Then we get terrified, like children waking in the dark, we don't know where we are.

[moralitypolice]

( Bonnie, bag in hand at her side, holds the door open this time. She sighs, looking wistfully off at Danny, sullen, in the backseat. )

I wish I could make it all better, like I could undo it all, or, go back and prevent it altogether. Too many of us have no parents. No living family.

( She sighs.

From Danny's seat if or when he looks back, Bonnie and Isaac continue their discussion. Scott texts Isaac, so he pulls his phone out, eyes down quickly.

A couple approaches from the south, arm in arm. The guy in glasses leans in whispering something that makes the girl laugh. As they separate to move around Bonnie, everything happens quickly. The brunette girl brandishes a stun gun landing a blow to Isaac's side. Out of the leather jacket, the man reveals what looks to be something dark colored, with a flat bottom. He drops it. From the car, he can see a spell attempted, Bonnie's lips moving but nothing happening. She tries struggling, but the woman whacks her on the back of the back sending her down. The man quickly pulls out a pair of iron handcuffs the woman waves away, not now, and as fast as it happens, a bright yellow taxi pulls up.

Three others, including one dressed as a taxi-driver throw Bonnie and Isaac into the trunk. When everyone is inside the car, the driver puts down a black device on the top of the cab quickly, puts on a pair of leather gloves, climbs inside the cab and speeds off.

Bonnie's bag, and the contents within including her phone lie on the sidewalk next to Isaac's dropped phone.

The driver in Danny's car starts the ignition, this is probably protocol. )

Comments

[saveslives]

[It's not that Jo doesn't trust her children. She does. She trusts them to make good choices. She trusted them to fly all the way across the ocean to enjoy their last summer before college.

She also trusted them to run headfirst into trouble if given the opportunity.

She waits until it's the morning, Prague time, and when Bonnie doesn't answer her phone (again), she sucks it up and calls the other familiar adult that she happens to know is in town.

Elijah Mikaelson.

Ring ring ring Elijah phone.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( Elijah's politeness extends to answering calls from acquaintances in a reasonable amount of time, so it's three rings before he answers. )

Josette?

[saveslives]

Elijah. Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping I could ask a favor.

[Yeah. A favor. Let's go with that.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

You're not bothering me. What favor?

( He can guess. Her daughters are both in Europe. )

[saveslives]

I got an odd call from my daughters last night, asking about very specific witch rituals involving Bonnie Bennett, and now I can't seem to get ahold of Bonnie.

[Which is concerning in and of itself, but Bonnie can generally take care of herself.]

Maybe it's just me missing her from the time zones of it all, but I was wondering if you could humor me by popping in to make sure they're all in one piece and haven't drawn in monsters from the Czech countryside?

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( That is concerning, though Bonnie could be asleep. Or, she could be in Mystic Falls, and like the younger counterparts and a younger Bonnie would, she could be in the middle of all of it. )

What is the name of the hotel they are staying in?

[saveslives]

[She gives it, relieved than an actual adult is there to check in.]

I really appreciate this. It's probably nothing, but when your kids are a full ocean away you get antsy.

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( It's going to be about a half an hour before both Elijah and Bela pay that hotel a visit. She receives a similar call back... Ring Ring Jo Phone )

[saveslives]

[And she will answer as soon as she sees his name on the caller ID.]

Elijah?

[uniquelyvulnerable]

Your children didn't check out, perhaps this morning, did they?

( He keeps back that the hotel has zero record of them staying there. No need to over worry. )

[saveslives]

No, not that I'm aware of. They were supposed to be there for another few days.

[And then she does what she tries not to do as a parent: she turns on their location tracking. It takes a bit to figure out the map, because they are in Prague, but when she comes back she's confident:]

They're definitely in the hotel. At least, all their phones are. But unfortunately I can't be more specific than that.

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( He surmises out loud into the phone, and to Bela. )

Magically cloaked?

( Widespread compulsion? )

[saveslives]

It's possible. Though I'm not sure why.

[Only proving to make her more concerned, honestly! Bela's eyebrows go up curiously in response. While she doesn't say anything right away, she looks like she's musing.]

If the twins are doing the cloaking, I'd look for a floor that is uncomfortably empty.

[It might not actually be empty, but it looks that way.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( They can try, his eyes say. But, most floors in hotels feel empty. People are in their rooms or on the move, likely out of the building. )

Would their cloaking spread to knowledge of their whereabouts? Might they be in touch with another vampire in Prague?

