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[Harvey notices that some of those people he dismissed as tourists earlier are now sitting up and paying attention. They're bracing themselves in the corners, and almost all of them are looking at Freya and Scott.

And Freya notices too. Her eyes aren't looking at Scott directly, but around him as she speaks.]

No, she would have asked Vincent to cover it. She's been looking forward to this all week.

[She swallows and then glances back to Harvey. Then back to Scott.]

Aiden still outside?

Right. Aiden, if you can hear us, we're about to have a situation.

( If that will help, anyway. Harvey pockets the damnum essentia, standing up, eyeing what's about to happen. )

All eyes on Freya and Scott.

( Sounds like Aiden knows them. )

Stay outside.

[Outside, Aiden and Malia are both perking up, because they know who's inside, and they know what they've been waiting for since Scott and Allison arrived in New Orleans. As Freya gives the order, the vampires and wolves that are in the bar straighten to attention, eyes landing on all the tourists in question.

A pair of the tourists step in front of the door, blocking any exits, and the rest of them stand at attention, starting a stare down with the various supernaturals in the bar.]

I'm sorry, Mr. Specter. I think you picked the wrong day to visit New Orleans.

["Freya Mikaelson," one of the hunters steps forward, posturing. "I assume you know why you're here."]

I do.

[She smiles, one of those dangerous, Mikaelson smiles that aren't a smile but more of a threat. A sign that you should run.]

I was having a drink with a colleague. Though I assume that you're here to what? Make an example of me to my brothers?

["Make an example of you all. Show this real residents of this town that they can break free from the strangle hold you have on this city."

Freya steps forward, moving in front of Scott and standing tall.]

If you're going to try and help me see the light and find Jesus, I have to say, you're about a thousand years too late. I was a Viking, in case you forgot.

And, from what I've observed, ( Harvey says, stepping up. ) that stranglehold has been the best thing to happen to New Orleans' economy. Not to mention, you're the one opting into a fight that would waste tax dollars if you ask me.

( The aforementioned Mr. Specter.

Scott also steps forward.

"You're trying to make an example of us in the one bar where everyone is welcome? Stand down. Don't do it like this." (16) with his conviction to persuade the asshat. )

["Whatever economic benefits may exist were paid for with the blood of innocents. But I wouldn't expect a person like you to understand that, if you intend to defend a den of murderers."

The appointed leader doesn't know who Harvey is (9), but he doesn't particularly care. There's a kind of conviction that shines in his eyes that makes him immune to even Scott's well-intentioned pleas (20). Whatever he came to do, there is no persuading, there is no breaking.

He shifts and his coat falls open, revealing the device underneath strapped to his chest. He lifts his hand, and Freya spots the kill switch waiting to be pressed. She scans her eyes over the other hunters and they're all wearing similar devices.

She isn't the only one who sees it. Some of the vamps, witches and werewolves pick up on it too. The air in the room twists a little tighter, and Freya knows it's about to snap. She just has to hope that they're all faster.]

Kitchen now!

[And with that, everything snaps into action.

A vampire charges forward and takes the head off the leader (20), ready to defend their bar as best he can. A werewolf (19) and a witch (14) take out two in the back corner of the room. And, behind the bar, a pair of wolves (11, 10) manage to wrestle two more to the ground, trying to force their hands away from the trigger.

But there are too many (5, 2, 5, 2, 4), and Freya can see as half of those not trying to escape back to the kitchen lose the upper hand on their attackers. A stake in two of the vampires, a broken beer bottle into the neck of a witch, severed heads in two wolves.

And five remaining bombs is enough to do what they came to do.

Scott (4) and Harvey (11) start scrambling backwards, but it's not fast enough. Fortunately for them, Freya is faster (15). Her hands fly through the air, already chanting, trying to buy as much time as she can for those fleeing to make it into the kitchen.

In some ways, it seems like the fireball forms in slow motion, starting in the middle of the room and expanding outwards. The bar goes first pieces of wood flying outwards, and one of them catching Scott in the gut as he manages to slide past the line of the barrier spell Freya is weaving. She knows from the number of bombs that this isn't just the bar they're going to take out, it's the businesses on either side, the people in the streets.

The collateral damage would be massive. And Freya would like to believe she's better than that. She manages to hold the spell, contain the blast, try to force it upwards and she does succeed (20), but she won't be able to hold it for long.

Blood slips past her nose, and one of the witches who managed to make it to safety presses up, placing a hand against her back and trying to help her.]

Edited 2021-11-29 05:32 (UTC)

( Harvey Specter has been in the line of legal fire before, and in general danger, but not in the face of bomb-toting crazies. He knows the line between human and supernatural has been drawn and redrawn but he has only seen the corporate side to it, the world Donna and his other clients have opened up to him. But, Harvey does not quit and his self preservation kicks in, making it within the bounds of the spell.

Scott's closer to the blast having taken that step closer. He tries to save who he can and gets wood through the chest for his efforts. If Harvey can, being out of the blast radius, once he sees Freya is faltering, he tries his best to be there to catch her if she collapses (3)... )

[A few more witches join the chain, Vincent included, and they manage to hold until the fire smolders, and the weight of the blast fades away. Freya's hands drop, she falters, and she very much does pass out, dropping like dead weight back into the man behind her.

