as we pass through arrangements of shadows

[shreds]

Comments

[shreds]

Seven.

( Which should make Elena groan, but it isn't as if she doesn't have her hospital shifts and little sleep between them, or Katherine assumes. Doctors don't have much of a life, right? )

We don't know who may be on our trail. The faster we get out of here, the more miles we put between us and the death squad.

[braveandstupid]

Yeah, I know.

[When she sees there's no news, she scrubs a hand over her face and gets up.]

Let me just splash some water on my face and brush my teeth.

[shreds]

( You do that, Elena. As Katherine sits on the edge of her bed, she zips up one boot, Elena's phone coming to life between the beds. She looks back at the bathroom door before leaning over and reaching for her phone, taking it off the charger.

In her best Elena voice: (12) )

Dr. Elena Gilbert.

( "Elena, Hayes. I did more research into your friend's sister." )

... Thank you.

[braveandstupid]

[Elena hears that, and sticks her head out of the bathroom, mouth full of toothpaste so she can't really speak. But she will raise both her eyebrows like "What are you doing?"]

[shreds]

( Katherine, the caught kitten, turns her head giving a 'who, me?' look before rolling her eyes, bringing her phone down, and switching the connection to speaker.

"So there's no record of Natalie Morris having a sister, but she was adopted. An only child from the Northeast, she lost her parents young. Like, college young. It's actually pretty gruesome. She came home from college and found her parents butchered." Dark and gruesome, Katherine thinks, looking at Elena. )

And my friend thinks this is her sister.

( "That's the plate you had me ran," he says. "Anyway, there's not much more about her. She flunked out shortly after and changed zip codes. Now she belongs to the NRA and files taxes in Texas. Her credit card charges are made out of all 50 states at some point. She's on the move a lot," he shares. "The last charge is at the Econo Lodge in West Virginia." )

Where I am. That's Natalie's car. And - no mention of a Nadia?

( "I could do even more digging, but we're talking cell records. Do you need me to?"

Katherine's eyebrows ask Elena, well? And then they fall as she realizes they probably aren't getting out of here in the next hour. )

[braveandstupid]

[Elena considers, because now something in the back of her brain is starting to itch. She nods, as her mouth is still full of toothpaste, and she retreats back into the bathroom to rinse her mouth. She'll explain her thinking when she gets back.]

[shreds]

( What Elena wants. )

I do. I'd like that. Please, Hayes.

( She overplays earnest Elena.

"Then I'll dig. Anything I should look for in particular? This sister?" )

[braveandstupid]

Some info on her would be good.

[Let's hope that Hayes doesn't notice that Elena's voice is coming from a completely different direction.]

She said they were estranged but they'd recently been in touch, so I'd like to figure out how true that is. She said her name was Nadia. I didn't get a last name.

[shreds]

( He does, but people walk away from their phones on speaker all the time. He's not suspicious. Tone's a little different, again, speakerphone.

"Nadia no last name, got it. I'll send you what I'll find," he says, signing off.

Katherine sets Elena's phone down. )

Detective Elena Gilbert is on the case. Is this the sad sack from last night?

[braveandstupid]

[She nods, but she's not going to dwell too much on the things Nadia shared. At least not right now. Instead, she starts ticking off pieces of information on her fingers.]

Parents died a gruesome death, the survivor arms up and goes mostly off the grid, but has credit card charges all across the lower forty eight ever since. Does that sound like a hunter to you?

[shreds]

It does.

( She taps her foot. )

You've been dating Dean Winchester for two months?

( He's really rubbing off on her. But, it isn't as if this isn't under her purview as well. )

So, this girl's estranged sister is a hunter. And she's missing. You pulled a plate?

[braveandstupid]

Guess I am smarter than I look.

[Can we not right now?]

Nadia said she thought that her car might be here, but she couldn't get a room number out of the front desk, so I went to check out the car. Tried to see what I could find. If she is a hunter, and she's gone AWOL, maybe she's gotten in over her head. And if she's not AWOL and is targeting Nadia for another reason - or maybe looking for people like us - maybe it's a good idea to put a face to someone we potentially have to be worried about later.

