everyonelives | as we pass through arrangements of shadows

( "Could be Sly," Crash says, looking at Alexander.

In their surveillance, Barnet had someone by his side at all times. The nicknamed him based off a face none of them would trust and his collection of stone pendants on his necklaces.

"I'd pull up a picture but these days putting a name to a face isn't so easy. You watch the Mask Singer? Wild," Shipp says, offering his brand of help. )

Edited 2022-03-06 05:21 (UTC)

Wouldn't have helped. I've never seen his face.

[They weren't FaceTiming, it was just a phone call. But she already likes the cut of your jib, Shipp. Too bad she's too mad to get on his level.]

Who's Sly?

[Alexander sighs. "Sly is our name for the assumed right hand of Barnet Hallewell."

Kieran turns and stares at him for a long moment, her voice going far too even as she watches him.]

Someone want to tell me what my brother was doing anywhere near that snake oil salesman?

[She has a hunch, but she's trying not to panic about it.]

( The team looks around at each other, but Jackson doesn't, he just lets Alexander run the ship, because he's not going to win out and he has nothing nice to say.

A silent game of rock, paper, who looks last concludes as Alice steps up, always the one best at giving the bad news. She was a coroner in a different life. )

The Baron was selling his snake oil in Arundel County. He was the assignment. Your brother was our point person inside.

( Crash, not the compassionate one, still has a stake in the story, and knows what it's like for siblings to be in danger, despite how long it's been since he's seen any family members (that he knows of, let's be honest. It's tragic.

"And he cut off contact," he admits. )

[She turns to Alexander.]

And you let him?

["I didn't know," he admits softly. "He didn't tell anyone. Not until I heard him over the comms."

Kieran grits her teeth as she shakes her head.]

Not good enough.

["I can't fucking read minds, Kieran."]

No, but you could have asked! Because let me guess, he was a little overeager to take on the project? Really wanted to get in a room with this guy?

[She then looks to the rest of them.]

Am I wrong?

( While Jackson was not a fan, he can defend him in this. But he won't. He doesn't need his head bitten off, too. And Scott being behind her -- it effects him more than he expected. Choosing his alpha after having none for so long - it's different. He's submissive when it the same room as him, even if his presence just seems to be a formality.

Again, the room doesn't easily answer. Crash tries.

"Lady," he starts. "Kieran. You join up with us, you do what's put in front of you. Assignments and postings change. This group staying together as long as it has, that's efficiency and actually liking each other. Mostly. He didn't know what he was getting into until he was in it."

Alice contributes again.

"He wanted to help. And no, when this became his first contribution to an assignment, he... didn't light up. He volunteered, but he didn't insist."

Shipp agrees. "It wasn't until he spun that - it wasn't until he, like, spoke from the heart that any of us thought he had like an ulterior motive." Shipp's eyes settle on her as he finally sits up. He is a serious man, but his attention span leaves something to be desired, as does his casual nature. He isn't being casual. "It's you."

Crash, again, sympathizes. "We knew something had gone sideways, so we pulled the plug. By the time we busted in, they weren't there."

"We all do this for a reason, Kieran. Every decision is personal, but we didn't know how personal this was to him until it was too late. That, we can swear on." Alice and the team wouldn't let a team member that invested be that involved. They know each other too well - minus Jackson, which again has him rolling his eyes. Fitting in isn't becoming a full fledged member. But, the group is thawing. Flying accusations may not get her far, but humanizing anyone is the key for the Underground to take notice. )

[Kieran watches each of them as they talk, and for the most part they seem sincere (7). But at the same time, she can't bring herself to trust it. She glances over to Alexander, raising an eyebrow for his defense of what he did and didn't know.

Alexander doesn't respond one way or another, and she takes that for what it is. She sets her jaw, before turning to face the rest of the group.]

Just give me whatever information you have and I'll take care of it.

( He doesn't want their help? One less person Jackson can actively piss off.

Alice, however, fingers the file on the table below. "We lost Julian. And while he is our priority, the Baron is our target, so while some of us are choosing to stay hands off," Jackson, " You're not getting rid of us. All of us."

Alexander can decide how many of their group he'll send - and who if he'd like. Kieran does have her own soldiers awaiting their orders, but they won't be giving everything up without helping. They may not be exuding it, but they each have a piece of the guilt they're carrying over from losing her brother. )

[She manages to bite back the outburst that threatens to come, that she doesn't want any of their help. They lost him in the first place, and now they want to help?

Fuck that.

But this is where Jackson's non-participation is going to bite him in the ass, because she points to him with a shrug.]

Fine. I'll take that one.

( Jackson wakes up, finally, the silent dissenting voice in the room. He's been the most silent, tried to fade into the background. (He knows he's too attractive to really fade into the background.)

