as a vampire.

But she'll fall in behind her brother in case Stiles decides to catch up.]

[phonetically]

Scott and Allison are inside.

( A beat. Into the phone. )

No. I was - not - I have friends. Smits --

( Derek is just -- happy he's not always around Stiles. )

Call my chief. Bye.

( And he hangs up with a huff. )

[impetere]

[She smirks a bit.]

Trouble at work?

[phonetically]

Yeah, one of my guys doesn't believe sabbatical's a word. I need to keep my number in commission, but there's no guarantee I won't be hounded.

( HOUNDED. )

Derek.

( "Stiles."

He's still a bit miffed he was on the FBI's radar. But, Stiles did aid in getting him off of it.)

Turning it off.

( And... good. )

[wildkingdom]

[Good.

Cora nods, turning to follow her brother inside. Once the door opens there's chatter at the table, with Lydia, Isaac, Scott and Allison speaking as another face pops into the call.

It's Malia. She looks worn out, but she's awake and she's on the phone. She may still be in bed.]

Please say this will be fast.

[phonetically]

Are you in bed?

( Stiles all but climbed over Scott closest to the wall. He is still obnoxious as a vampire, good to know?

"Derek!" Scott is all smiles.

Allison sets her phone down against a ringed menu. Jackson zips up his luggage and sits back, picking his phone up. Alex will probably be back to his room at any second. If need be, he'll do this on the go.

Allison eyes everyone, sitting up straighter.

"This will take as long as it takes. Everyone ready?" )

[wildkingdom]

Bayou wolves party hard.

[That is all Stiles will get as an explanation, and everyone will quiet down so that they can begin. Isaac shifts so that he's relaxing more and smirks.

"Sounds like you all had fun over the last couple days."]

[matriarchate]

It was a graduation party.

( And - it was fun, as was her non-date/the person she'd sat next to. Not the point. )

It was work. We were all working.

( For the record. )

Alright. Let's start with updates. Isaac?

[notwitty]

Nothing new here. We're still trying to gather the people who scattered from London but ... there's not a lot of us.

[Which is disappointing.]

We think they might be heading east, so we're trying to send scouts into other major cities to see if we can catch any warning signs. Once everyone gets settled, I'm headed out to Prague.

[matriarchate]

Alright. If you're heading through Paris, I can link you up with the French Argents again, or send them on their own. Focus on Rome, Madrid. Berlin.

( Major cities. )

Malia. Do I want to know?

[wildkingdom]

What? We're bored.

[The bayou is really boring and sometimes they have to make their own fun.]

Everything's been really quiet here. Davina wants to keep the kids in the bayou for now, but some of the adult witches are heading back to the Quarter. The vampires haven't found anything either.

If Monroe was here, she's either really good at hiding, or long gone.

[commend]

( Scott amusingly looks to Allison who isn't bored. )

Maybe she was never there. Maybe it was there way of trying to shore up - nothing - while they tried here.

( "A diversion," Stiles says.

"That's what McCall said." Jackson speaks up, too.

Stiles swipes the phone from the napkin holder and sets it face down.

"Someone better turn me over."

"Scott?" Allison asks next. )

Okay. Uh. The hunters. Any trace of them in North America, it's gone. We don't know why. All my contacts have reported back. Something changed.

[impetere]

Maybe losing the entire cell here made them pull back?

[It makes sense. Cora saw the carnage that the Salvatores, Klaus and Hayley left behind. She can't imagine that facing that kind of loss wouldn't make them rethink the grand plan.]