coming at you fast, midnight

[cosmiccon]

Comments

[indurare]

[Oh. She can see the concern. Stefan does have a tendency to indulge a little too much when the moment doesn't call for it. She steps aside, inviting Buffy to come inside.]

Damon told me that it was boys only last night. Unfortunately, I wasn't invited.

[That said, she tends to be one to keep an eye on the news, just in case:]

But I've also heard no word of bodies so violently sundered that their heads have been separated from their shoulders, so I don't think you have a ripper to worry about. Simply an evening bender that might have gotten a little out of hand. If that helps.

[attainathons]

( She makes her way inside, listening. No, she knew it was 'boys only' as well. )

It half-helps?

( She also doesn't want a bender-boyfriend even though she said she was bender-friendly. )

I told him I was fine. Now I'm the uncool girlfriend checking with my boyfriend's friends if they've seen him. I knew last night would at least be bender-adjacent.

( Her benders began and ended with laced beer in college. )

I'm not stuffy and I like a good party, not not when said party doesn't end or ends with a dead phone or, worse, dead dust.

( To be fair, Stefan's body would desiccate, but semantics don't matter if the semantics lead to her boyfriend dead. She's overreacting, but Damon was also with him which again, equals dead when you count 2 + 2. )

[indurare]

I understand. And I assure you, that after all those boys have been through, they can handle a small night out.

[But given that they weren't the only ones out together, Melanie holds up a finger and goes to knock on one of the other doors in the suite.]

But Rhett was with them, so I'm sure that he'll be able to answer any questions you have. Rhett, darling? Are you in there?

[It takes a few seconds, before Scarlett emerges, coiffed for the day. "Rhett hasn't been home yet. Apparently the boys have decided to pretend their children again." It's clear that she disapproves.]

[attainathons]

( She's more worried about what the night brings on, if not because they're vampires, because they're vampires with reputations. Melanie has it in hand at least and knocks on the shared suite door. )

Rhett didn't make it back either? Is that like him?

[prettyclothes]

Depends on how things are between us, but I had thought things were going well.

[Scarlett pauses in the mirror to check her hair before turning back to Buffy.]

We haven't even had so much of a bicker recently.

[attainathons]

What are the odds three vampires just got that drunk. I had mystical beer once. My cell phone was the last thing I thought of.

( But, that was a different time. She feels like she's grasping at straws of hope. )

[indurare]

[Scarlett and Melanie share a glance, because while Rhett did like his whisky, he's been more moderate since he's become a vampire. It tends to depend on what they've been through, but Rhett's been in a good place.

He shouldn't have been getting completely hammered.

Scarlett goes for her phone, and Melanie reaches for hers at the same time. They both try to call their respective men. Rhett's goes straight to voicemail. But Damon's rings ... and rings ... and rings ... until:

"Not sure who you're trying to get love, but if ya find him, let him know he left his phone at the pub."

Melanie rubs her forehead.]

What pub is this? I can come and retrieve it.

["American. Go figure. Yeah, it's at The Last Drop."]

Thank you. We'll be right there.

[She hangs up before turning back to the rest.]

Damon left his phone in a bar called The Last Drop. If that's the last place the group was seen, it seems like it's where we should start.

[attainathons]

I like having a place to start. Let's pass GO, shall we?

( It feels apt, considering they're rounding the board behind their respective... well, Scarlett's and her boyfriend and Melanie's -- chemistry friend. Damon and Melanie are familiar and they definitely made eyes at one another. Even a blind person would've been able to see. Had they... been right there next to the chemistry. )

[indurare]

Yes, let's.

[She leads the way out of the hotel room, and they head down to the pub. Melanie gratefully takes charge of Damon's phone, and checks it to see if there are any messages on the lock screen that might give her an idea of what happened.]

[attainathons]

( Without Damon's face, Melanie can only see icon thumbnails and brief names. Several instagram tags, several messages she can't read, but she does see a Lindsay and a Beckford, as well as a voicemail from Alaric. Unfortunately, none of these messages can be unlocked or read.

There is, curiouser, a timer counting down at the top, indicating Damon or someone began it, and there are 24 hours left as it flips from 24:01 to 23:59.

Separately, Buffy tries to find the woman who answered Damon's phone at the bar. Is it the bartender she flags down? )

Excuse me.

[indurare]

[Melanie glances over to Scarlett, trying to make sense of what she can see.]

Lindsay and Beckford - those names sound familiar.

["Not ringing a bell - oh! That was the girl, wasn't it? The one Damon picked up on his way out?"