[A beat.]

The Winchesters have a network, don't they? I can try and get a hold of Dean, maybe you could ask Damian?

[shreds]

How would targeting Nadia ( she hates saying that name. every single time, it hurts in her chest. ) lead to us.

( she doesn't get that part. targeting nadia, that makes more sense. )

I'll ask Damian. You ask Dean. Damian's network has always been far more specialized and the Winchesters have won more enemies than friends.

( But, it is still a network.

Do you recognize the name Natalie Morris? )

[braveandstupid]

I don't know. We don't know if Nadia was on the list.

[Maybe she faked a sisterhood to get to someone she thought was a monster. Who knows? But she does reach for her phone to text her boyfriend:]

Do you know a hunter named Natalie Morris?

[Damian doesn't respond right away (10), but eventually Katherine gets a: Maybe? Have a picture?]

[shreds]

It was a long list.

( Another question to pose, too.

Dean is not much more helpful than Damian (12). Damian's (10) has him familiar with Natalie and should Elena want to forward something like a license picture, her phone does ping separately as well.

Damian has worked with a few Natalies before, (one demon) including a Natalie Morris, or Morales? Horrible start to her summer vacation, that one.

Have Sam roll, too, as Dean tries to jog his memory!

to Elena
Hunter from Texas. Her parents were offed by shapeshifters. Sam and I helped.

to Damian
Let me see. )

Damian wants a picture.

[braveandstupid]

[Elena sends Katherine over the picture that Hayes sent her, before going back to Dean.]

She might be at the hotel we're staying in, but something might be wrong. We ran into someone who was claiming to be her sister. She was supposed to be meeting her, but she never showed.

[Damian will wait patiently for the photo. Sam seems to remember a little more (15), which makes sense as he's the networking guy.]

[shreds]

( Damian crossed paths with Natalie at a hunter's funeral, but never in the field. She's more of the ruthless type, so working with a ruthless hunter gets tricky.

Sam knew Natalie alright. She was brutal. Tough. She reminded them of their dad on his worst day with tunnel vision and a goal. Think Claire, but without Jody or the girls.

to Elena
Yeah, Sammy concurs. If she's anything like she used to be, watch out for her. Claiming to be her sister? )

So, this woman, Nadia, she thinks Natalie is her long lost sister?

[braveandstupid]

[She taps this out in text and sends it to Dean and Sam as she says it out loud to Katherine:]

Something like that. Same mom. Apparently they were both in this motel several years apart with her. But they were supposed to be meeting for the first time here and according to Nadia, Natalie never showed and isn't answering her phone.

[Damian looks at the picture and provides the same information Dean and Sam gave Elena: Competent but a bit ruthless. I would avoid her if you can help it.]

[shreds]

And according to you and the agent, her car is parked downstairs.

( Natalie showed and then disappeared. )

Damian thinks she's more trouble than she's worth. Do you think she won't be trouble to her sister?

[braveandstupid]

I don't know. Something about this just feels off.

[But she won't say that they don't have bigger priorities at the moment.]

But I have no idea where to go next, so if you want to stay on the road, we should go.

[shreds]

No, you've hooked me. If anything, getting on the good side of another hunter won't be a waste.

( If she's not after them. )

It sounds like we don't actually know anything, so I think we should go back to the source.

[braveandstupid]

I also want to figure out if Natalie's actually still here.

[She taps a finger against her arm.]

Do you think one of us could get her room number out of the guy at the front desk?

[shreds]

I think one us could do it.

( One is more suited, the one in the heels. )

How about I see if I can wake up our receptionist and you pay Natalie or Nadia ( whatever her name is. ) a morning visit. Maybe she has more information she doesn't know she has. Having the same mother stay here at different times is a big coincidence. Maybe there are others. Like, where are her parents?

[braveandstupid]

[She nods in agreement.]

Sounds good. Text me if you manage to find anything.

[And she will venture out the vending machine, trying to see if Nadia happens to be out and about (18).]

[tramplemain]

( Intrigued enough, Katherine is on bored, heading down the stairs. There is no recreation of vending machine desperation, but with an 18 she at least remembers which door is Natalie's. )