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

[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.]

[havethings]

Elijah also knows all our parents.

( It could go either way. She sighs, taps the mute button again and chooses her words carefully. )

Could we meet you and Elijah in the hotel lobby?

( Soon. In shows, time limits are never given. Everybody just knows. Once Bela signs off, Hope brings a finger to her ear. )

Danny, William, are you there?

[undermyfeet]

[Bela brightens because hey that's progress. Though progress for what she's not sure. She raises an eyebrow back at Elijah, who can likely hear their conversation, before responding.

"Yes, we can do that. We'll see you soon." And with that, she'll hang up and she and Elijah will sneak back down to the lobby to wait.

Danny takes a second to respond, sounding sleepy and miserable because he slept in a chair like a dumb-dumb.]

Yeah?

[havethings]

You chose the chair, didn't you?

( She rolls her eyes. )

We may have two good leads. Ideas. Can you meet in the lobby? Lizzie, too.

[undermyfeet]

[He's not going to respond to the chair comment. He's just not.]

Yeah, sure. We'll be down in a bit.

[And with that he will push up, do his best to stretch himself out and glance over at the no longer empty bed that he could have slept in, but now has William's sister in it.

Mia was not invited to the party, though, so she still gets to sleep while he heads over to wake up Lizzie.]

Lizzie? Hope wants us to meet her downstairs.

[havethings]

He's coming down. He slept in the chair.

( It's obvious, though. No need to harp on it.

As for Lizzie, she stirs, muttering to herself, "We c'just share." )

[undermyfeet]

[Josie smirks as she leans back against the wall. "He and Lizzie are going to out ridiculous each other real fast."

Danny pauses, then blinks, then tips his head to the side.]

You are still asleep. But I need you to wake up.

[havethings]

They do match up in stubbornness.

( And Hope is one to talk.

Bleary-eyed, she blinks her eyes open, yawning, before her vision comes into focus. )

Danny?