everyonelives | the ground could open, he could still say please

[He's right. It is their decision. And in some ways, it should be Max. Max is the expected choice. Max is a good facade for it. But that doesn't mean Jaqueline can't also be in the mix.]

I'll admit, that I was going to insist it should be me, for my own personal reasons, that have nothing to do with your capability and more to do with what I was prepared to handle.

[David and Sierra are her closest friends, if anyone's going to kill them it's her. And she doesn't want to watch them kill her brother.]

But thinking on it, I don't think Father is wrong about expecting you to take the reins. But maybe that's an expectation we can use to our advantage. I don't think it should be one or the other. I think it should be both.

[It doesn't make sense to leave Max out in the cold, not to her. David will have Ezra in his corner, and in theory, Sierra should have Jaqueline, but Jaqueline's never really been one to play by the rules. And she's not about to leave her brother to handle this alone.]

But before we fully decide on the strategy we should hear what David and Ezra have to say.

It's only smart. The enemy of my enemy.

( His sister's batshit at times, but she's also the sensible one. Max was brought up under his father's grand delusions and to some extent, he inherited them. But, he also had a mind of his own and that mind is very interested in toppling the patriarchy. Not getting rid of their parents, but their regime.

Since the inner circle was founded, it hasn't changed. Parents pass it down generations and the three families keep it going. It's nepotism to a tiring degree and even the golden boy is interested in new representation.

Not being a part of the inner circle, that's responsibility. )

Where were you before portaling into the witch husbands' domicile?

One of dad's offices. He had some tech work he wanted me to do.

[Not a lie, but she had been distant before that, monitoring Sierra's movements and making sure that she was free to do what she needed to do.]

I thought it was under the radar, but apparently not as well as I thought.

( Does she think they were targeting their dear father? Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time? )

I never got a look at the list. You must've worked up quite the reputation to get top billing.

I guess so. I never got a look at it either. I just know it's gone now.

[It was a convenient distraction and did what they needed it to do.]

Probably for the best. We're going to have enough of a bloodbath with the Gauntlet.

[But before they can labor on that further, the husbands are seen coming through the restaurant door.]

Whatever the list did, it was hardly a bloodbath. A bunch of amateurs on the warpath thanks to a sociopath.

( Sowing discord and PG-13 violence.

Ezra parks in the little lot across the street, still not fully trusting of the Melroux (nobody worth their salt should). He's planning on letting his husband take the lead. His husband technically has to as his rank was pulled botching Elena-watch. But, he still has a say. And an ear.

Max nods in their direction, nods to his sister that they's coming, and then steps off of his stool as the maitre-de approaches. )

Our party is all here.

( "Excellent," he says, leading them out from the bar to another, more private room. Menus are already set down for them. He says the server will be with them shortly and leaves them to it. )

[David settles into his seat next to his husband, trying to sort through all the information he now knows. He knows that Sierra is alive, that she's been actively trying to get ahold of the Knightsbridge power. His eyes drift over to Jaqueline, wondering how much she knows.

So he might as well ask her flat out, trying to gauge her reactions (19).]

Do you know where Sierra is?

[Jaqueline raises an eyebrow, but fortunately for this she doesn't have to lie. "Of course not."

David tries another tack:]

Do you know what she's up to?

[That is a little harder, and lying has never really been Jaqueline's strong suit. Her face flickers briefly and she takes a long sip from her glass of wine (6). "No, I don't. Why do you care?"]

( Having been pitted against her, way back when, Ezra also has a knack for catching on to her microexpressions (14). )

Because she's going to have an entire coven on her ass. And from what I remember about Sierra, she doesn't have dying on her to-do-list. And even when you were betrothed to my husband you two were thick as thieves.

( Her little Lady Macbeth.

Wanting to believe in the good in his - volatile - sister, (2), Max believes she doesn't. )

Edited 2022-11-20 16:01 (UTC)

Yes, we talk, but that doesn't mean she tells me everything.

[Yeah, she's still not doing great (5). So she diverts.]

Why do you care about Sierra all of the sudden?

[David sighs, rubbing his eyes. "Because she was seen in Prague, already making a play for the Knightsbridge power source. She was working with Tamara Monroe to get her access." She also knows more than she should, but that's not something he wants to reveal to the Melrouxs just yet.]

( She really isn't (9) Ezra and (8) Max. )

And it's not all of a sudden. She's an heir. I may not have been born into this but that matters when it comes to the Gauntlet.

