every day a little sting

[wildkingdom]

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[wildkingdom]

[Klaus arrives, and most of the hunters are gone. Most of what's left behind, is the carnage. Some hunters, some wolves, and in the middle of what is normally the main common area of the space is Malia, leaning over Allison Argent, trying desperately trying to keep her blood in her body and her friend breathing.]

Don't die.

[It's a pointless demand, one she knows Allison doesn't have much control over, but she needs to say it anyway. She doesn't want this to be another friend lost, another casualty of this war. But she doesn't know what to do beyond that, because she's here alone and moving her seems like a bad idea.]

[interminably]

( Klaus didn't know what to expect, the bayou is a savage place, and at one time dangerous to his unborn progeny, and home to the mother of his child thanks to his going along with his aunt's whims. All to bring her down once and for all. There was of course the rain of fire courtesy of the Hollow inside his daughter. It is a gruesome scene, the aftermath of some sort complete with a dying girl in a were-something's arms.

Being any linchpin to this prong of what he hoped would be an unsuccessful coup of New Orleans is not his strongest suit. He'd much prefer to wipe out hunters in the tens and twenties at a time. (16) for recognition. )

Allison Argent.

[wildkingdom]

She's not dead yet.

[Malia can tell. She knows what death smells like and she's not going to be the one to have to tell the rest that Allison is dead. She's not going to tell Scott that Allison is dead. Not after they've come so far.]

Help her.

[Just going to stare down Klaus, daring him to refuse her.]

[interminably]

( Klaus Mikaelson does not do favors. Favors seem to be going around because of the militant, rogue hunters. But, Klaus knows better than to let the Argent matriarch shuffle off this mortal coil, not when he could have her in his debt, and this were-something. His (4) is no match for Malia's desperation, her wild eyes and the devastation he's driven into. )

Her pulse is slow.

( But, if he can, then he will. Crouching by them, Klaus brings his wrist close to his mouth. )

If you know anything about me, I do not do things like this lightly.

( You will both be in his debt.

He does not save those that do not deserve saving. He's very laissez faire when it comes to his family. But. He can make an exception. He bites into his wrist and brings it to Allison's mouth. )

Drink little hunter.

[regentem]

[Monroe waits for Mickey at the top of a hill just outside town, leaning back against the side of her car. She doesn't particularly have high hopes for his performance here, but the fact that he seems to be coming back and Sullivan isn't is something, at least.

The older Sullivan leans against his own car not far away, keeping an eye on the cargo in the back. Peering through the van windows, they'd see a still chained Davina Claire eyes wet as she mourns the death of her friend. It isn't fair, and it isn't right, but at the moment, there's nothing she can do about it yet.

A third hunter sits on the backseat of Monroe's car with the laptop resting on his knees, still monitoring the security feeds.

Whenever you're ready, Mickey. They're waiting.]

[pumping]

( Mickey is ready for his performance. His compulsion hasn't been lifted, but with his best friend dead (temporarily), he's able to function again. He needs to be inside, or in this case, on the outside up the top of a steep hill right outside of town.

He pulls up not far from the truck, or the kidnapped Davina Claire. Slamming the door shut behind him, he joins Monroe.

There is a pang of guilt he gets when the senior Sullivan is there, someone he too saw as a father. )

He know?

[regentem]

["I take it that means it's done?"

Which is not a direct answer to Mickey's question, but it's answer enough. She straightens and crosses her arms in front of her chest, studying him carefully.

"I hope you brought proof."

[deathlessness]

[Slowly, as time ticks by, more and more of their allies gather in the cemetery. News of Hawthorne's death and the attack on the bayou are drawing more and more angry locals to the group, ready to contend with whatever threat has descended on New Orleans this time.

She checks her phone, still waiting on news from Klaus, or if Cami had any updates on her end, but looks up when the crowd silences and parts. Her eyes scan towards the surprise visitor and can't help the small smile that crosses her face in response.]

The prodigal brother returns.

[witchaffinity]

( Kol has been in New Orleans longer than he'd care to admit, but he hasn't been a presence here. He'd preferred to live out his own life. He was brought in when he was needed, when the next big threat to the family arose, but not for the every day pitfalls or milestones. Still, there is nothing like seeing family after a long absence. The annoyance he feels with Rebekah's meddling or the overbearing attitude Klaus brings is not the warmth Freya exudes when he gives her the time of day.

He has been infamous, as has his family, so when he arrives at the graveyard with only himself to speak of, there are whispers. Recognition in some, fear in others.

And then he finds his sister. And for just a split second all is right with the world.

He leaves the gawking behind. )

Sister. Our brother's little bird said you may need an extra set of hands.

[deathlessness]

Well, I certainly won't say no.

[She make her way around the table she's working on, before pushing up to pull him in for a hug. Battle plans can come later. She'll greet him as he is now.]

Either way, it's good to see you.

BOMB FACTORY (bela, klaus, eventually davina)

[enjoythe_ride]

[Bela slides in the car with Klaus as they leave the cemetery, closing the door and waiting until they've hit the road some, to break this news:]

Just so you know, we've recovered Davina.

[And he hopes she can pick up on the reason she's keeping this between them.]

[interminably]

( Klaus is content to ride in silence. Bela's news is worth breaking that silence. He picks up what she's putting down. And because Bela has shared her own news, he shares his. )

Allison Argent survived. I got there just in time. But, Scott McCall needed to fight with something other than hope and the American way. Malia, too. They're at the Abattoir.

[enjoythe_ride]

You won't hear an argument from me.

