the ground could open, he could still say please

[slavophile]

Comments

[vampireboulevard]

Giving up isn't really my style.

[Once you've got her, she's in it for the long haul.]

You'll be okay, Stiles. I know being a vampire is a lot, but we'll figure it out. You're not in this alone. But I'll let you know once I know what the travel situation is.

[And she's very curious to meet this partner of his too. But with that said and done, she makes her way back into the library where she (11), Elena (1 - she's late to the party and still catching up on what they're actually looking for), Mary (20) and Sam (12) are hard at work digging into the witch research.]

[matriarchate]

( Caroline returns and the group hits the books. Allison and Katherine hit the Men of Letters' version of the jackpot (which doesn't help so much in the now, but gives them more information in the then). In Allison's case, she has been well-versed in research. Katherine happens to be reading the right chapter. She literally flipped through and chose one. )

The Gauntlet, it originates with the coven calling themselves the Colony, right?

( The thirteen Colonies, etc. She double checks. )

This says that the Colony goes back farther. The Colony is a coven that broke off from their original coven. The Knightsbridge coven.

( "Like Bonnie's witch," Katherine says, tilting her book up because she's also found something. "This one says the Knightsbridge coven gave as good as they get and then some. The Colony, Knightsbridge, a few other lesser covens they don't have information on. It involved all of them." She drops her book. "And I used to like a good bloodbath." )

[vampireboulevard]

Tell me about it. These Men of Letters guys were really good at reading the obituaries.

[Caroline pushes one of the journals into the middle of the table.]

This one is just pages of names of people who were killed in the process. It's like Ripper Stefan on steriods, and I'm not even sure they actually killed them.

[cholesterol]

Same. Except, I got names and their accusers, plus another name. Guessing their judge, jury, and pyre lighter.

( He tosses his book onto the pile.

"I found old Garfield comics in mine," Bobby says. "Arbuckle is a sorry patient sonuvabitch." )

[imnot_likeyou]

["Sounds better then what I've got. Seems like this guy was just tracking the weather." Elena did not find the right books.

Sam looks up from his own notes and sighs.]

So it seems like Knightsbridge's white hat persona came later, but we can't tell how real it is. From what I remember about the reports from London, it seems like they shut everyone in so that hunters and witches went out together, rather than allowing people to escape.

[Granted, it was at the hands of a distraught teenage girl, but that's neither here nor there.]

[matriarchate]

( "Sounds like they have a hat collection," Dean says.

Allison sits up straighter, recounting what she learned from Cooper once he joined their side. )

My contact said it was more like a summit. Isaac tried to broker peace between everyone. It was someone's hair trigger that initially caused everything. After that, witches and hunters were all trapped inside a set perimeter, which sounds more like it was done on the fly.

[notwitty]

Yes. By a grieving teenager who didn't entirely think it through.

[Oh look, Isaac and Bonnie are finally here.]

I'm not saying she made the right choice, but I can't say that I would have done anything different if my parents were good people and had just been murdered in front of me.

[Looks at the research party and frowns.]

Why are we talking about London?

[matriarchate]

( "Call it an overlap," Dean says, sitting back. )

It came up.

( "You've missed a lot," Katherine says, rather unhelpfully. "There's a Gauntlet. Also, Elena's a weather forecaster and the old guy likes Garfield."

"I found Garfield. Whoever looked at this last liked the funny's." Bobby says.

"We know," Bonnie says. "About the Gauntlet. How do you know about the Gauntlet?" She sets her bag down on the table after approaching. )

[vampireboulevard]

That's what the weird eighties lady said. Apparently, Mary learned about some of the details from her old family journals.

[She looks up with one of those charming Caroline Forbes smiles.]

It's bad. Like Spanish Inquisition bad. Is that what David wanted to talk to you about?

[moralitypolice]

( She nods.

She sits beside Caroline while Ryan moves behind Caroline, peering over at the book she'd been reading. )

That's it. It hasn't been thrown yet, they need to inform all the heirs and Sierra is missing. Sierra, from Prague and New Orleans. She made the first attempt at the Knightsbridge store.

( Dot connecting with Bonnie Bennett. )

They think Danny and his entire family are dead so we have that to our advantage. But, he has to make a choice. Make a play for his own coven's magic and put a target on his back, or leave it behind completely and we ... come up with something else. He's taking the week.

( And talking it over with Lizzie. )

Did you learn anything else?

[vampireboulevard]

Well, we found out that the Knightsbridge coven spawned the Colony. Also that Knightsbridge may not be as white hat as they claim to be and they gave as good as they got when it came to the last Gauntlet.

[She makes a face.]

And that these Men of Letters guys really kept track of dead people. But! We had a thought that maybe there might be something in the Bennett grimmoires? Because it wasn't just the Inquisition, they think that the Salem witch trials were part of it too.

