Not to the point of giving it all away - though she's certainly been tempted - but she's enjoyed Damon's company. She's enjoyed the time they've spent together. And she's about eighty percent convinced that being with him probably wouldn't resemble some of the bad moves she's made in the past.
But she's also enjoyed making him work for it, playing the edge of too much and not enough and hoping that he doesn't get too frustrated in the process. So far, he hasn't been strung too far along, but she knows that it's a very fine line she's walking.
Pausing in front of cross-section between the games, the food and the rides, she turns back to face him, keeping her hand in his.]
Food first or rides first?
[Because yes, Lydia Martin does enough carnival rides. She wore her hair up expressly for this purpose so she can still look cute while the rides worked against her.]
( Damon has dated before. He's dated with more complications and competing affections and half-affections and even non-affections. He's fought back from a completely erased memory, so a little hard-to-get is downright pedestrian. And while it's not welcome, it's not unpleasant. He's never hated the chase. He just knows Lydia is a woman worth more than the chase.
And, carnivals have not done them kindly. Them being the denizens of Mystic Falls, and, yes, Damon.
But, Damon is 100% himself and he won't hide it. Lydia has probably done her research. )
You know the last time I was at the carnival, I was brainwashed by a siren and attacked everyone I love. ( Happy memories? Despite his flippancy, he's dressed impeccably and done up like Damon Salvatore would be (Nat 20), but fashion has never been his problem. Right, the question. ) Rides before food.
[They stand at the gates of the carnival, bracing themselves for the cacophany of sound, lights and smells that are waiting for them within. Caroline and Ryan had left them at the gate, reminding them that she's a text away if they happen to need her, but Cora could read between the lines that she and Ryan were really hoping that they wouldn't need her.
And they won't. Between her and Scott, they'd be able to keep an eye on Stiles, and as long as they stuck together, they will hopefully be able to make it through this without anyone getting eaten.
She glances over to Stiles, standing between her and Scott, and gives him a hopeful look. "You ready?"
( He's out. Honest-to-god in the sunlight again, always been this pale out from the smallest largest school he's ever been to. For a school with such a large footprint, it feels tiny, and more like a prison than a school. A man with ADHD and vampire insomnia has had it pretty rough, but he's kicked the cravings and has successfully switched to coffee and bourbon - unfortunately, his dad's son in that regard. It's not something he ever wanted to take up, but if the alternative is killing some returning student, faculty member, or innocent carnival goer...
The sounds overlap, overwhelming him almost immediately, and the (4) he rolls shows him how inexperienced and under-warned he'd been. Or, it's just easy for an ADHD neurotic vampire to just become overwhelmed. He freezes, trying to focus on one sound and not twenty.
[Elena's at work and Allison is getting Isaac and the rest of the transplants from Europe settled in so Dean commandeered his brother for some normal family bonding time. The idea of going to the carnival wasn't a bad one at the time. They we've been playing the odds of carnival games since they were kids, and it's probably one of the few bright spots in the sea of crappy childhood memories.
But when Dean sits down in front of him with a pile of food, Sam can't help but raise a questioning eyebrow.]
With Elena "cleared" for work and Allison playing more tour guide than general and not knocking his brother around, Dean thought they had the perfect opportunity. Some normalcy is what they need. Away from the hunters and vampires and freak shows (he says, endearingly) they now live around.
And what's more normal than Sam side-eyeing his appetite. )
Funnel cake, Sammy. ( And pie, and fries, and a corn dog, and a regular dog, and some sort of award winning bowl of chili. And of course two beers. The beer's for you, Sam. He takes a big bite of hot dog and speaks with his mouth full. ) Help yourself.
[Sam does take the beer, taking a pull before browsing and opting for the regular hot dog, which seems like the least dangerous option. He pulls it towards himself before shaking his head.]
[As much as the pack house is nice, Mia isn't sure they were prepared for the Queens crashing their party. It's for the best that she and William aren't tripping all over them, and it's better to give Isaac some pack time. It's clear from the way they're greeted how much they've missed him.
After leaving William to get settled, Mia heads out into the streets to start to get the lay of the land of the town she's heard so much about. Ideally, the plan is to bring back dinner when she's done, but things get cut short when she turns on the sidewalk and sees a pair of very familiar faces.]
( Isaac really does have a team, and that gives William a warm feeling and it's a no brainer. The B & B is good enough while everyone regroups and William keeps a close eye on his sister/worries about his long distance... boyfriend? He hasn't said it out loud yet, and he's only checked in like three times and one of those times Cooper was at the latrine, so, he's tried to time it better.
He's always there if Coop needs it, though.
William has an entire setup to build, hardwiring his room how he needs it (and how the Pack might like it) that he lets Mia out on her own. He does joke about her not running off again, and reminds her he has her number now. (Both figuratively and physically.)
