its a city of strangers

[notwitty]

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[notwitty]

[After returning to his hotel room after his days of captivity and bleeding, Isaac takes a very long hot shower to feel a little more like himself again, before collapsing into bed. He very much would like to just pass out and sleep, he knows he should probably touch base with the boss after being AWOL for the better part of three days.

Two days?

If he's not sure, it's probably better to call.

Curling onto his side, he sets up the video call to Allison and waits for her to answer.

Ring ring Allison phone.]

[matriarchate]

( Isaac and Bonnie's entanglement with the hunters has grapevined through Mystic Falls. The last thing Allison heard, Isaac and Bonnie were on their way back, with an eye on reuniting with the kids. Coincidences have never sat well with Allison, and she has her own thoughts about the circumstances and the kids being drawn in. Likewise, hunters being in Prague, too. That makes London, Mystic Falls, and Prague. She hopes Prague has a lower body count on all sides.

While Allison can be a worrier, when something is out her hands, she doesn't bother. Instead, she works. This week, she tours houses with Lydia, and Scott, in tow.

When she looks at the screen, she looks at Lydia, hoping. )

It's Isaac.

( Allison answers, Lydia behind her in the frame. )

Isaac?

[notwitty]

Hey. We're all alive.

[At least, everyone on Team Supernatural is, anyway. If he sounds tired it's because he is, and he probably looks it, though that also might be more blood loss.]

You can tell the Saltzmans their teenagers are safe.

[matriarchate]

( Isaac wears weary well. He always has. He carried it with him his entire life, with the loss of his brother, and with his father. Paris did him good, and finding a purpose. He's always moving, always the good soldier. )

Scott will.

( Teenagers are accounted for. )

What happened with Bonnie and her magic?

[notwitty]

She's got it back. She's got someone looking into how she lost it in the first place.

[He doesn't know David that well to comment on him otherwise.]

Whatever the hunters were trying to have happen, it didn't happen. A lot of them are dead though. Some kind of spell.

[maleficum]

[He sent Donna a text before he left Prague, checking to see that Harvey was alone, and that he wasn't expecting anyone. Harvey had a suspiciously clear afternoon, meaning he intended to do something else, something that wasn't dealing with what David was about to bring to his door, but David doesn't have time to wait.

Does he know if he can trust Harvey? No. But in the grand scheme of people with power to do something about this, Harvey is the most trustworthy option. Even with the people he works for, he'd like to believe that Harvey is a good man - somewhere deep, deep down - and will understand the danger of this.

He pops off the elevator to avoid a super dramatic arrival, and gives Donna a wave before letting himself into Harvey's office.]

I need to talk to you.

[rehire]

( Harvey is who you want on your team, be it against his will, or yours. He goes to bat every time. He rarely misses. Being a school marm was never on his list of favorite activities, but what the Colony wants, the Colony gets. And the Colony wants a close eye kept on the Adin-Gainors and the minding of Elena Gilbert.

Especially when they fuck up.

Harvey's clear afternoon is actually due to striking out on something separate, something to do with the firm he actually works for, and not his clients who need their hands held.

That said, this tone and this 'waltzing right in' attitude. Not one of his favorites.

Harvey turns, arms closed, calling out his door. )

Donna, I don't remember David Gainor scheduling an appointment today. Something I overlooked?

[maleficum]

["He called, said it was an emergency and asked if you were free."

While Donna isn't a witch, she knows better than to interfere in witch business. As much as Harvey might not be happy to see David, she knows that if something was really going wrong, Harvey wouldn't mind the interruption.

David ignores the question, because Donna already covered it, scanning the room briefly. He has a feeling that there are likely bugs in his office, given all the branches of the supernatural he has a hand in, and he doesn't want to play too many of his cards where someone else can hear them.]

Have you eaten yet? We can do lunch. My treat.

[rehire]

And if he called and said to do the hokey-pokey and turn yourself around?

( Harvey is in a mood, but it's nothing Donna can't handle. David and his emergency. Harvey is astute (15) reading David's emergency and his noting of Colony sensors. )

I haven't had an emergency lunch in a while. Is that when the food comes in record time because we're both so hungry?

( Harvey gives shit. He also gives his own look around. )

Fine. You get an hour.

[maleficum]

Great. I know just the place.

[And with that, he'll turn and head out the door. He'll stop by Donna's desk, and flash her a smile.]

Want me to bring you back dessert?

[Donna smiles in return. "You know the way to my heart."

David waggles an eyebrow at her, before glancing back to Harvey.]

You coming, or what?

[positiveinfluence]

[It takes some time for Coop to get clear.

There's debriefings and anger, and dealing with the bodies of those they lost in the tower. Recovering the bodies takes more time than they thought it would, with the police arriving on scene quickly. Eventually Anna waves him off, encouraging him to go get some air and some rest.

They won't be able to deal with the corpses appropriately until they get released by the police, regardless of their claims to them, so there's nothing they can do right now.

So, Coop knows an opportunity when he sees it. He climbs into his recovered truck, drives out to the middle of nowhere, and sends William a text to meet him. Does he feel like a teenager trying to sneak around his parents? Maybe.

