why is it you always get to sit in the shade

[blackstarred]

Comments

[blackstarred]

[The rest of the drive between Central City and Star City is long, but uneventful. Mia spends most of it in the group chat with the rest of the Prague group, telling Hope and Josie to be careful but keep an eye out. New Orleans was the last place this Sierra Harper was seen, so it's possible if she didn't get what she wanted, she was still there. Danny had been less present in the chat, and part of her was worried, but she doesn't want to push.

He has Lizzie. Between the two of them, they'll hopefully be okay, and she tells Lizzie as much. If they need her, she's a flight away, and if not that, she has Slayer contacts in the area.

But in the end, they eventually reach their destination at the front of the Queen Mansion. It's been so long since she's been home that her chest aches at the sight of it. Regardless of the complications in her mind, the mansion would always be home. She wasn't going to let her past life take that from her.

Over her shoulder, she hears Coop climb out of the car and go: "I think your house is bigger than any high school I've ever been to." She assumes he's exaggerating, so she ignores him.

Instead, she grabs her bag and steps up to the door, poking her head through as she opens it slowly.]

Dad? Laurel? Aunt Thea?

[slavophile]

( With better passenger arrangements made, Cooper spends his ride perfecting a full proof, encrypted network they can all use. Now with the FBI as a resource (but also being the FBI) and hunters and witches savvy enough to let off a dead pool, they need to take every precaution they can. It's in Central City where he takes a moment to call their dad and Laurel, to let them know they're coming back, and with guests in tow. He hedges on who he's bringing, just that they can all be trusted. Laurel's instincts, of course, are correct. It is someone William has feelings for, his family, and his friend.

William smirks as he smacks his laptop closed, shoves it into his bag and climbs out after him. )

Not my house. Just one of the houses I grew up in. Which doesn't sound better. ( He fights to not glance at Michael Sullivan to see his reaction to William's momentary lapse in being a wealthy kid. Not that he ever thought he and Mia were rich like that, because they didn't get everything. They took vacations their vacations and some weekends at the Queen Estate, but they didn't live there full time and Oliver especially made sure not to spoil his kids.

Except with training from Nyssa 'his former beloved' Al Gul. He tries not overthinking his father's history.

"Mia."

And like his grandmother used to, Oliver Queen emerges from the great room, albeit not as overdressed as Moira Queen might be. He looks comfortable, at home, and like he can finally breathe as he pulls his daughter in for a tight, bracing hug. )

[positiveinfluence]

[Mia will take that hug, this reunion going a bit smoother than the one in Mystic Falls. Possibly because this time she's prepared, and in a lot of ways, it's nice to be home.

Michael is just taking the estate in with a fairly neutral look on his face, making it hard to read his expression one way or the other But he doesn't seem surprised by the fact that his son has expensive taste in people.

Coop smiles back at him in return.]

So there are multiple houses. Good to know.

[slavophile]

( He'll just quit while he's behind. Technically, there is this estate, the cabin in the woods they camped out near, and the condo Oliver and Felicity raised him in after his mother died.

William's trying not to look too much into Michael's neutral gaze as Mickey rounds off the reactions with a whistle. Yeah, he's not surprised with Cooper's taste levels, either. He couldn't measure up, not like this.

"It's big," he says simply.

Inside, Oliver lets Mia guide the length of their reunion hug.

"Your brother's outside?" )

[notjustamom]

[Mary Winchester is not a cook, so the dinner that greets her sons and their travel companions is not something she crafted painstakingly with her own two hands. But at least, as a result, it would be edible.

Sitting on the table is a few Costco-style tins of different foods designed for different appetites - at least one vegetarian dish, just in case. There's also a wide range of drinks and as she sets a beer in front of herself and Bobby's places, she hears the sound of the door opening and footsteps making their way through the entrance.]

Hey, you're just in time.

[She makes her way around to the front with a smile.]

Dinner's ready.

[matriarchate]

( Bobby, too, escaped the culinary arts because he was defending the true faith from Michael and the other angels, but take out is just as good, even in Lebanon, Kansas. He doesn't have to assure Mary of that fact. He's also from a world where you eat what's put in front of you and from what Sam had said, they all up and scattered, so he expects them to be hungry for anything.