Oliver, their father, has eyes everywhere and Diggle tips him off thanks to Lyla and A.R.G.U.S.
Oliver has never been good with impulse control. Did he mention that he and Laurel have rooms on the same floor? Great that there's only one place to eat in this town and no Belly Burger in sight.
Oliver does not look guilty, or surprised, or caught. He's her father. And he's here. )
[Laurel pops up from behind him and looks apologetically at her stepdaughter.
"I tried to talk him out of it." She ... may not have tried very hard, as she was worried too, but an effort was made.
Mia is still just stunned because it's been a while since she and her father have been in the same place, in the flesh and she's missed him, but she doesn't know how to approach this, and all she can do is be confused.]
[As much as Ezra is not Elena's favorite person right now, they still have to work together.
It isn't that she doesn't like him, or that she even hates him. She knows that it likely comes across that way, given how cold she's been in the days that followed, but it's more that she's trying to sort through what to do with the lies that sit between them. Trying to figure out how much of it is real, and how much was a carefully crafted facade to gain her trust.
But, as much as she would prefer to avoid him, she still needs to work with him, and when Ezra happens to be neurology doc on call, she still pages him to radiology when she needs his help. Whatever's happening between them, she's not going to let it affect her patients.
She glances up when the door to the tiny viewing room opens, and she offers him a small smile in return.]
( Ezra is paged to radiology, which is normal. His husband is half into a conspiracy with their shared coven and maybe another coven. Medicine has always given him something to compartmentalize that side of his life with. It's why his friendship with Elena was real, despite how it looks. And it's why he doesn't practice distracted. This is his distraction. )
Elena. ( That smile is disarming, and almost like old times. Maybe she's just having a good day. He's not going to look too hard into it. He takes a seat in the rolling chair beside her, eyes on the screen. ) What do we got?
Car accident. The patient was mostly okay, but I noticed some cognitive issues, so I wanted to run some scans. Would you mind having a look just to be sure?
[Be professional. Be cool. She can do this. Never mind that the scans have another fifteen minutes left before they're finished.]
[If anyone tried to call her out on actually liking Derek, she probably would have rolled her eyes and ignored it. But to say the answer was outright no would be a lie. She's certainly intrigued by him, and they have the kind of relationship forged in fire that only the supernatural can provide.
She's trying not to be overly obvious about it either, the intrigue and the fact that she's been single for a while. Elijah's not coming back. The two of them are done, and Hope's been trying to get her to move on for years. It's something she could get behind.
The problem is, Derek's hard to read. She's still feeling out if he feels the same, so clearly the answer is to spend more time with him until she does. Which is why she wanders into the bayou one night and flashes him a smile.]
( Braeden taught him things, how to best use a firearm, how to take one apart and put it back together. How to survive on his terms and not the world's. Somewhere between then and being hunted by the FBI (thank you, Monroe), he breaks it off.
Fine. He disappears.
Meeting back up with Scott, it's easy to return to what he did best. Helping others. His sister returns from South America and they work together - and separate - and Scott and Allison call the shots.
Being bound for a short time wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before, but how it had happened, that was different.
After being bound, the bayou is something different. It's family and loyalty and songs and ale. It's connection, it's something Derek hasn't felt without Cora, and definitely not with Peter. It's relaxing and everything he remembers his childhood being. If he's hard to read, it's because nothing really is on his mind. His sister is with Stiles of all people (which, whatever, he's a full grown adult now and his sister makes her decisions) and he is here, aware that hunters could make their move. But, as vigilant as the wolves are, this is their territory and they'd hunt and kill any hunters who dare enter. It really is a different world.
Derek reaches into the six pack of beer that does nothing for him and offers her one. Beer is camaraderie. )
Nobody in the bayou really is. It's different here. Is it always like this?
[She does take the beer, moving to sit next to him as she does. She loves it here, loves it more than being with the Mikaelson side of her family. Not that she'd ever let Klaus know that, but here, this pack is one of the first things she fought and bled for, other than Hope.]
Sometimes when the Quarter is a mess, it leaks out here. Occasionally people will come through and target the wolves. But otherwise yeah. I never thought I would be into somewhere this quiet, but it feels like home, you know?
[By the time everything is tied up with the cops, all that remains on the midway is the carnies getting ready to break things down and shut down for the night. They could walk a bit faster to get to the car, but Lydia chooses to linger, keeping Damon's hand in hers as they wander down the center of the carnival, with the ghosts of their earlier evening.
She stops near one of the game booths, before giving his hand a squeeze.]
Sorry, by the way. For wandering off for a dead body.
( Ruined dates he'd been on or ruined himself? He'd be rich. The handholding is nice, though. It's been a long, long time. Since Elena and he tried to make a real go of it. )
Don't worry about it. Technically, that was the sleuthing portion of our date.