Does he care? No.

Once he gets confirmation that William is coming, he climbs out of the car, stretching out in the truck bed and staring up at the sky. It's been a long couple days, and he could use some time to relax a little.]

[slavophile]

( The chatter going around is not good. Dead men and women, none of whom were on his team, but who were people all the same, were left behind. The consensus is there was a competing spell and Danny wasn't able to do what he had to. Cooper kept his cover, Isaac was shot twice. It's a mess, but there's not much William can do on this end to clean it up.

Enter Bela Talbot and Elijah Mikaelson.

He reunites with his sister and crashes in her room.

A message from Cooper sends him back out. He promises Mia he'll be careful.

He's good at following directions, borrowing a car from the hotel's car service. Being famous has its' perks. Being rich does, too. It's a wonder what can't be done. He pulls up next to the truck, parks, and doesn't see Cooper in the front seat. Putting the car into park, William jumps out. )

Cooper?

( Is this a trap? Was Cooper found and taken? At a quick pace, he stops at the edge of the truck bed. Cooper is fine. He's alive. )

Is this a move you pull on all the guys? Back of the truck stargazing? Cause, it works.

[positiveinfluence]

[He flashes him a grin as he moves over, giving William some space to hop up next to him and get comfortable. Yes, this is possibly a little too chill for a debriefing, but that word has always been a bit flexible.]

Eh, it's all about location. Not everywhere is gonna have a place that works.

[slavophile]

( William hops, lowering himself to lie down beside the man who's risked his life for William's cause. )

City lights might put a damper on the romantic gesture.

( He lays back, shoulder to shoulder, turning his head. It's been a few days since they've seen each other in person. He can't help himself when he leans in to give Cooper an in-person kiss, something he's been thinking about for a while. )

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop sighs into the kiss but doesn't pull back. He can't say that he hasn't been thinking about it too. His fingers trail up, sliding into the other man's hair as he pulls him closer.

It's been a long couple days. They could use a little bit of time to relax.]

[enjoythe_ride]

How would you feel about returning to New Orleans?

[It's a question that doesn't come out of nowhere. Bela is preparing dinner, something rather human for the vampire of it all, but it's a normal routine. And it's not as though she can't appreciate the food. But they're planning to move on from Prague, so it's worth bringing up a bit of what she talked about with Hope.]

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( It's not entirely out of the blue, but a question that's sat, poised, on the edge of his tongue for years. He could, at any time, return to his second home, to his immediate family and the pain and politics that await him there. There is the Hope of it all. While he forgave himself for Hayley almost dying, and she, him, neither one of them was able to move past it. Or, maybe it's just him.

He runs a finger along the top of his glass of wine, thinking about his answer. )

Tiring of becoming the European Clean-Up Crew? I was looking into getting t-shirts made.

( Give him a second. With dryness comes time for real introspection. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[She glances up at him, amused, before shaking her head.]

As much as I do enjoy running around and cleaning up supernatural messes, I think we're due for a change of scene. After all, we can only traverse Europe so many times.

[She finishes chopping and goes to transfer them to the pan nearby.]

And I know you miss your family.

[uniquelyvulnerable]

( There is Asia, Africa. Australia. Koalas and kangaroos. )

I doubt the sentiment is reciprocated. Niklaus has maintained a wide berth.

[enjoythe_ride]

Klaus is pouting. It's not unusual for him.

[It's said with fondness, but it's true.]

And I doubt Freya feels the same.

[polydeukes]

Is this what having magic always feels like?

[It's a dumb question. She knows it the minute she asks it. It's not like Hope knows the difference between being a siphon and not. But she can't help but enjoy the buzz of having her own magic for a change. Of not needing to borrow or siphon off her girlfriend or her other friends. She knows she's not going to be able to keep it forever, and she knows it isn't hers, but it's still pretty cool.]

It's weird to feel so ... whole.

[havethings]

( If Hope is being honest with herself, and she is trying to be, more and more, she's still recovering from the day, from almost making a mistake and an enemy. From wasting her time running around a clocktower and still not finding anything else out. It's easy, then, to focus her attention on her girlfriend carrying somebody else's magic within her. She has had magic in her and it almost didn't end well. This can't be that again. )

It's how I've always been, I wouldn't know the difference. But, there is always this... vibration in me. But, maybe that's the thrum of my wolf. I've always been restless. And reckless. ( Almost today. ) What do you mean, whole?

[polydeukes]

I don't know.

[There's always been this itch in the back of her mind, the idea that she's always been born with a lack, given that she can't generate magic of her own. She shifts to face Hope more, taking her girlfriend's hand to play with her fingers.]

Having magic versus not - I feel more ... full. And not the way when I'm holding magic for a spell. There's always this impatience to be rid of it. With this, it feels ... not a part of me, but more settled.

[havethings]

With it not being your magic, maybe it settling is a good sign.

( She's allowed to hope, even with her history, even with Josie's history. )

You're not incomplete. You just feel more connected to everything, don't you?

[polydeukes]

[She nods.]

It doesn't feel like I'm stealing. It feels like I'm sharing.

[That she has something to offer, magically speaking, other than her skill.]