Dean unlocks the front door,

"Hey mom!" he calls out, holding the front door open so Sam can lead Allison and Lydia around and down the winding staircase to the lower level, and to the war room that doubles as their dinner table. He locks the front door behind him as habit. "It smells great," he continues, filing in behind them.

Dean deposits his rucksack by the foot of the staircase and so with a minimal check as to how Mary's taking this, Allison does the same, at least for while they eat. If her son does it... She wants the record to be shown that normally, she'd drop her bag into a room, or unpack, or something. But, Dean is Dean, always, especially with his mouthful in a diner in front of other people. She's not surprised.

Dean hugs his mom, a long, warm hug Allison would save for her father. It's another thing they have in common, their devotion, but not deference to their parents. Close to Sam, she waits for Dean to inevitably - no, not introduce himself to the food, yet, he shakes someone's hand and then pulls them in for a one-armed hug. Bobby, she thinks.

And then it's her turn. She doesn't look back at Sam, doesn't need to. )

Hey, Mrs. Winchester. Thank you for letting us stay here for the time being. I'm Allison.

[notjustamom]

[She takes the hug from her son and responds with a good mom hug in return, rubbing his back gently as she keeps him close. When he does pull away to make his way towards Bobby, she offers Allison a smile as she moves closer, extending her hand.]

Mary, please. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Allison, but you don't have to thank me. It's not my house, I just stay here sometimes.

[It's Sam and Dean's bunker, and she's not about to take it away from them. But she can also read the context clues and sees Sam being awkward over her shoulder.]

Have you and Sam been ... working together long?

[She knows what she's looking at but she's going to give them the benefit of the doubt and try not to embarrass them too much.]

[transientem]

[Getting to the hotel and being able to book a suite where they can separate some is likely the best thing they could have done. Kieran was hanging by a thread as it was, and she needed some space to regain her composure in order to keep her cool in front of everyone else. After Jackson leaves to update the Underground on the situation, Scott and Davina take one of the bedrooms, she and Kol in the other, and H on the couch is cramped, but being able to put a door between herself and the rest of the world is helpful, even if she can't manage to catch her breath just yet.

Really, what she needs the wall between is herself and Julian, stuck in a catatonic state that her initial impulses, magic-wise, aren't able to rouse him from. She doesn't like that she doesn't have the answers to fix him, as having answers is generally what she's best at. She pauses in front of the dresser, pulling her rings off her fingers one by one and removing the rest of her jewelry. The manual process lets some of the scales of armor fall away and helps to clear her mind and wind her down.

This is a safe place. She is allowed to be vulnerable here. She glances back to where Kol is stretched out on the bed. Part of her just wants to curl up under his arm and be held for a moment, but there's still a voice in the back of her mind that won't let herself let her guard down that completely. Not right now.]

Have you heard about your sister?

[She hasn't forgotten that he chose her over Rebekah and her safety, despite the fact that the two other Original vampires went off to help her.]

[witchaffinity]

( Kol agrees with the room assignments, having grown past caring who Davina shares a room with, especially in the face of her brother's plight. If he knows anything, it's dire situations involving siblings. He's been the dire situation. He gives Kieran the time and space she needs, giving her the distance to process.

He does leave word for Freya to give him a call when she can. If anyone could see through to the other side, it's his sister.

He does try to look welcoming and comfortable, but he doesn't expect her to crawl onto the bed and cry. Not unless all is lost or a solution is finally found.

After sending Freya a message, he sets his phone aside, sliding the charger into its' port. He's grown accustomed to the modern processes. Yes, he charges his phone like clockwork. It doesn't help that his girlfriend is fighting something debilitating and he can't miss her call. )

Rebekah and my family are all safe. They've since relocated and are housing two friends caught in their crossfire.

( The crossfire. It's habit deeming it their fault. It sounds like a day that ends in Y, really. )

[transientem]

Good. Glad to hear it.

[Next to him, his phone dings with a message from Freya, indicating that she will be there in the morning. No need for him to respond and tell her she doesn't have to, she's already on the train and done the locator spell. Might as well accept the inevitablility.

Kieran finishes taking off her shoes, before moving to sit against the headboard next to him, running her hands back and forth against her legs, a subconscious form of self-soothing.]

We'll find a way to wake him up, right?

[She doesn't care if it's hope against hope, but it's what she needs to hear right now. Aside from Kol, she doesn't have anyone else in the world left. And while she does understand that one day she would have to say goodbye to him, she didn't think it would be so soon.]

