everyonelives | coming at you fast, midnight

( In the doorway, Allison situates her bag, waiting for Sam to join her. )

If. It's three hundred years back. But, if anyone can.

( It's the combined efforts of Elena and Damon (and maybe Mary and Bobby, and Rowena.) )

Guess we'll hit the books. And you guys?

["Are going to see a witch about a favor," Sam says as he catches up. He nods to Dean as well. "Text us if you find anything?"]

( "You too. And Sam. Things go south, you get out of there."

With that, Dean maps out the beginnings of a plan to find what they need and how, and Sam and Allison take a drive to the general store in town.

Allison pulls her bag out of the backseat. )

Thank you for coming with me. I actually trust him, but if he needs protection this much it makes me feel better you'll have my back while I have his.

I'll always have your back.

[He grabs his own kit, and they make their way over to the door, where David is currently lounging, waiting for Allison to arrive. He glances up at the sound of footsteps, and blinks when he sees Sam.

"Brought a friend?"]

I'd rather have two people watching my back, but that's just me.

( She hasn't had the time to unpack almost dying. Part of bringing Sam with her is because the last time she went without him, she was shot point blank and Klaus Mikaelson saved her life. (A favor she or Malia still owes. It's not clear.) )

Did you want to call it off just because Sam is here?

No.

[But to be clear:]

He's just not getting an extra favor from me. Whatever he's owed, it's coming from you.

[Fortunately for Allison, Sam isn't looking for anything from her that she isn't already giving.]

So. Let's go over the plan.

[Because he's not reckless, he does have one. He walks past the both of them and spreads the map out on the hood of Sam's car.]

We are breaking into an old storage reliquary. And by old I mean abandoned, and by abandoned, I mean in the middle of the most God-forsaken swamp in the Florida marshlands.

( It's hers. Fine. She settles on the other side of map, peering down. She nods. Bayou, part two, apparently. She promises not to get shot this time. She doesn't dare ask what he's getting, that's not how favors work. So, she asks the relevant questions. )

What do you need to be protected from?

All kinds of fun things. But most of them feral.

[He taps on the spot on the map.]

I've been there before, but it's wrapped in enough warding spells that you can't just pop in unless the Inner Circle wants you to. If you have to go the long way, you have to take a boat through a space where not only have all kinds of fun cryptids claimed it as their territory - your lindworms, your bromeliads, an occasional swamp hag -

["So things mostly just minding their own business, but get hungry just like anything else."

David nods.]

But also, the Ivory Tower has a deal with the Colony going back a while, where they use the swamp to make vampires they're having problems with disappear. Instead of burying them or staking them or ripping out their hearts like normal people, they drop them into the swamp and leave them to rot. They'll even let them keep their daylight rings, just to show them how charitable they are.

[David's voice says they're not charitable.]

The game is if you make your way out of the swamp, you've earned your freedom and have been punished enough. Most of them don't make it out. And before you start to feel sorry for them or think you can save them, don't. They're completely feral and have been making due on whatever they can get their hands on in the swamp, so if they get even a sniff of human blood - they'll tear you apart before you can try and reason with them. But, last count, there were only a couple left, so if we're lucky, we won't run into them at all.

So, bloodthirsty cryptids and out-of-their minds vampires.

( He needs protection, maybe even more than Sam and Allison. )

Where do we start on that map? I don't see any usable doors.

I already set up the boat rental down here.

[He taps a small inlet that's a bit closer to civilization.]

I'll open a door to the rental shop, and then we'll go from there. Once we get to the reliquary and get what we need, I can use the door there to get us back here. Hopefully we will be in and out because I have a dinner date.

[Sam glances over to Allison to make sure she's good to move forward. Most of the things he mentioned are easy enough to just avoid. Bromeliads are stationary plants, lindworms are more scared of you than you are of them, and swamp hags ... well the swamp hags might be a problem.

Either way, the vampires are the biggest of those problems, so hopefully David's right, and they can avoid.]

Okay. And then, we're square.

( Favor done. She needed to get to New Orleans. She almost died for it.

It feels full circle that David is taking her into the swamps of Florida. While she can handle herself, she's happy Sam is there with her. Because this feels like more than a two person job. )

Is there anything that might block your magic once we get there?

My magic specifically? No. I know my way around the wards well enough, I just can't do it from afar.

["So no anti-witch charms as part of the package?"

David laughs.]

No. And most people have forgotten this place exists, so it has that going for it too.

Just trying to get an idea of what we have on our side.

( There's defending the defenseless and there's defending someone who is capable of defending themselves. If anything happens, he has their back. Mutually assured protection is what she's after, especially now that Sam has joined. )

[Oh, yes, he's not looking to have a dead head of the Argent family on her hands. He's going to do his best to get all three of them out alive.]

Then yeah. Me magic, you two brute force. Together, we'll hopefully get out of there with minimal blood spilt.

So ...

[He steps back and reaches for the door.]

Shall we?

( With one last look at Sam, Allison holds the strap to her bag, ready for what's in store. Or, as ready as she'll ever be. She's not looking forward to bloodthirsty mindless vampires. )

Open the door.

[David nods, and does as requested. Instead of opening the general store, he opens it to the view of a dock and the brackish water of the swamp, as well as the hint of boats bobbing just out of view.]

After you. Literally, the door's going to close once I go through it.

[Sam shrugs, before moving to follow behind Allison.]

( Allison goes first, attempting her perception check (2), but the step through throws her off and she doesn't know where she should be looking. She's also concerned with Sam and David following her, so she looks back instead of giving her surroundings the once-over. Join her, won't you. )

[Yep, Sam's right behind her, stepping through to sweep his eyes over the dock and make sure there isn't any sign of trouble. And David is not long after him, coming to a stop and shutting the door behind him and their entrance becomes a normal rental shop door.]

I'm going to go grab the boat. I'll be right back.

[And as David heads into the rental shop, Sam turns back to her. "Good so far?"]

Yes. Good. Ask me two seconds into our favor.

( Swamps are gross, but she's a professional. )

Are you good?

[He nods, slowly.]

Bromeliads are pretty stationary, so as long as we stay out of reach they won't eat us, and lindworms are more scared of us than we are of them, they just happen to be big. So honestly, the worst we'll have to worry about out there is the vamps and a potential swamp hag.

I was going to pretend I knew what those were but I was definitely in a shoot first, educate myself later place.

( That's just between her and Sam. )

Are they plants?

Bromeliads are, yeah. Have you seen Little Shop of Horrors?

[Sam is not a musical guy but he knows enough to recognize Audrey Two on sight.]

Kind of like that, but they don't talk and they have a sap that knocks you unconscious so it can pull you in and slowly digest you.

The one with Rick Moranis?

( Yes. Thank Aunt Kate's sadistic streak. )

... Got it. So, we've entered Jumanji. Robin Williams, not the Rock.

[He nods because yeah - that's accurate enough.]

Lindworms are like big snakes with spikes. They also usually come in pairs - they mate for life. It's kind of sweet.

[Nerd. You've staked your claim on a nerd, Allison, the narration hopes you realize.]

You like the penguin exhibits too, don't you? Lobsters?

( Happy, sixtieth anniversary couples? She takes everything in, though, ready for their journey to begin. )

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