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

[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?

[havethings]

He hasn't. But, he gave us which rooms the hunters paid for. I'll ask about Bonnie and Isaac. William? It's Hope.

( "Hour in traffic," he surmises. "Give or take one more vehicle switch." Which is a long time at this point. "Isaac traded - or - sold his blows to an in with the hunters. He should just now be returning to them. Trying to give everyone a big head start. Or, multiple."

Hope sighs. )

It might be a while. They are in the most complicated game of cat, mouse, and mouse lets cat go with visible scarring.

[enjoythe_ride]

[Josie nods, and slowly gets to her feet and ... "I'm going to go and see if David needs any help with the coffee." She's winning the worst girlfriend award today, but look! She's trying to help!

And she's going to not wait for a response before getting up and heading out the door before Hope can say otherwise. Bela watches her go and squints.]

She's not very subtle, that one.

[havethings]

( Look, she knows this is long overdue. She's just had a continent of excuses to not deal with any of it. )

She discovered her voice.

( She'd never want Josie to revert back to how usual quiet. )

I don't... hold anything against you.

( Not logically. )

[enjoythe_ride]

I wouldn't be surprised if you did.

[Bela's used to being the target of blame that she doesn't fully deserve.]

You were young, a lot of scary things were happening, and I was the unknown entity. It'd be easier to blame me.

[havethings]

I know, logically, you were there for Elijah, when he didn't know who he was, when he was killing people at truck stops. But, it felt like when you two resurfaced that... you were why he was away from his family. Not the Hollow, not our family pact. Not ... keeping me safe.

( But, that resentment, it stayed bubbling underneath the surface, even after Hope took the Hollow inside herself. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[She nods, because it makes sense. Elijah made choices, reacted to the bonds he knew, rather than the ones he'd forgotten. He chose Bela over them, because Bela had chosen him first.]

In the end, Hope, the goal was always to bring him home. I liked the man Elijah was too. I wasn't going to let that fall away, when it didn't need to be. I knew him before he lost his memories, and I wanted him to remember.

[She could see how she felt that way, but leaving him to sit in ignorance forever was never an option in her mind.]

But it was something he had to want too.