[prettyclothes]

[Rhett loves the rolling hills of Scotland.

Scarlett does not.

It's not that the countryside isn't beautiful. The rolling hills can be quite breath-taking when the sun hits them just right. But the sun is in fact the problem. Dreary and drafty, the rain has not let up for the entirety of their trip, and if she thought it would do anything of value, she would have complained to the manager long ago.

Still, she bursts into the pub as though the weather is intentional rather than an inconvenience. Shaking off her coat, she strides towards an empty seat at the bar, assuming that Rhett is not far behind, ordering herself a strong martini as she deftly shakes off her coat. The glass is placed down in front of her, and she grabs it, taking a long sip as she scans the room, taking in the ambience.

She stops, a slow smile spreading across her face when she sees a familiar face. Placing her drink down, she raises her voice just enough to get his attention in the din of the pub.]

Damon Salvatore. As I live and breathe.

[Neither mind that she neither lives nor has to breathe.]

[unforgivably]

( Damon gets the grand tour. He's assigned a room, attends the big group meal that makes him feel like he's staying with an army (that's right, he is), and he settles in. After a shower, one of the more curious slayers asks if he's coming out with them tonight. He asks his brother, invites himself either way, and joins the caravan into town. The ladies are chatty and just as curious as the first slayer that approached him. Some ask him about Stefan, others ask him about Mystic Falls, or America. One asks if he's single. Another slayer says, 'Alright now, Buffy,' and Damon snorts as he climbs out of one of the vans.

The rain lets up just enough to not soak the group as they make their way inside.

Hands on his brothers shoulders, he walks them into the small town Scottish pub. What feels like a quiet and quaint night has now been brought up a notch with fifteen girls, his brother, Buffy, and a man with an eye patch joining the proceedings. Damon does not buy a round, or crowd the bar, he moves to the far, far end to order his drinks for Stefan and Buffy. Before he can get one of the bartender's attention, his own is requested.

He hasn't heard her voice in over a year when she and her husband got into a tiff during the movie in the square. And before that, easily a decade. He turns, a grin already forming. He would say it's a bit too dreary here for Scarlett O'Hara, but of course Rhett is seated opposite her, having followed her gaze. )

Twice in one decade, I'd think you need something from me. ( But, he jokes. She's one of his favorite sirings, if he were to rank them, anyway. Elena would always be number one (not the means and not the aftermath, but, it's Elena), and then it would go Scarlett and Isobel. R.I.P. Isobel. ) Or, I could say something about kilts and coincidences. Rhett.

( "Damon Salvatore, you son of a bitch."

Now Rhett's not too far off from that one. )

What are you doing in Scotland?

[prettyclothes]

Just doing some traveling. Rhett loves to come back and spend time here every now and again.

[You have to keep moving sooner or later, and honestly, Scarlett has never really been one for sitting still to begin with. And occasionally, the two of them take trips to soothe the wounds in their marriage that get torn open again every so often.]

Wesley insisted on taking some time to himself, so he's off in the Pacific Northwest somewhere, but oh, Melanie will be delighted to see you. She's supposed to meet us here when she gets in from London. Come, you must sit with us for a drink.

[Or two. Or ten. Who counts when you have an immortal liver. She glances back over his shoulder to see the disapproving face of his brother in the crowd.]

Maybe your brother and his lady friend would like to join us as well?

[vampireboulevard]

[The last time Caroline was this lost, she found Vicki Donovan's dead body.

It's not an instance that she would like to repeat.

The rain comes down in sheets and torrents, the flat land of the midwest not allowing for many options to slow down the velocity of the wind. She's not driving - Ryan is - but it's not stopping her from gripping the arm rest on the passenger side whenever the wind whips against the car. And to make matters worse, they've just lost cell service.

Isaac and Bonnie are asleep in the back seat, having taken the day shift for driving so they could avoid having to stop for the night, but the worse the weather gets, the more Caroline's anxiety rises, and she shakes her head.]

We should find somewhere to stop.

[widenecked]

( Ryan does know they're somewhere in Missouri. He remembers passing the Ohio-Missouri state line, but they hadn't been driving in a torrential downpour then. The highway came to a standstill. With Applemaps, what could go wrong if they deviated from the highway.