[Never let it be said that Isaac isn't led by his stomach. He and Allison had had a good time tonight, exploring Mystic Falls and getting his bearings. He had a meal at the Grille, and was in the process of contemplating seeing if Bonnie wanted to go on a late night stroll, when he smells food cooking in the kitchen.
Naturally, he felt the need to investigate.
As he wanders down to the kitchen, he goes to peer over Scott's shoulder to see what he's cooking.]
He gives his statement. He reassures Lydia he's fine, and that she should go back to her date. He doesn't make anything of it because Lydia is a grown woman. Him not liking everything he hears about Damon... well, he's lived through that, too. He's worked with Peter. Hated Derek for under a year. It's not his place.
He's hungry. He's always hungry. So, he decides to make tacos. He likes Mexican.
He's fine (natural 1), so, it's apparent that 100% of Scott is not fine and these may be the saddest tacos ever made. )
I just started, but it'll be ready in about fifteen. Do you want to chop up the toppings?
[When Scott, Cora and Stiles get back to the house, Caroline is sitting on the front porch. She wasn't kidding when she said that she and Stiles needed to talk, and she takes her vampire mentorship very seriously. She gives them all a wave, and tips her head to the side to look at Stiles.]
Got a minute?
[Cora looks at Scott, before glancing back to Stiles.
( While it was a case well-but-questionably solved (with violence,) Stiles wouldn't consider it a job well done. It was not his best FBI hour, not even close. Two lives were lost.
And before all that, Stiles had a major setback thinking he could just go back into the real world to a carnival.
He waits for the door to close behind Cora and Scott before saying something simple. )
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beanchaointe) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2021-11-06 04:49 pm
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Not to the point of giving it all away - though she's certainly been tempted - but she's enjoyed Damon's company. She's enjoyed the time they've spent together. And she's about eighty percent convinced that being with him probably wouldn't resemble some of the bad moves she's made in the past.
But she's also enjoyed making him work for it, playing the edge of too much and not enough and hoping that he doesn't get too frustrated in the process. So far, he hasn't been strung too far along, but she knows that it's a very fine line she's walking.
Pausing in front of cross-section between the games, the food and the rides, she turns back to face him, keeping her hand in his.]
Food first or rides first?
[Because yes, Lydia Martin does enough carnival rides. She wore her hair up expressly for this purpose so she can still look cute while the rides worked against her.]
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And, carnivals have not done them kindly. Them being the denizens of Mystic Falls, and, yes, Damon.
But, Damon is 100% himself and he won't hide it. Lydia has probably done her research. )
You know the last time I was at the carnival, I was brainwashed by a siren and attacked everyone I love. ( Happy memories? Despite his flippancy, he's dressed impeccably and done up like Damon Salvatore would be (Nat 20), but fashion has never been his problem. Right, the question. ) Rides before food.
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[Not that Beacon Hills does either.
Either way, rides it is. She turns towards that portion of the midway, scanning over their options before pointing to the most appealing option.]
Bumper cars?
[You don't start with the Ferris wheel. You work your way up.]
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And they won't. Between her and Scott, they'd be able to keep an eye on Stiles, and as long as they stuck together, they will hopefully be able to make it through this without anyone getting eaten.
She glances over to Stiles, standing between her and Scott, and gives him a hopeful look. "You ready?"
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The sounds overlap, overwhelming him almost immediately, and the (4) he rolls shows him how inexperienced and under-warned he'd been. Or, it's just easy for an ADHD neurotic vampire to just become overwhelmed. He freezes, trying to focus on one sound and not twenty.
"Stiles?" )
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Stay with my voice, okay? Just pull my and Scott's voices out of the crowd.
[Normally she would go for heart beats, but that feels a bit too personal for this moment.]
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But when Dean sits down in front of him with a pile of food, Sam can't help but raise a questioning eyebrow.]
Are you really going to eat all of that?
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With Elena "cleared" for work and Allison playing more tour guide than general and not knocking his brother around, Dean thought they had the perfect opportunity. Some normalcy is what they need. Away from the hunters and vampires and freak shows (he says, endearingly) they now live around.
And what's more normal than Sam side-eyeing his appetite. )
Funnel cake, Sammy. ( And pie, and fries, and a corn dog, and a regular dog, and some sort of award winning bowl of chili. And of course two beers. The beer's for you, Sam. He takes a big bite of hot dog and speaks with his mouth full. ) Help yourself.
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Good to see some things never change.
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After leaving William to get settled, Mia heads out into the streets to start to get the lay of the land of the town she's heard so much about. Ideally, the plan is to bring back dinner when she's done, but things get cut short when she turns on the sidewalk and sees a pair of very familiar faces.]
Dad?!
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He's always there if Coop needs it, though.
William has an entire setup to build, hardwiring his room how he needs it (and how the Pack might like it) that he lets Mia out on her own. He does joke about her not running off again, and reminds her he has her number now. (Both figuratively and physically.)