The force of it is enough to knock him off balance and to the floor, but at least he scavenges something of a gentlemanly moment.

Vincent crouches down next to Scott, and studies the wound before crouching down next to him. "This is gonna hurt like a mother, but you'll probably heal better without it." He takes the piece of wood with both hands and nods. "Ready?"

If Scott says yes, he'll do his best to yank it out quickly and cleanly.]

( Gentlemanly. He'll take it.

Scott seethes through his teeth, nodding, bracing himself. )

[Vincent, apparently used to delivering this sort of service - probably says something about how many vampires he hangs out with - does as promised, pulling out the stake and murmuring a soft incantation under his breath to help hold the skin together as the healing process begins.

It does, as predicted, hurt like a mother though.

As the rubble begins to settle, people begin bursting in from the outside. Supernaturals who had been enjoying the festival come in to uncover loved ones who didn't make it, or find those who had trapped in the relatively intact kitchen.

The barrier had come down when Freya did, so it allows Aiden and Malia to get closer, relief on the werecoyote's face when she sees that Scott is breathing, even if he is in pain.

Aiden, however, is drawn to the witch in Harvey's arms.]

Jesus, Freya.

[He checks her pulse, which is erratic, but beating, and looks over at Harvey.]

You good?

[He can't deal with the packmates he lost right now. He's grateful that Josh wasn't there, while also trying not to be concerned about Josh being there.]

We're okay. I didn't think I'd be in the middle of a suicide mission. Scott's --

( "Fine," Scott says, huffing and crawling over to Freya and Harvey. "Were they?" )

Freya contained the blast radius.

Yeah, everyone outside is mostly just scrapes and bumps. People are mostly just scared.

[But it's then that it sinks in for Aiden that Scott was in the bar. Scott was in the bar.. He snaps up, eyes darting around the room as he tries to look through the disfigured corpses.

Vincent reaches out and places a hand on Aiden's arm. "He wasn't here, man. Relax."]

But he was supposed to be.

[Medics start to filter through the room and head to the survivors in the back as Aiden looks back at Scott.]

Did Davina show up?

( Scott happened to be there, it's true, and Harvey (waste of a natural 20) understands the situation perfectly. Someone Aiden loves could've been here, but wasn't.

"No. I thought maybe she'd be here. She didn't answer her phone. Is she missing?"

Or just late.

Harvey rests Freya's head lightly on the ground, to find something soft to put under it while he speaks. )

Probably another coordinated attack. These hunters have boots on the ground. Davina... might be in trouble.

( Or blown up. )

Josh was supposed to be with her.

[Aiden's doing the calculations in his head. If there were multiple attacks, then they could be taken, or they could be worse. He glances over at Scott and holds out a hand to him. He has a feeling he doesn't want to be left behind.]

C'mon. I'll drive.

[He then glances back to Malia and points at Harvey.]

Stay with him.

[Malia looks from the person she's taking pain from to the man in a suit, and then glares back at Aiden. "Are you kidding?"]

He's a visiting envoy. Please?

[She grits her teeth, before turning back to him. "If Scott winds up dead, I will eat you."

That ... may or may not be an idle threat.]

Uh.

( Scott nods, still smarting from the pain, but mostly psychologically. Werewolves working together!

As for Harvey. )

Pretty sure he could eat you right back.

Edited 2021-11-30 01:00 (UTC)

I'm faster.

[The wolves make their way out and will be revisited in act II, but Malia will turn back to him and tip her head to the side. She's spent time with a number of packs so she doesn't think he's a wolf. Maybe one of the vamps from somewhere?

Though if Harvey's every spent time with Peter Hale, that's a very familiar expression she's wearing.]

Who are you?

Harvey Specter. Lawyer.

( Not a vampire, not a werewolf. He finds what he can use and places it under Freya's head. )

I had business with Freya.

Oh. Witchy juju.

[Got it. Nothing she cares about.]

Sorry your business got blown up.

( You're something, Malia. )

Sorry theirs did. My business can continue later. Who are you?

[Yes, she is.]

Malia Tate.

[Which might mean something to him? Might not. Roll for it and see how much her name gets around these days. Her mom is the Desert Wolf, her father is Peter Hale, she comes from a supernaturally infamous affair.]

( (15). Not just Malia Tate. Technically, Malia Hale if she were raised by her biological father. He's in the presence of werewolf ... something. )

I really am in the supernatural big leagues.

Welcome to the party.

[It's fun and they almost die a lot.]

Freya's brother's probably gonna show up soon. He's gonna be pissed and he's gonna be a dick, but unless he's a dick directly at you, try to refrain from being one back.

[She'll give you a tip because she likes you.]

( He cannot tell. )

Klaus Mikaelson?

Probably. He's the only one in town.

[She doesn't know about Elijah yet. No one knows about Elijah yet. Won't everyone be surprised later.]

Not whose radar I need to be on. Do you have this handled? I need to check in with my client.

( The debate starts over staying here or -- not. Maybe he'll go with Freya if she needs a hospital. )

[She raises an unimpressed eyebrow, but nods. She can handle sitting with Freya while you go do lawyer things.

Does he know that not being there when he's supposed to be there might make things worse? Possibly no, but Malia's sure not going to tell him.]

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