[It's smart, to have wild cards up their sleeve. She's sure that Scott will forgive them because having them alive is better than having them dead.]

It's something to use to our advantage when the time comes.

ABATTOIR (malia, allison, william, cooper, davina)

[wildkingdom]

[Malia, at this point in time, is strongly regretting her inability to lie.

She knows that she wouldn't have been able to lie to Scott about the situation with Allison, he'd know it the minute she saw her face, but at the same time, she's already bored and wants to be useful. She wants to hit something. But until Klaus gives the all-clear, she's in a state of hurry up and wait.

However, she does perk up when a car comes to a stop outside the door, and footsteps make their way into the courtyard. She's immediately moving between herself and Allison when she sees the face of the first person through the door:]

Davina?

[matriarchate]

( Allison is not bored, as much as baiting her time. Some of the time, hunting is a waiting game. She's used to it. She is carrying guilt and an apology she owes Scott when she does see him, again. But, this was the only way. Keep her in play for when they really need her.

When Davina comes to the door, Allison gets to her feet.

William needs more time in the front seat, computer at work. )

Davina, you're okay.

[regentem]

[Davina's eyes widen in surprise when she sees Allison, because she knows what the hunters reported back to Monroe. She expected the next time she saw her to be a funeral, rather than a hidey hole.]

You too.

[It's a good surprise, but still surprise.]

Monroe thinks you're dead.

REINFORCEMENTS (sullivan, scott, kieran, harvey, cami, elijah)

[transientem]

[Sullivan stops the car a ways out from the plantation, bringing the SUV to a stop, before glancing to those in the back seat. Cami and Elijah are riding in the car behind them, intending to hang back just slightly, waiting until a signal that they're needed, but for now, the first prong of persuasion is going to be the two humans and the werewolf.

Kieran rests in the backseat, texting on her phone. Sullivan's honestly not sure why she's here, but she insisted that she went where Harvey went, so here they are.

As the car comes to a stop, he turns back to the rest of the group.

"They're going to know Scott. They're not going to be that aware of the two of you. How do you want to approach this?"]

[rehire]

( Harvey's not sure, but he knows Scott is key. He knows who Scott is, now. )

That would be based on how they'll react to Scott. Are they going to attack you when you get in their crosshairs?

( "I don't think they have snipers at the ready," Scott says, without honestly knowing. "They will know who I am. But, they won't know you. And they'll listen to you, sir," he adds looks at Sullivan. "What do you think? I know my reputation. It's not true, but that doesn't matter if they believe it is. If we had proof..."

[transientem]

To some of them proof isn't going to matter.

[Not that Kieran has any kind of horse in this race beyond getting Harvey out alive, but she could at least be somewhat useful.]

You're a werewolf, so you're a monster. But I'm guessing that there's some instances where that rep of yours could work in your favor?

[Sullivan nods. "Your big wins? The Alpha Pack, the Darach, you broke the Wild Hunt - all supernatural threats. To some of them, your reputation is protecting humans. That can mean something, if you choose your words carefully."]

HOSTAGES - INTERIOR (hayley, derek, josh, sierra)

[werewolfqueen]

[Back in Hostage Land, Hayley is starting to feel anxious. No sign of Davina or Terry returning which can only mean bad things, as far as she's concerned, and they haven't found a successful solution. The more time passes, the more she wants to be free of this, but she doesn't want to test the end results of Monroe's Saw like contraptions.

She glances over at Maura and frowns:]

Any sign of your magic?

[ostensively]

It's creeping back.

( That's the last time she'll be having tea with anyone. )

Nothing I can do any real damage with, yet.

( Josh feeds off of Hayley's anxiousness, trying to break out again (17) to try and get his neck out of the Saw trap.

"How long's it been since Davina and Hawthorne were taken?" he asks.

Derek just sits with his head forward. )

[werewolfqueen]

Too long.

[She doesn't like the unknown resting in the presence of her friend, but she has to believe that Davina and Hawthorne found a way out of this somehow. She then turns her attention back to Maura.]

At least that's progress. Now we just need to find a way out of this.

[She tips her head to the side as she studies the contraption she's in.]

This was designed to hold a vampire. Do you think it would be able to do the same with a wolf?

HOSTAGES - EXTERIOR (mia, mickey, kol, freya, aiden)

[blackstarred]

[The factory itself is set away from the other buildings in the area, with a lot of open land in between there and here, but what good is the Green Arrow if she doesn't know how to blend in. The grass grows tall, which is an advantage for Mia's smaller stature, and she pulls out her bow, sliding it over her shoulder as she inches towards the end.]

I'll come at it from the side. See if I can check out the patrols and cover you from above.

[She knows Mickey will be walking some of them in, but they should have some additional cover, just in case.]

[pumping]

They won't recognize Kol or Aiden. Freya, I don't know. I don't think so. The guys who would...

( They're blown up in their suicide mission. )

The guys here, though, they're good. They're going to be special ops. Private security. Real muscle. Not what you guys think of us average vets.

( Just a warning.

"Above or below, all bones break the same, even average ones." Kol assesses.

He does throw an arm in front of Mickey as he starts forward.

"There are two up front and I can make out two up above. They are fortified." he notes. )

[blackstarred]

["Are you sure about that?" Aiden squints. "I'm married to the guy they kidnapped, and they had to monitor his movements to know where to best kidnap him. And Kol is a Mikaelson - I don't we should go in assuming that they don't know anything."

He's just saying.]

I don't think he's wrong. I'm not sure how you want to approach this, but I would go for blitz over a ruse. Unless you want to do a prisoner gag.