[saveslives]

They have a couple of vampires with them, but that might be a lot for them.

[Kaleb and MG are good, but even they have their limits.

Bela, meanwhile is going to pull out her own phone as they move through the floors and ... call Hope's phone, while listening for the ringer.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( They're a few floors up so she hears no ringing yet. )

You suspect they're in trouble.

( Meanwhile, Alaric, glass of whiskey in the morning waits with baited breath. "They're not there?" )

[saveslives]

[Jo holds up her finger in her husband's direction.]

I suspect they might have gotten swept up in something they don't fully understand. When I spoke to Lizzie she didn't seem scared or frantic, but Hope tried to lie about doing normal teen things she would have no reason to lie about.

[So something is Up.

Bela is just going to keep listening or wait for Hope to answer, whichever comes first.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

I remember Hope wanting nothing more than normal teen things. I suppose the need wouldn't go away. What was the lie?

( Still no ringing.

Alaric is just O_O

And Hope and Josie are in an elevator riding down. Hope's phone rings, and knows if it's Bela then it's an emergency. But, things will forever be tense between the two.

"Elijah's girlfriend is calling me."

Not her stepmom or what have you. She looks to Josie, not knowing what to do because they don't talk. She finally brings it to her ear.

"What happened to Elijah?" )

[saveslives]

She said they were drinking.

[Her daughters? Yes. Hope, not so much.

Bela, on the other hand, is quick to course correct, pausing at the hallway she's in to speak with Hope.

"Nothing, nothing. Everything's fine. We thought we might treat you girls to breakfast, if you had the time. Are you still staying at the same hotel?"

One teenager accounted for, at least.]

[havethings]

( Elijah wouldn't mention that, yes, even Hope might be drinking. He isn't formally aware of the Old Mill, or the practices of the Salvatore school, nor is he aware why Hope would say they were drinking.

Hope wouldn't metabolize alcohol like Josette's daughters.

"While not uncommon, I suppose that's an irregular admittance. Normally, one would keep that from a parent."

Hope however narrows her eyes, but her (1) in lie detection triggers a roll of her eyes. Great timing, Bela. Not.

We're a little busy, Bela. And we (1) already had lunch. ( She's just so over it, she doesn't bother trying to lie, even in her tone. Also, lunch and not breakfast, so. She's a little over it. ) Didn't you already do the niece thing? ( And Hope even showed up. Elijah being there made it easier. And Hope really was just there to see if Bela could help with the merge. ) We had a nice lunch, I don't need to be included every time. Really. But, thank you.

[polydeukes]

[Hope has the benefit of being her daughters friend, so Jo's view is slightly more charitable. Meanwhile, that's exactly the response Bela expected from Hope, so good to know she's not an imposter.

That still is a concern in the world of the supernatural. She nods and swallows. "No, of course. It was just an offer."

Hope's girlfriend, on the other hand, is making an awkward face. That "I'm going to ask you to do something you might not like" face. Then she gently pulls away the phone from Hope's ear and hits mute before asking:]

Isn't Bela some kind of dark object expert?

[havethings]

Ho -

( She tries to at least tell Bela to hold while the phone is pulled away. Hope makes a series of faces, landing finally on dreading -the-future-but-knowing-her-girlfriend-is-right. Hope is very expressive. )

ld on.

( Hope sighs. )

Allegedly. At least, when she was this grifting power broker. Pre-vampire. I don't know post.

[polydeukes]

Maybe it's worth asking her about the box with Bonnie's magic.

[She knows Bela is not Hope's favorite person for understandable reasons, but they need every resource they can get right now.]

I'm not saying we shouldn't go after the hunters still, but getting Bonnie's magic back to her will probably be more helpful than grilling them. And if Bela's here helping us, Danny and Lizzie could maybe take your uncle for extra compulsion power?

[havethings]

( The stubborn side of Hope, the more powerful side that usually fuels her digs her heels in as she squares her chin off, but as she looks away, and listens to her girlfriend, she knows the truth. )

So, we're all a team now? What happened to leave the adults out of this?

[polydeukes]

I'm not saying let them be in charge.

[This is still Danny's call, and they should probably loop in him and Lizzie before they give Bela and Elijah too many of the details.]

But a good leader knows when to use the best resources at their disposal. Besides, Elijah's hands-off enough that he probably won't force his way into being in charge.

[At least that's her experience.]