Melanie doesn't think that feels quite right, but while they're trying to sort that out, the bartender strolls over. "What can I do for ya, love?"]

[attainathons]

I think my boyfriend and his brother were here last night? Stefan or Damon Salvatore? One has impeccably gelled hair and a quiet swagger and the other one has a smolder that makes you kind of want to punch him in the face?

( Wait, she turns back. )

Damon picked up a girl? You two were at guys' night?

[indurare]

Not colloquially. He mentioned that a friend of his had arrived in town and she intended to join them for drinks.

[Melanie has a feeling that the woman's handsome fiance would take offense if it had been any other way.

But the bartender nods slowly, at the description. "Yeah, I remember them. The four got pulled in for a shots with one of the regulars."]

[attainathons]

( Buffy knows better than to question Damon having friends. He had always found a certain personality to ally himself with, from what Stefan's told her, even if the original bromance, Alaric and Damon soured. )

Is there any chance you can give us that regular's name? They're missing. They haven't checked in all day and we're all a bit wigged out. ( (16) for persuasion. )

[prettyclothes]

[The bartender doesn't seem convinced (18). In fact, she almost seems a bit suspicious that Buffy is asking these questions.

"Sorry, love. Don't know her that well."

Scarlett raises an eyebrow before striding forward and leaning against the bar, attempting to compel a more helpful answer out of her.]

Oh, I think you know her better than you think. We promise, we'll be friendly.

[The bartender blinks, and her eyes immediately glaze over, as though she isn't prepared for the onslaught (12 vs. 1). "Lorden Wallis. Lives up the road a ways. She poured them all into an uber sometime last night."

She then blinks and stumbles backwards, away from Scarlett. "Oh, bloody vampires. Get the fuck out of my bar."]

[attainathons]

Anything else we need to know? You like vampires, you should get a load of what a slayer can do.

( She intimidates well when she wants to, but this is serious, especially if this barkeep is aware of the supernatural. She is not fucking around. (18) )

[prettyclothes]

Don't want to be compelled, sweetheart, either be more cooperative or start taking your vervain.

[The woman rolls her eyes. "I'm allergic to vervain, ya twat. So I can't take it, or wear it, I just have to suffer when you people can't seem to mind your own business. And I'm not telling you anything else."

A hand reaches under the bar and she comes back up with a shotgun, that she cocks.

"Unless, of course, you want to waste precious time picking wood shavings out of uncomfortable places. As for you, blondie - " Who she does seem a bit intimidated by, but she's standing her ground (11). " - you should get yourself a better class of friends. That's the only thing you seem to be missing."]

[attainathons]

I'm also missing one boyfriend, but we'll take what we got. Lorden Wallis?

( She doesn't wait for a response as she leaves the barkeep to her shotgun, hoping the ladies follow her out.

Outside, she tries orienting herself. )

Which way do you think is up a-ways and a which is down?

[prettyclothes]

[Scarlett tips her head to the side as she looks up and down the street. The unfortunate part about compulsion is that you lose the clues that come with natural gestures.]

Perhaps we ask someone else, now that we've got more information than when we started? I'm sure if we offer a name, they'll be more - oh! There he is.

[Scarlett points across the street to where Beckford is striding towards them.]

The paramour of Damon's lady friend.

[A statement of garbled Southern sentiment, but still accurate.]

[telegraphs]

( Someone else woke up in a haze. He's blacked out before, but not since college. He's behind on the 'M' part of the IA for the day, thinking his lady is out doing whatever... she's doing. But, he looks up from his phone after not getting a message back. His sunglasses don't hide his hangover. )

Ladies. Buffy. ( He smiles, happy she's joined them. ) Are we all riding out our hangovers together, today?

[prettyclothes]

Not exactly. We seem to have misplaced Rhett and the Salvatores. Have you heard from your fiancee lately?

[From the way he's looking at his phone, she's going to guess the answer to that is "no."]

[telegraphs]

I haven't, but I assume she slept it off like me and went down for a pint.

( She's right, the way his eyebrows pinch behind his glasses, he's expecting a reply. )

Misplaced?

[prettyclothes]

Didn't return to the hotel and not answering their phones. In fact, Damon left his at this charming pub.

[She's lying about it's being charming. It's not charming. The bartender was rude and threatened to shoot her.]

[telegraphs]

That's -- ( He removes his sunglasses with a huff. ) defo not promising.

( He calls Lindsay this time. )

Straight to voicemail.

[prettyclothes]

They do this on television all the time. Can someone put something into a computer and summon a location?

[She's truly trying to be helpful but she has no idea how computers work.]