( "She doesn't know where Sierra is," Max reiterates. So get off her case. )

Maybe, but she knows more. There's more, isn't there?

[Jaqueline looks back at him, head tilting to the side.]

Maybe there is. But why should I just lay out all my cards when I'm not getting anything in return?

[David leans back and nods. He knows how the game is played. "They had us grab Hallewell. They announce the start of the Gauntlet. You know the laws better than we do. Do they specify who appropriate targets for the Gauntlet are? Or do they just say that you take power however you can get it?"

Jaqueline's brow furrows at the question, trying to glean what David is asking for, exactly. But then as it dawns on her, the confusion fades to a smile, wide like a cheshire cat.]

No. They did fail to specify. How imprecise of them.

Everyone is fair game.

( "If they don't find the last heir, can the Gauntlet not go through?" Ezra asks, farther behind than his husband. "To be clear, we don't want this." He doesn't want them or anyone dead. )

[David shakes his head.]

Sierra has to be informed, officially, by her parents before things can formally begin. Which gives us time, since I don't think they know where she is anymore than we do. Which gives us time to put a plan in place.

[Jaqueline's grin only widens. "You want to kill them."

David sighs heavily.]

I don't think the Inner Circle is actually doing good things for the coven, do you? Maybe they're right, and it is time for a new world order. Our world order.

Not one of us can say our parents have had our best interests at heart. But, then my parents didn't willingly possess me or my sister.

( He wouldn't be surprised, though, if they tried. If there was something in it for them.

"Watch it," Ezra says. )

Just saying.

( Ezra taps the table with his fingers once as he speaks again.

"This was always the plan, just moved up." Maybe with more death involved. "Would killing them make you inner circle?" )

["Leadership in the Colony has always been whoever is ruthless enough to take it." Jaqueline tips her head to the side. "If we manage to take out all of them, no one would question us. Especially with the Gauntlet in play."

David nods, glancing over to her.]

So are you in? Do you think you could convince Sierra to swing to our side?

[Jaqueline shakes her head. "Vague notion aside, it's still going to be incredibly difficult for just the five of us. We'll need allies that we can trust won't sell us out to our parents and those will be very hard to find. Hell, how do you know you can even trust us with this?"]

Because it's all of our lives on the line this time. I would much rather work with you three as a team than start plotting against each other. And if you stab me in the back for it, then so be it. But I think that you're not interested in playing their games any more than I am.

We need the right people in our pockets.

( Across the board. In and out of the coven. )

It's not impossible.

( "You're really talking about killing your parents. All of them." He remembers what David was like after being possessed. He remembers returning to his home and meeting them in person. "Is there another way?" )

No.

[Jaqueline has no trouble saying it. Because David is right, that is their only option.]

We either kill them or kill each other. Or they kill us for trying.

[Speaking of death, though, Max's phone begins to buzz in his pocket.]

Edited 2022-11-27 04:13 (UTC)

( Max pulls his phone out and checks who's calling.

"We're not killing each other." Ezra says it definitively. )

Then I guess we're murdering the Inner Circle.

[Isn't shared murder projects fun?

On the caller ID is his mother. Almost as though Helene knows something is afoot (she doesn't, but isn't that spooky all the same?)

David looks at Sierra earnestly. "So you'll talk to Sierra?"]

I can't make any promises, but I'll try.

( He shows the caller ID to his sister. Next, he gets up and steps away, bringing the phone to his ear. )

Afternoon, mother.

["Mon cherie, I need you to run a small errand. I know it's beneath you, but unfortunately we do not have another free hand."

If nothing else, Helene knows how to butter up her children before cutting them down.

"We received a call from one of our contacts in the morgue. One of ours has come in, and I need you to take care of the paperwork."]

( The Gauntlet hasn't been thrown yet and yet there's a body dropped. Just what he wanted to do with his afternoon. )

Do we know who?

["Our contact didn't recognize him, but he bore our brand."

The Inner Circle and the heirs don't have them, but some of the lesser witches who are attempting to curry favor often carry signs of their loyalty. Not always on their body. Some have a card, or a pendant. But enough that the morgue knows where to direct them, should they wind up dead.

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out once you get there. Do keep me posted, will you?"]

( He hangs up then, returning to the table. )

I'm being taskrabbited. What did I miss?

I agreed to discuss David's proposition with Sierra.

[And then she spent of the rest of the time seeing how much she can make Ezra squirm with their murder plans.]

What did Mother want?

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