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

( Max has only been privy to the top layer of his parents' machinations, preferring that to anything else. He didn't need to be top dog. He could be everything they needed without needing to be anything else. Errand boy, golden son, eyes and ears. What their parents do has never made sense, but in what world did it have to? They were all born into their rolls. Their parents included.

All David had to do was play his. Instead, his parents colored outside of the lines and "David" got out.

Maybe Max wants out. He doesn't have love for his parents. He feels obligation more than anything, but that is coming from the Colony. You are what you bring. Actions and.

He will discuss this further with his sister because they are a family of sharp, jagged angles.

And then there's his sister's agenda. Sierra and whatever her angle happens to be. The Knightsbridge power would make her formidable, but it wouldn't save her.

It's the Gauntlet. It's changed everything.

But not for David. )

My condolences.

( He prefers the senseless. It feels like a world with more color. Shades of gray have always been more Maxim's taste.

"I'm not dead." )

None of us are. Yet.

[Jaqueline smirks, before making her way out with her brother.]

Talk to you later, boys.

[She waits until they get to the car, sliding into the passenger's seat, before glancing over to Max.]

How much do you want to know about Sierra and how much plausible deniability do you want to keep?

I think I need to know everything, sis.

( And from there, he'll evaluate his part in it - and after, his sister's.

He pulls out a cigarette and rolls the window down, lighting it. )

Okay.

[He said he wanted to know everything. Let's start at the beginning. Technically the beginning would probably be "Sierra and I are together" but she's not ready to expose that much of her soft belly quite yet.]

Sierra had a hand in taking out the Knightsbridge coven. It was her idea and she gently nudged Tamara Monroe into doing the job for her.

Gently nudged.

( Starting the engine, he pulls out from the small parking lot. )

So, when she gently orchestrated wiping out our rival coven, how did she maneuver herself in such a position?

Monroe was recruiting witches. Trying to convince them that she knew they were one of the good ones, which basically meant she was just going to take advantage of their power and save them to kill later.

[She rolls her eyes. Dumb human shit.]

Sierra saw an opportunity and gave Monroe a target to point at. The half-cocked hunters did the rest.

Very - every World War.

( Historical. That's a lot of maneuvering to get to that end result. )

All for the Knightsbridge power source to gain the upperhand on our parents.

( Okay. )

What went wrong?

Prague.

[She makes a face.]

I'm not sure if she ever figured out what went wrong, if she got distracted or the spell just failed, but when she tried to make a grab for it at the summer solstice, something went wrong. And when the spell failed, all her collateral died.

So, she's not just out there. She's out there with less reserves than when she went in. No wonder our parentals can't get a bead.

( He'd argue impulse. Haste. Wanting something too much is against the delicate balance of a ritual like that. )

Did she consider it rejected her? ( He taps his fingers against the steering wheel. ) You know, if the coven's not fully wiped out, if there is one survivor out there - it would have made it harder for her to take it, especially if she was on the ropes.

( But, he's spitballing. )

[Jaqueline taps her fingernail against the door, because she doesn't know. She doesn't know if Danny's presence is causing a problem, and maybe it's a problem they should solve.]

I don't know. I wasn't there. I'm getting this all from her second hand.

[But that being said:]

She got side tracked as Monroe caught on to her game, but I do think she's planning to go again on the autumn solstice.

Where is she now?

( He didn't believe her in the restaurant, but mostly because she deflected. But now that this is out in the open, he should be in the know. )

I truly don't know.

[She doesn't. She has suspicions, but she doesn't know for sure.]

She'd keep me out of the loop of certain details. Plausible deniability. But I know how to reach her.

And what are we saying, when we reach her. Operation: patrimatricide? Are we working with the gaybands now?

( Officially? )

I don't know. But I also don't think she'll be opposed.

[Maybe David's right. Maybe the answer truly is taking the head off the snake.]

But I think we need more information. Killing the Inner Circle outright will have consequences, and we should know what they are before we start pulling triggers.

Yeah, all that responsibility.

( Except, their parents are careful people. Powerful in their own right, conniving and three steps ahead. )

I'm trying to think of what consequences might befell us if we off our parents, all I'm coming up with is Biblical.

( Which is not a good thing. )

So, recon on our parents.

( He pulls into Northwest's parking lot, pulling around past the ER, reaching the morgue entrance. The parking lot is empty by the morgue entrance, so he has the pick of the litter. He parks the farthest away. It's more inconspicuous. Just for kicks, he senses magic (9). )

[Nothing but the usual in terms of magic. Certain charms that come into play if they need the Colony to move through without notice. The point of them is to move above the rest of the common folk, the ones without magic.

As such Jaqueline climbs gracefully out of the car and makes her way to the front door. She lets herself in, and as such, the medical examiner looks up and blinks at her in surprise. "Jaqueline," he swallows. "I didn't realize you were coming."]

Well, my brother said you had something interesting on ice, and I thought I'd come see it for myself.

We're here for the contents in your freezer. You know what happens, Chaz.

( Stop acting like you're brand new. Is his name, Chaz? Probably not, but Max is the kind of disarming asshole that will call you anything besides your name. )

[The look that the medical examiner gives him is a deadly one, but he knows that trying to go up against the Melroux twins is a quick way to wind up dead. So he swallows the bitterness and turns, gesturing for them to follow him.

"This way."

Jaqueline waits, giving him some time to get ahead of him, and as Max moves past her, says:]

You know his name is Grady, right?

I don't know her.

( You may put the fear in people, but he definitely puts the bitch in their family name. She should love him for it at least. )

[Jaqueline snorts, before following the medical examiner the rest of the way to the body in question. And when the sheet is pulled back, the body of H is revealed, but at first, Jaqueline doesn't recognize him. He's too old, too frail.

But the clothing doesn't match how old the person looks and that's what confuses her.]

Who is this?

["I was hoping you could tell me. He had your calling card, but he doesn't match his ID." Grady tosses over the wallet and she catches it easily. Flipping it open he frowns.]

H?

Jesus H.

( His very own Law & Order moment. )

H is our age.

H looks our age. Or looked, anyway.

[She feels the need to distinguish that, given the givens.]

He was a disciple of Hallewell, remember?

[She turns back to Grady.]

Where did they find him?

["Run down motel just out of town. People who booked the room paid cash, so no idea who left him behind."]

Maybe we should pay Hallewell a visit. Find out what his lackey was up to?

( Older than the Colonies. Or just as. She's right. )

Isn't he under lock and key?

( If anyone would have access to Hallewell, it's he and his sister. They could do it. )

Maybe this is connected directly. Age a dinosaur, you age his kin he channels.

( Is it ever that simple if they're called in. )

Worth an ask.

[She nods slowly, before tipping her head to the side.]

David did snap the tether of whoever Hallewell was connected to. It could have been H.

[But they can't one hundred percent say for sure.]

Definitely worth an ask. Maybe he'll be open to some visitors.

Doesn't matter what he's open to.

( Both because Hallewell is imprisoned and he is the aforementioned dinosaur. It's not up to him. If they want to pay him a personal visit, they get to.

Outside the morgue, he hastens to add. )

Let's leave mother and father out of this until we know.

the ground could open, he could still say please

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