Everything, considering the torrential downpour and the delayed map response.

Ryan thought if they kept going straight, they'd find something, but if there's a sign or any indication of anything, he can't see it. Caroline is right. )

Is there anywhere that looks like it's nearby?

( And like it's possible to get there? She might have to break the news to him that service is nil, but for now, he keeps up the quiet Ryan Atwood grit. )

[vampireboulevard]

The GPS is gone.

[So that's a no, at least temporarily. She squints out into the darkness, trying to catch glimpses of signs that might indicate that there's somewhere to sleep, but the rain is coming down in torrents with no sign of relief in their sights. Sign after green sign disappears into the darkness before she sees it, a green indicator sign with a white bed stenciled on it, showing that there is a place to sleep at the next exit.]

There!

[She points into the darkness, urging him on.]

Take the next exit.

[undermyfeet]

[Danny is aware that currently he is only here for physical labor, and honestly he's grateful for the reprieve from thinking. He doesn't have to dwell on the fact that he let Maura go when he should have looked at her more closely, or Mia's pushy but well meaning texts, or the idea that Maura - or Sierra could be out there planning something and Danny didn't do his part to stop her.

It's just another piece on the pile of suck that is his life. And while Lizzie is a big counterweight, sometimes it's not enough. So, manual labor, as he moves Lizzie into her NYU dorm.

He shifts the balance on the boxes in his hands, before peering around them to look at her.]

Where do you want this box of shoes?

[jockwitch]

( It's not Danny's fault. Sierra fooled them all and she took advantage of a very stressful situation. Like now. Like how did she think she could fit a closet's worth of her best into this excuse for a closet. Stressful. )

I don't know. I can barely fit my jackets and we already put my winter clothes under the bed. I didn't think through the authentic college experience I wanted. Can't we just shirk convention and move in together way too early?

[undermyfeet]

I mean, we could. But unfortunately all I have to offer you is a single bedroom at Ms. O'Rourke's and my closet is smaller than yours.

[Danny cannot afford to rent a New York City apartment all on his own, but fortunately his family name still carries some weight with the local transplant witches from his coven. Ms. O'Rourke was more than happy to give the wayward heir a room while he figures things out.

He smirks.]

You might have to prioritize.

[maleficum]

[Being back under the roof of the Colony is already making his skin itch. While he is exhausted enough to pass out for a little while once his body hits his bed, and feels the security of Ezra next to him, as he starts to emerge from his brief coma to the opulence of his childhood bedroom.

Granted, there is nothing about this room that would indicate a child ever lived in it. The rich wood furniture and muted colors look as though they were designed for a forty year-old man rather than the child that he was, but nothing has changed in this room since he was born. His mother kept an iron grip on the interior decorating, knowing that the Colony is run on appearances, and if there's anything out of place, it could be perceived as weakness. David spent his whole life being groomed not to make choices of his own, or think for himself. Is it any wonder that he didn't question the fact that his parents wanted to have him possessed?

If he's honest, the first choice he ever really made for himself was Ezra. And it's probably the reason, aside from love, where he's willing to dig his fingers in and not let him go, even if he has to bleed to do it.

He stares up at the ceiling, not wanting to disturb his husband, but eventually there's a brief sizzle-pop of a magical note landing on the table next to him. His parents hadn't been there to greet him - only Delores, the woman who practically raised him in their stead. But this note was written in his father's firm, blocky penmanship, issuing an edict like his son is a servant rather than an equal.

He hears Ezra stir, and sighs.]

We're having dinner with my parents tonight.

[praevaricatio]

( He just needs five more minutes.

He remembers his first time in Colony territory, being introduced to the family, being encouraged to let him go, that David was a lost cause and fighting tooth and nail to prove they're wrong. He would've sold his soul. Technically, he did.

The glorified sidequest reminds him he is still under Colony thumb, and while handing over an over the hill megolomaniac feels good on paper, jumping and asking how high wasn't in their plan. But, he was the one who insisted they stick to protocol and protocol gets you dinosaurs.

His husband snapped - literally - and Barnet lost it all. Sometimes, he forgets the power a Gainor wields and what power remains underneath after he freed David from the demon. It doesn't scare him. They do what they have to and when it comes to the hard, violent, and deadly choices, it's par for the course for a witch. But, it isn't often David feels the amount of emotion he needed to sever Barnet's connection to his "conduit" with the snap of his fingers and that does worry him.