"I don't like or trust your brother," he says, really making his case. "You could have the two hundred year old witch, a shapeshifter or whatever Shipp is,"

"Geek squad before Best Buy made it uncool," Shipp says, keeping what he really is to himself.

"Him," Jackson continues. "I didn't say anything."

Could she sense him? )

[There's an eyebrow arch at that deflection from Shipp, before turning back to Jackson because now is not the time.]

You don't have to like or trust him. In fact, that's probably better because you won't fall for his bullshit.

[Kieran is very angry at her brother right now, can you tell? She eyes the file in Alice's hand, before meeting the eyes of the rest of them.]

It's you or it's no one because I don't owe you people shit.

( Jackson can't say no, not by the Underground's code. He lifts his chin, thinks better of saying something, and relents. )

Fine. I'll come.

Great.

[She holds out her hand for the folder, raising an eyebrow at Alice in return.]

The info, please.

( Alice presents it, then, before returning to her desk. Crash turns around at his and opens his laptop. Shipp just picks up a joint and lights the end. They're off duty, now.

Jackson gives Alexander a look before braving the expanse between them and joining her ranks. Scott tries smiling, Jackson pretend he doesn't see.

The folder has a minimal amount of information about his operation, Glimmer of Hope, including the printed front page of Hallewell's website. Persons of interest she doesn't recognize, their drivers' licenses and their addresses. Two attached death certificates. The casino he holds his groups in and the hotel it looked like he'd been staying in, despite here being no name under "Hallewell, Barnet, or Baron." )

What else do you want to know?

( Scott and company finally join her, Kol looking her shoulder at the folder.

"Where to," Scott asks. )

How much recon have you guys done on the casino?

[The fact that there isn't much information isn't disappointing, mostly because she figured if they had more information, she wouldn't have had to take over.

Then she glances over her shoulder at Kol:]

Ever run into a guy named Hallewell?

[Her boyfriend is old, occasionally he knows things.]

( "Several weeks. When he didn't hold his groups, he liked to gamble, liked his... hired help, and liked waffles."

The narration would like to point out that Barnet is squirrelly and old, but go on, judge them for not getting enough information.

Her boyfriend doesn't glean anything, however. (3). )

Sorry, darling. I like my witches less age appropriate.

( And prettier. Men or women, but, prettier. )

I could ask my siblings.

[She nods.]

Worth a shot.

[A beat.]

Elijah, specifically. I'm willing to bet that even if the Originals didn't care enough, Bela definitely has him on her radar.

[But that's item number one. She turns back to Jackson.]

Seems like he's good at putting on a show. How did you get Julian in?

( Kol hangs back then, getting his phone out and stepping aside. )

We staged a breakup in the diner next to Barnet's hotel. ( He liked his waffles. ) He befriended your brother, and when he invited him to group, something shifted. Your brother changed his story up completely when he shared. Caught us all off guard.

Let me guess. Did his tune change to something along the lines of "Someone I love is dying and I don't know how to save them?"

[Because she has a definite hunch.]

( Unfortunately, Elijah, too, is not familiar with a witch such as Barnet, having been more focused regionally, both throughout Europe and more in the South, than in the Northeast. )

How helpless and hopeless he felt. That was the gist.

[Bela, on the other hand, is a little more fruitful with her knowledge, happy to explain the sordid history and rumored connections. Hallewell is certaninly not a good man, but given that no one is entirely sure how the magic works, to be careful with exterminating him if necessary.

He's old, but Kol is older. Having an Original on their side would still be an advantage.

On the other hand, Kieran knows exactly how to throw herself into the fire.]

Well, if he's going to prove himself valuable, he needs me. That should give us an easy in. I don't need him, but I could pretend I do.

( Kol returns to the conversation more knowledgable. )

You want to go in, in search of your brother?

( "Hang on," Kol says. "This Hallewell character has years of murky movements, dead bodies left in his wake and you want to engage?" )

All the more reason we need to get Julian out of there.

[None of this sounds fun.]

I need to know what he was promised, and if I can't talk to Julian, then I need to get information somehow. And besides, the creep from the phone is already expecting me.

I don't like the sound of this phone creep.

( But, he hasn't for some time.

"So, who are we looking for? The Baron? Your creep from the phone?" Jackson wants you to make up your mind, lady.

"She's just trying to find her brother," Scott says, stepping up. )

[To Kol:]

You're more than welcome to have fun making him talk later.

[But that's a later problem. Back to Jackson:]

Scott's right. All I want out of this is Julian. So whichever person gets me there faster is where I'm willing to start. It seems like the phone creep will be easier to find if he's acting as Hallewell's middle man.

Except, we have nothing to go on with phone creep. Only that he's with or has your brother and he was-is affiliated with Hallewell. And he called you.

( Or she called him. He zoned out until he was brought into it.

"Maybe we can flush him out," Kol says. "Give me a look?" Once Kol gets a look, something sparks.

"H," he says. )

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