Oliver, their father, has eyes everywhere and Diggle tips him off thanks to Lyla and A.R.G.U.S.
Oliver has never been good with impulse control. Did he mention that he and Laurel have rooms on the same floor? Great that there's only one place to eat in this town and no Belly Burger in sight.
Oliver does not look guilty, or surprised, or caught. He's her father. And he's here. )
Mia.
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"I tried to talk him out of it." She ... may not have tried very hard, as she was worried too, but an effort was made.
Mia is still just stunned because it's been a while since she and her father have been in the same place, in the flesh and she's missed him, but she doesn't know how to approach this, and all she can do is be confused.]
What are you doing here?
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It isn't that she doesn't like him, or that she even hates him. She knows that it likely comes across that way, given how cold she's been in the days that followed, but it's more that she's trying to sort through what to do with the lies that sit between them. Trying to figure out how much of it is real, and how much was a carefully crafted facade to gain her trust.
But, as much as she would prefer to avoid him, she still needs to work with him, and when Ezra happens to be neurology doc on call, she still pages him to radiology when she needs his help. Whatever's happening between them, she's not going to let it affect her patients.
She glances up when the door to the tiny viewing room opens, and she offers him a small smile in return.]
Hi. Thanks for coming.
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Elena. ( That smile is disarming, and almost like old times. Maybe she's just having a good day. He's not going to look too hard into it. He takes a seat in the rolling chair beside her, eyes on the screen. ) What do we got?
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[Be professional. Be cool. She can do this. Never mind that the scans have another fifteen minutes left before they're finished.]
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She's trying not to be overly obvious about it either, the intrigue and the fact that she's been single for a while. Elijah's not coming back. The two of them are done, and Hope's been trying to get her to move on for years. It's something she could get behind.
The problem is, Derek's hard to read. She's still feeling out if he feels the same, so clearly the answer is to spend more time with him until she does. Which is why she wanders into the bayou one night and flashes him a smile.]
Busy?
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Fine. He disappears.
Meeting back up with Scott, it's easy to return to what he did best. Helping others. His sister returns from South America and they work together - and separate - and Scott and Allison call the shots.
Being bound for a short time wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before, but how it had happened, that was different.
After being bound, the bayou is something different. It's family and loyalty and songs and ale. It's connection, it's something Derek hasn't felt without Cora, and definitely not with Peter. It's relaxing and everything he remembers his childhood being. If he's hard to read, it's because nothing really is on his mind. His sister is with Stiles of all people (which, whatever, he's a full grown adult now and his sister makes her decisions) and he is here, aware that hunters could make their move. But, as vigilant as the wolves are, this is their territory and they'd hunt and kill any hunters who dare enter. It really is a different world.
Derek reaches into the six pack of beer that does nothing for him and offers her one. Beer is camaraderie. )
Nobody in the bayou really is. It's different here. Is it always like this?
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[She does take the beer, moving to sit next to him as she does. She loves it here, loves it more than being with the Mikaelson side of her family. Not that she'd ever let Klaus know that, but here, this pack is one of the first things she fought and bled for, other than Hope.]
Sometimes when the Quarter is a mess, it leaks out here. Occasionally people will come through and target the wolves. But otherwise yeah. I never thought I would be into somewhere this quiet, but it feels like home, you know?
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She stops near one of the game booths, before giving his hand a squeeze.]
Sorry, by the way. For wandering off for a dead body.
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( Ruined dates he'd been on or ruined himself? He'd be rich. The handholding is nice, though. It's been a long, long time. Since Elena and he tried to make a real go of it. )
Don't worry about it. Technically, that was the sleuthing portion of our date.
( And it may have started and ended in murder. )
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[She is intrigued though, please tell her more.]
Does that come up for you a lot?
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Naturally, he felt the need to investigate.
As he wanders down to the kitchen, he goes to peer over Scott's shoulder to see what he's cooking.]
Smells good.
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He gives his statement. He reassures Lydia he's fine, and that she should go back to her date. He doesn't make anything of it because Lydia is a grown woman. Him not liking everything he hears about Damon... well, he's lived through that, too. He's worked with Peter. Hated Derek for under a year. It's not his place.
He's hungry. He's always hungry. So, he decides to make tacos. He likes Mexican.
He's fine (natural 1), so, it's apparent that 100% of Scott is not fine and these may be the saddest tacos ever made. )
I just started, but it'll be ready in about fifteen. Do you want to chop up the toppings?
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Got a minute?
[Cora looks at Scott, before glancing back to Stiles.
"We'll be inside."]
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And before all that, Stiles had a major setback thinking he could just go back into the real world to a carnival.
He waits for the door to close behind Cora and Scott before saying something simple. )
You said the bloodlust gets easier.
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