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

[enjoythe_ride]

He'll ask less questions if you are. And for the moment, the less complications we have the better.

[She doesn't know if the Colony has anything that they're in need of a tribrid for, but she woudn't put it past them, and David doesn't need to have more wrinkles to hide from the other members of his coven.]

But yes. That's why they were in Knightsbridge. They've been recruiting witches everywhere they go, as a means of pitting members of the supernatural community against each other. But as Knightsbridge indicates, they don't have any interest in keeping witches alive if they aren't going to be useful.

[Josie makes a face. "Work with us and we kill you last."]

Exactly.

[havethings]

But, why -- make something like this? I get working with them, I don't get ensuring you can't defend yourself when push comes to murder.

( It's a suicide mission. )

I think it's more than just siding with the hunters.

[enjoythe_ride]

[Bela opens her mouth to respond, when there's a knock on the hotel room door. She then takes a breath and gets to her feet.]

I think we're about to find out some of it.

[She'll go and open the door, and David is on the other side, with his very serious face on.

"Where is it?"

She points to where she left it. David strides past her and Josie reaches over to hand it to him.]

One of these days, you're going to have to get better at pleasantries.

["Shhh," David lifts the object to his eyes to examine it, not wanting to lose his focus. "Not now."]

[havethings]

So, manners aren't a thing in your coven.

( But, that's all the colorful commentary she has. )

[maleficum]

Nope. We're a big pile of assholes.

[He makes a face, before glancing down at the two witches.]

The two of you haven't done any magic in front of it, have you?

[Josie shakes her head before her eyes light up. "Danny did a locator spell, but his magic is fine."]

No, that tracks. It's usually triggered by offensive or defensive magic.

[Bela sighs. "So you have seen it before?"]

It's a very old spell from my coven. One that we restrict access to, generally speaking. Given how recently this was cast, hunters shouldn't have hold of this.

[havethings]

But, they do. Or, did. And then, left it behind which seems like an amateur move.

( And David might track that everything going on with this network of hunters has been haphazard and poorly thought out, poorly executed, too. )

[maleficum]

These guys aren't the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. But there's also a chance they might not of realized what they had. Someone did, though, because Bonnie's magic isn't the only magic in there, which is going to make releasing it tricky.

["How do you mean?" Josie asks.]

Well, all the magic comingles together, which can make it difficult to retrieve an individual person's magic. It's a very delicate process. If we just run wild and let everything lose, it could all bounce back into Bonnie which could be bad for her.

[havethings]

Like the Hollow. All that power and, maybe darkness, just -- swirling inside. He's right. Bonnie could die.

( She had been there. She remembers vividly what it was like to have the Hollow inside her. And it feels like that all over again. )

So, the spell. It's old. But is that -- paper weight as old?

[maleficum]

[David shakes his head.]

No. Whoever made this for them, made it recently.

[Which is ninety percent of the reason why he's concerned.]

I need to take this back to my coven and find out where it came from. But I'll help you release Bonnie's magic first.

[havethings]

( They do need Bonnie there to release it, David knows that. )

Bonnie's ... on her way.

[maleficum]

Great. Then we can wait for her to get here.

[He glances at his watch.]

About how far out is she?

[havethings]

( Well, that she doesn't have an answer for. She resigns herself, the admittance slipping out. )

We don't know.

[maleficum]

Great.

[He sighs, because he was in America, and now he's in need of coffee.]

Got any coffee?

[havethings]

( She looks to Josie. Did they make any that morning? )

In the lobby?

( They've had other priorities. And the coffee is so good in Europe. Well, some of it is sludge.

And they didn't know they were entertaining. )

[maleficum]

I didn't have a chance to grab a cup before I left the eastern seaboard.

[He glances over at Bela.]

Can I get you anything while I'm down there?

[Bela shakes her head, before glancing back to the other two. "Girls?"]

[havethings]

Two coffees would be nice.

( And she says how she and Josie like them. To Josie: )

The Eastern Seaboard?

[maleficum]

[Josie shrugs as David goes to head out the door.]

Virginia, to be more specific.

[He opens the door to the hallway, before turning back to face Josie.]

The trip is easier than it sounds.

[But with that, he'll close the door and head in search of coffee.]

[havethings]

... He walked through that door from Mystic Falls. Have you ever heard of that?

( What is life! )

[enjoythe_ride]

David's a witch of unique talents.

[And that's all she'll say on that. She's not sure if the demon that possessed him wanted him because of that talent or he gained it after as a twisted reminder of the damage done, but he's been annoying Bela with it for as long as she's known him.

"Maybe it's part of his coven. Like the Gemini and cloaking?" Josie suggests as she goes to study the box again.]

[havethings]

( There's a country song somewhere in there. )

What we'd all give.

( Tracking Landon would involve walking through a door. )

To be clear, this is a power. I thought teleportation was science fiction.

[enjoythe_ride]

Not exactly. Angels and demons have their ability to pop in and out wherever they need to, though they have their own words for it.

[And, well, science fiction has become less and less of a thing given the state of the world and Malivore.]

I'm not sure what it is for David. I've never asked.

[havethings]

More people should ask.

( She'd have gotten on better footing earlier with Cleo. But, with asking comes honesty, and Hope understands why honesty isn't always a policy. )

[enjoythe_ride]

If you want to know, by all means.

[She never really considered it a priority. She also doesn't think David will mind answering.]

I never thought it was my business.

[havethings]

In general.

( Not just the how, but the who, where they come from, what they've studied, learned. )

So, we're waiting for Bonnie and Isaac?

[enjoythe_ride]

Seems like it.

[She crosses one leg over the other as she sits on the edge of the bed. David will be back soon with the coffees.]

Did William indicate how far out they are?