He dreams about a simpler, more dangerous time. About meeting a stranger introduced into his family's world and learning he isn't who he said he was. He sees a devil's trap on the inside of his eyelids as he comes to, exhaling from his nightmare. He shifts slightly, the ornate furniture coming into view.

He shuts his eyes again. Can he fall back asleep? Deal with this in a half an hour?

He rolls onto his back, making a noise as he shifts, murmuring. Finally, he turns his head. )

Did they decree it?

[maleficum]

At least he deigned to write me the message himself, not Edwina.

[Edwina being his father's secretary. He crumples the piece of paper into a ball and tosses it away, letting it fall onto the floor to disturb the otherwise clean, almost sterile space. He doesn't make any move to pick it up, his own quiet form of rebellion.

He rolls onto his side, facing Ezra more with a shrug.]

Maybe he really did miss me.

[His hopes are not high with that one.]

[likeaweapon]

[Doc has taken her brothers out for a night on the town (one that Klaus has promised her he will return intact from), Bela is attending to some business, and Cami is getting some quality Auntie Cami time with Henry, allowing Rebekah to take some time and clean up the tornado that has run through Elijah's apartment in the last few days. Neal and Sara have returned to their own home, confident that they will be out of harm's way for the most part, and things seem to be settling, even if they're not quite ready to return to life as it was yet.

The only one leaving to not return is Freya, having touched base with their missing brother and saying that Kol was in need of her assistance in Baltimore. Rebekah laments that her visit with her sister has been so short, but the faster Kol's situation is resolved, the sooner she will be able to see him for herself and meet this new plaything he's reported to have.

Time to gauge how serious a situation it is.

A knock sounds on the door as she finishes cleaning up the remains of Henry's dinner from the kitchen. He's reached the phase where food is a projectile, rather than a means for sustenance, but there are worse things he could be throwing, and he seems ever so delighted when he manages to strike home - home being his mother's face. Taking a breath, she makes her way over to the door, and can't help but blink in surprise when she sees the woman on the other side.]

Wynonna. What are you doing here?

[dollywood]

( The term he uses is 'forwarding address,' which isn't good enough for the mother of his other child. Wynonna worries on a good day when she hasn't crawled herself halfway into a bottle. She gives new meaning to the term 'functioning' and it helps that she has a perfect sister who picks up any of the parental slack she might give, especially still being the heir.

The message is sudden and sparse and Doc is nothing if not loquacious when he wants to be. Her plan has always been to meet her kid in the city, anyway, but she moves her own time table up, leaving Waverly to help with the meat of the packing. (Nobody want Wynonna helping them pack.) She drops by the old apartment first, breaks in and finds the state it was left in.

"Forwarding address, my ass," she says.

Unannounced, and uninvited, Wynonna pays the new address a call. It is not to her tastes. It's better. )

Doc really married up. ( She lets herself in, as Wynonna does, giving the foyer and beyond a onceover. It's not like she doesn't know he VH1 upgraded, but it's not often she's confronted with it before her very eyes. She didn't go to the wedding. Alice did. The pictures were nice, Doc looked happy. ) I thought summer houses were more for the beginning of the summer, but what would I know, the only summer house I know is on Bravo. The sluttiness I'm familiar with. Theirs. And mine. ( Not Rebekah's. ) Doc left out the part about your place being tossed out of his obligatory coparent life update. Your old place, not this palace.

[likeaweapon]

Please. Come in. Make yourself at home.

[The sarcasm is just dripping.

The fact that it's only her and Cami here is honestly the most of an ideal situation. Rebekah didn't need this coparenting system to be made even worse under the judgment of her brothers' gazes, or their need to defend what little honor she has left. Cami, on the other hand, will hang back with Henry unless she feels Rebekah is in danger which Wynonna is a lot of things, but she doesn't think that the other woman is here to murder her ex-baby daddy's wife.

Mostly her mind is trying to do the math on how she could have seen the state of Rebekah and Doc's home when she left it locked up tightly for cleaning when things were safe, but she should have known that that wouldn't deter Wynonna any.]

Because everyone was fine. I'm sure he didn't want to worry you given that we were staying with my brother for a little while and not expecting you for another few days.