why is it you always get to sit in the shade

[blackstarred]

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[moralitypolice]

( All Bonnie can think is how a guest on vacation can participate in a potluck, but maybe it's about welcoming locals. She knows Caroline would get a kick out of the mystery party night. Isaac and Ryan would find the bar. )

We do.

( Once they're not within earshot, Bonnie has to ask. )

Usually, I'm the first to sign us up for group activities, but that was a lot.

[vampireboulevard]

["Oh good, so it wasn't just me." Isaac is not a joiner. It's a miracle Scott got him into the pack in the first place.

Caroline nods as they head up the stairs.]

I know, but we don't have to stay here long. We just need to get some sleep, and wait out the storm, and then we can go.

[Everything will not be fine.]

[moralitypolice]

No murder mystery party?

( She's joking, but this is Caroline. And she would organize one of her own. She has. They all have. Literally. )

[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline raises her eyebrows before shaking her head.]

Not this weekend. At least, I hope not.

[They reach the top of the stairs, where they have to part ways.]

We'll be just down the hall. Text if you need us.

[Or scream. Caroline will come running if there's a scream.]

[moralitypolice]

( For give her if she anticipates the oncoming jinx. )

You too.

( She knows Isaac, Caroline, and Ryan can all hear each other even at a faint whisper, so she's at least not worried for any kind of friendly interference should they need it.

Bonnie, key in hand follows the number to the door she'll share with Isaac. She gives him an encouraging, 'Well, better get this over with' look before letting them inside their room. )

[notwitty]

[Isaac is not quick enough to catch what Ryan notices (5), but he does notice the explosion of color that meets them on the inside.]

I feel like we're in a teen girl's bedroom from an eighties sitcom.

[moralitypolice]

It's called kistch.

( And it will do for now. )

And what would you call your preferred style?

[notwitty]

[He shrugs, because he's not sure he has one. He's spent a lot of his adult life living out of suitcases in hotels.]

Haven't really had a chance to think about it. But when I last had a room of my own, it was pretty simple. Solid color, bed, dresser, closet, my lacrosse trophies.

[moralitypolice]

Lacrosse trophies.

( He was an athlete. )

Am I dating a jock?

( Totally Caroline's style more than hers, but she can joke all the same. Isaac is much more than just a jock. He's thoughtful. He has a short temper and even shorter patience. But, they ground each other. It works.

Is it weird that it works? She bookmarks girl talk for a little later. )

[notwitty]

[He laughs, before giving a shrug.]

Not since high school. But it was a good outlet for my anger issues.

[Of which he had many.]

I definitely wasn't one of the popular jocks, though. Way more on the loner side.

[moralitypolice]

A werewolf loner.

( Now she's seen everything.

When Tyler would skip town on his own, he always fell into one pack or another, or was sired into yet another. If there was one thing about being a werewolf, it's that the community was consistent. )

I thought you and Scott were in the same pack back in high school.

[notwitty]

Yeah. Sort of.

[It's hard to explain the rise and fall of the Hale Pack without getting into sad things that would definitely make this conversation heavier than it needed to be, but he gets why she would find that strange.]

Derek didn't bite me until I was a sophmore and by then, Scott was more of his own thing, but he would ally himself with Derek when he needed to. But Derek wasn't really a great alpha. Like he tried but he had his own shit to work out, and he couldn't do that and protect us the way he was supposed to. So a lot of that Scott stepped up for. He was probably one of the first real friends I ever had.

[moralitypolice]

Was?

( She doesn't want to get into the sad, but she is here to listen. She's trying not to read too much into tenses. But, tenses are what they are, right? )

[notwitty]

No, I mean. We're still friends. It's just a little different now since he's also my alpha.

[But Scott is still great, it's just weird werewolf politics.]

But I had two packmates, with Derek. Erica and Boyd. We were real friends too, but they both died. And before that, my dad was killed and before I even became a werewolf, my dad ... let's just say he wasn't the easiest guy to live with. Especially after we lost my mom and my brother.

[A beat.]

... Which is a lot, so. Sorry.

[moralitypolice]

Isaac. You don't have to apologize for telling me who you are. You've met my friends? You spent a week in Mystic Falls. It's a lot. Our lives are a lot. You have to be able to talk about it or it consumes you.

( Or, you gain your freedom, explore the world and work through your pain. )

Believe me, this is coming from the girl who used to leave town for weeks at a time. I also died. You see? A lot.

[widenecked]

( Ryan lets Caroline take the lead after watching Bonnie and Isaac slip around the corner.

As he follows, he listens for anything distinctive going on in the hotel or any passing rooms (14). )

[vampireboulevard]

[It's funny. It's almost too quiet.

He can hear the muffled sounds of conversation, but it's like they're all wrapped in cotton, even to his vampire hearing. But Caroline eventually finds the room, sliding the key in the door which is much louder and harsher than anything else in the hotel.

She lets them in and sighs as she closes the door behind them. The rooms are a continuance of the rest of the B&B, an explosion of pastels and overdone designs. And aside from the soft click of the door behind them, once the door is closed, no other sounds permeate the room.]

I think I need a shower. How about you?

[widenecked]

( Too quiet for how quaint this structure is, right?

That's weird. )

Yeah, I could shower. You go first?

( Ever the romantic, Ryan always has to be -- pressed to act more amorously. But, when he gets to it, he gets to it. He tears off his coat and button down, wife beater surviving the onslaught of rain. )

[vampireboulevard]

[Honestly, after all that time in the car, Caroline's not exactly feeling the most sexy. She wouldn't have said no if he insinuated, but Ryan's not really known for giving those kinds of ins.]

Okay. I won't be long.

[And with that she will disappear into the bathroom and Ryan is free to poke at things if he wants.]

[widenecked]

( Well, Ryan has never been a skilled rummager, but he takes a cursory search around the room (7). It's halfhearted at best and it's mostly about getting to know his surroundings. )

[vampireboulevard]

[Yeah, unfortunately he doesn't turn up anything interesting with a roll that low. Just a lot of fun, gimmicky little pieces that go with the rest of the room.

Caroline emerges from the shower not long after and points to the shower.]

The hot water side needs a bit of a jiggle to turn on.

[widenecked]

( Very not his style. Totally Seth's style. He owes Seth a call. )

A bit of a jiggle.

( Well, he'll take that hint and run with it, or try to because the narration finds it amusing to roll to see if Ryan achieves hot water (14) )

[vampireboulevard]

[He does. Luck was on his side and he gets a nice toasty shower.

When he emerges Caroline is settled on the bed, testing the mattress. It's a nervous habit, and it's something she can do, versus worrying about the things she can't control.]

Have you noticed that it's really quiet in here? Like usually hotels are super annoying, but I can barely hear anything.

[widenecked]

Insulated walls?

( He has noticed.

He'll pull out a shirt, tugging it over his head, slipping on underwear next. )

What would make it quieter than usual?

[vampireboulevard]

I would say that they paid for soundproofing, but I look at the rest of the decor and wonder why. Like if I had that kind of money, and this is what the inside of my bed and breakfast looked like, I would have made other choices.

[But apparently they didn't. And that was ... a little weird.]