[moralitypolice]

( No coven is as innocent as they seem. Being a witch is more than blessing the moon. Bonnie learned that early. If witches aren't brought into supernatural business, they're brought into each other's. Or manipulated. Or, defending themselves. )

I don't know. Most of what is in the Grimoire is magic-related, but there are records if you think there's something we could learn from it. Is the list down?

( "List's down according to VampBI," Dean says. He's not trying to start something. "Coast should be safe to go there and come back," he says. But they're not there, so he doesn't know. He wouldn't recommend staying. )

[vampireboulevard]

I have to check in with Stiles in person anyway. And maybe the Armory has something on the Colony? We could swing through and see Tyler and Liv.

[It's a very important fact-finding mission.]

We can wait a couple days just be sure.

[Dean may not be trying to start something, but Lydia can already feel her patience waning. "Can I come with? I feel like I might be more useful out of the bunker." A beat. "Also, what's the Armory?"]

[matriarchate]

( "It's the Men of Letters," Ryan says, familiar with it after being around for months.

"He's right. They keep records like this, they house artifacts, they track the supernatural. Just - less patriarchal." Is she sending that in the Winchesters' direction? Maybe. She gives an indication to Lydia that of course she can come.

"There's no 'Women Keep Out' sign," Dean say. "Mom was in the Men of Letters." Granted, she was isolated and brainwashed for her efforts, but that is irrelevant to this conversation. )

Checking The Armory and the Bennett grimoire sounds like a good next step.

( Allison interrupts, holding the proceedings together. "Lydia should go with you." She sees you, sister. If only because she is also a supernatural Geiger counter, so she will be able to alert the group to prevent another -- well, prevent any of the other attacks. In theory. Allison wishes she could go, too, but Sam is staying and she is higher profile than some of them. Dean is a pill, but he is Sam's brother. Making an effort is what she's always done since high school. She also has work to do. )

In the meantime, I'll give it a few days and make contact with David.

( They all need to work together on this. )

[notwitty]

Be careful, with David.

[Isaac points out only because he knows that Allison still owes him a favor, at least to Isaac's knowledge.]

I know you gave him rules but the playing field has changed. A lot.

[David may be looking out for a kid, but Allison is a full grown power player in her own right, and he might not be as courteous.

Sam blinks, before looking over at Allison. "What's he talking about?"]

[matriarchate]

( Thank you, Isaac. )

David got us to New Orleans. I needed to be there.

( There's more, her look says. )

It wasn't a favor and he might want to collect. I can handle him.

[phonetically]

( Caroline doesn't blink, welcoming him back into the fold, and he's reminded of how loyalty feels. When you ride with someone like Scott McCall, your bar for loyalty is set higher, but Caroline reaches it with no problem.

As he promised, he scrolls down one contact back to Cora, dialing her number again. )

[impetere]

[And as promised, she does answer. Takes a couple rings, but when she sees Stiles' name, she swipes to answer.]

Hey. How'd it go with Caroline?

[phonetically]

( Hale's are notoriously difficult to get ahold of. )

She may be the most forgiving vampire - no - person on the planet. She understand I needed what I needed. We're meeting in Mystic Falls in a few days.

( He's not back, but he's not AWOL. )

[impetere]

Good. That's good.

[That he's taking steps to handle his vampire-ness whatever that may be.]

Of all the vampire mentors to get, sounds like you got a good one.

[phonetically]

I mean, she gives new meaning to the word energy.

( He laughs at his own joke, but it does feel good to almost be on even footing again. He just needed to get his head on straight? He doesn't know. )

Any chance forgiveness is catching?

[impetere]

Maybe.

[Her tone says yes though - or more accurately, her tone says there isn't really any forgiveness to give. She's mostly teasing. But she's also still giving him his space.

What she doesn't know, however, is how to ask him what he wants - if this is back to friendship, or she wasn't mistaking things and there was something else there.]

Maybe, when you have a chance, you could come down to New Orleans. I'll give you a tour.

[And maybe talking about this in person, when she can read his chemosignals and listen to his heartbeat and yes that may be cheating, but she's a werewolf. That's how she best knows how to read someone's intent.]

[phonetically]

After Mystic Falls. I have some frequent flyer miles I was going to use to see Scott in LA, but, Mystic Falls detoured us all.

( And then the doxxing. )

Yeah, yeah, show me New Orleans.

[impetere]

Okay.

[Good. Then maybe they can finally figure this out.]

Text me the flight details and I'll come pick you up.

[phonetically]

People actually do that, they pick their friends up from the airport? I thought it was something everyone even asked for but nobody ever actually offered. Like, that's the main Uber and Lyft business. So, yeah. I will. I'll be there.

( He will keep his promise this time unless plot comes up. And with that, he hangs up. )