every day a little sting

[wildkingdom]

Comments

[positiveinfluence]

[He shrugs, offering her a small smile.]

It was the right thing to do. Plus my dad didn't try to kill me for it so aside from being dead for a while and finding out my best friend got turned into a vampire when I wasn't looking, I'm doing great.

[He then holds out a hand to her.]

Nice to actually meet you in person though.

[matriarchate]

I'd say that sounds the plot to a Disney Channel movie, ( but she's also living it.

"I knew you'd get along," William says, admiring what feels like a bit of his handiwork. )

[positiveinfluence]

[He glances back over at his boyfriend with a teasing expression.]

No one likes a know it all, you know.

[But he doesn't mean it. He likes William very much. But as they're discussing that, an alert goes off on William's computer, presuming that the first thing he did when he took this job is set up a facial recognition profile for Tamara Monroe.]

[matriarchate]

( William breaks the teasing moment and checks his computer alert. He has a few out there, but not the one he's expecting.

"Guys," he says. "I connected New Orlean's network of traffic cameras to my facial recognition software. It's Monroe."

Allison's smile falters, crossing the room in an instant. )

Where is she?

[positiveinfluence]

[Cooper comes to lean over William's shoulder, trying to see what he can see.]

Looks like she's on the move. Can you stay on top of her?

[slavophile]

( Taking from one of the cameras, he draws up her profile, scans it and affixes it to the network of cameras he hijacked (nat 20, natch), so that wherever she goes, the cameras follow her like someone's directing the Monroe Award special. Go to camera 2, they might say, then 4. )

Where are you going.

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop watches as the streets and street signs pass and his eyebrows rise.]

She's heading to the Quarter. Maybe passing through to pick something up on their way out of town?

[slavophile]

( "Behind enemy lines?" Allison asks, perching over Cooper. )

Maybe she's trying to make her escape and this is her only way out. Or, her witch is here. Or, she has more witches.

[positiveinfluence]

Whatever it is, this could be an opportunity.

[He glances over at Allison and Malia perks up in response.]

Time to come back from the dead?

[matriarchate]

I think that could be arranged.

( William's cameras track as he tries deducing where she's going (8) but he's not familiar with the landscape of New Orleans. )

[regentem]

[That's what Davina is for.]

I'll stay and help navigate. But you guys should move fast. We need to stop her before she gets out of town.

[Malia grins. "Do we get to punch something now?"

And as these arrangements are being made, William's phone buzzes with a text from Bela.]

[slavophile]

Bela and Klaus found dark objects. They need Davina. ( He looks to the girls and to Cooper. ) Split up?

[regentem]

[Cooper nods. "The three of us can go after Monroe, while you two tell us what you can from there."

Davina nods as well.]

Sounds good to me. Good luck and don't die for real this time.

[slavophile]

Do we have two cars?

( The man about practicality right here. )

[wildkingdom]

The Mikaelsons do.

[She's not advocating for hotwiring one of the Mikaelsons' car. She's sure the keys are around here somewhere.]

We'll borrow one of theirs.

[slavophile]

OK.

( William packs up (nat 20) and finds a pair of keys he and Davina can use. He sends Cooper 'be careful, if you actually die, I'll kill you,' eyes.

Walking off, he double checks that Davina can drive, or will she have to relay what she needs to to team B.

Allison, Cooper and Malia head out to cut Monroe off at the pass. )

[wildkingdom]

[It doesn't take long for them to find them. As sprawling as New Orleans can be, it's not a very large city, and there are only so many places you can stop. Fortunately for everyone, where they finally catch up with Monroe is fairly isolated and abandoned, giving them some privacy for this show down.

Cooper hits the gas as they get close, passing the SUV with Monroe's plates before skidding to a stop in front of them and cutting off their means of egress. Malia pulls her car along the back, pinning Monroe's car in between the two, with no intersections to turn down. The SUV is forced to a stop, two high ranking lieutenants sitting in the front seat, while Monroe remains hidden by the tinted windows of the back seat.

The two guards (M1 and M2 for ease's sake) open the doors and slide out of their seats, one of them drawing on Cooper, the other on the car behind them, but for now, they don't fire.]

[matriarchate]

( Allison holds on as Malia and Cooper box the SUV in.

Allison climbs out of the car, drawing her first weapon on the hunter pointing at Cooper, and her second on the other hunter. )

Don't even think about it. ( (11) for intimidation, but she worries about the human in danger with her and the other hunter right there. )

[wildkingdom]

[The hunters don't fire, but they don't seem all that intimidated either (20). The back door opens, and out slides Monroe herself, turning to face Allison with an almost amused expression.

"And here I thought you were dead."]

[matriarchate]

( She keeps her guns trained on the two hunters. )

My death was exaggerated.

[positiveinfluence]

["So I see." She steps forward, then glances back over her shoulder to where Cooper has a gun poised on the hunter targeting him. "Nice to see you too, Mr. Sullivan."]

Sorry to say the feeling's not mutual, given that you sent my best friend to kill me.

["Apparently Mr. Adler isn't as trustworthy as I initially thought."]

[matriarchate]

Would help that he was on our side the entire time. How closely did you look into your ranks?

( She's exaggerating 'entire,' but she's trying to make an impression. )

[positiveinfluence]

["Closer than you think. I did manage to find one of them after all." Monroe straightens arms crossed in front of her chest. "So where do we go now, Allison? Last I heard you were trying to reason with people. Make them see the light - or what your deluded brain thinks the light is."]

[matriarchate]

"And what do you think the light is? Following your word like it's God's? Using my family's name to further your own agenda? I'd love to hear it. Because, ten years on and I still don't understand why you do what you do. Why you sacrifice innocent people who think they're doing the right thing."

[positiveinfluence]

["Monsters aren't innocent. Monsters either put real innocent people at risk by trying to pretend they're human or prey on innocents for their own power. You really want to stand in Klaus Mikaelson's city, in his defense ,and claim that they're all innocent?"

Monroe tips her head to the side as she takes another step closer.

"C'mon Allison. You're smarter than that." She then she shifts her weight a bit. "Although if I had to choose, I would take Klaus over wafflers like Scott McCall. At least he knows what he is, instead of having delusions that he can be normal."]