( Sierra and Jaqueline tipped their hand. She knows better than to think there's a different way out at this juncture. Her efforts weren't paying off and priorities change. She's never had a problem shifting with the wind. Though, she usually is the wind.
Her dummy residence is under Talia's name, a cipher who happened to crawl out of very little history in New York, but who has roots in Baltimore, so that everyone stays together. It's not up to par with what the Colony would expect from Sierra, or Jaqueline for that matter. She's survived this long because she kept her and Jaqueline's connection from everyone else, especially their parents.
Some like it high profile and had no choice, David. Jaqueline liked to tow her parents' party line but she made sure not to color inside the lines. She gets away with it because of who her father is and because she gets results. Max is the golden child, hardly ever making a single ripple. Max has always been a factor in Jaqueline's and Sierra's plans. Sierra isn't looking to betray the woman she loves. But, she knows what war comes down to, and while she hasn't said it out loud, she knows that eventually everyone is going to come down on a side. And Max is the wildcard. Loyal to his family crest with the smallest footprint of his own. Low-impact. But, you stay low impact when your gift is charisma. As opposed to fear.
Apparently, he and his sister really are the two sides of the Machiavelli coin.
Surprised, Sierra does her very best to tighten her reaction, as she closes the front door behind herself and locks it (13). She pulls off her shoes, setting them by the door. )
Hard to stick to pleasantries when there's a coup on the agenda.
( Barefoot, and 5'3" without her black chunky pumps, she joins David by the couch, drops down beside him and claps a hand to his knee. )
( Caring about what happens to her, and Sierra, is different than caring about her. Sometimes, Sierra feels like the only one of their set looking out for her. Her brother's care is built-in and sometimes it's in question, but only because Sierra has trouble trusting everybody.
But, Sierra still liked David. The four of them were something when they were younger. Menaces of the same mind who met up several times during the year, sometimes more frequently during Max and Jaq's breaks from boarding school. )
I know we weren't exactly trained to be equipped for it, but don't we all?
[Isn't it a basic human need that you want to be happy? They weren't trained to think that way, but he's not unaware of the fact that they all probably could use a lot of therapy.]
Or at least being able to steal moments of happiness while we have them.
( She steals her moments. She steals more than that.
Their upbringing equipped them differently. She doesn't believe her parents would invoke a demon to get what they want, but she also wasn't sic'ed on others like an attack dog. She didn't take after her mother or her father. She was just Sierra, heir apparent. Not taught or equipped, just expected. )
I may not have been back when you finally resurfaced ( she only heard bits and pieces from afar and then the whole story from Jaqueline ) but there was a consensus out there. You found it.
( She doesn't know Ezra, but she can tell he makes David - if not better, brighter. David is twisted and wry and dark, but that darkness met Ezra's light, or so said the staff and her confidantes. She had a knack for getting the help on her side in all households. She still used it to her advantage.
[His wedding was a bit of a stressful blur, that he didn't really come down from until he and Ezra were alone and he was sure it hadn't become a Red Wedding.]
I don't remember much of my wedding. Don't tell my husband.
( Like the well-studied power-hungry witch she is was (debatable), Sierra is will versed in how intertwined a possessor and possessee can become, where the length of time a possession lasts can make it harder to delineate between who is at the wheel. Where your own actions bleed into that which you thought you'd never do. )
That's a lot coming from a Gainor.
( Moreso, considering the new reality the heirs find themselves in. )
[Sometimes he likes to think about what would have happened if Jaqueline had never come get him that day, and he and Ezra were able to just live out their lives and the rest of their relationship in that apartment. It's a pipe dream, and he knows it, but it's a nice fantasy to have sometimes.]
( She sees it in his eyes, has seen it for years, from the sidelines, from afar. Never close enough to affect anything, not until she came in from the cold. )
And so's he. I don't know who he had before you, if anyone, but I can tell you they didn't hold a candle.
( She was never against him, his family, or even the Knightsbridge coven. She was out for herself. And Jaq. What they could do for each other, and everyone. But, this is a new phase. )
Do you ever think about it? How we were brought up?
[Sometimes all he can do is think about it, and how much he wishes things would change. How much he wishes he was able to be a child rather than a soldier. That his teenage and college years weren't stolen by a demon at his parents' request.]
( Disappearing, if they're being more accurate, but the joke lingers between them, as do the years of separation and the difference in circumstances. )
Made an attempt once. Didn't work out. But ... maybe if we make it out of this alive, I'll try again.
[Just take Ezra and disappear for a little while. Granted, they won't really be able to - they'll have a coven to whip into shape - but it's a nice dream.]
Not just you and Jaq. You'll probably have Max too.
[He's kidding. Mostly.]
I don't think that you can do worse than the way the Inner Circle has been handling it. I'm willing to bet you'd have at least one hundred percent less possession.
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everyonelives2023-03-16 09:07 pm
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Her dummy residence is under Talia's name, a cipher who happened to crawl out of very little history in New York, but who has roots in Baltimore, so that everyone stays together. It's not up to par with what the Colony would expect from Sierra, or Jaqueline for that matter. She's survived this long because she kept her and Jaqueline's connection from everyone else, especially their parents.
Some like it high profile and had no choice, David. Jaqueline liked to tow her parents' party line but she made sure not to color inside the lines. She gets away with it because of who her father is and because she gets results. Max is the golden child, hardly ever making a single ripple. Max has always been a factor in Jaqueline's and Sierra's plans. Sierra isn't looking to betray the woman she loves. But, she knows what war comes down to, and while she hasn't said it out loud, she knows that eventually everyone is going to come down on a side. And Max is the wildcard. Loyal to his family crest with the smallest footprint of his own. Low-impact. But, you stay low impact when your gift is charisma. As opposed to fear.
Apparently, he and his sister really are the two sides of the Machiavelli coin.
Surprised, Sierra does her very best to tighten her reaction, as she closes the front door behind herself and locks it (13). She pulls off her shoes, setting them by the door. )
Hard to stick to pleasantries when there's a coup on the agenda.
( Barefoot, and 5'3" without her black chunky pumps, she joins David by the couch, drops down beside him and claps a hand to his knee. )
...Thank you?
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[They were his best friends. They were all he had for so long before Ezra, and even if he has Ezra now that doesn't mean they mean less.]
I'm glad you're happy. At least, it seems like you two are happy. Always kind of hard to tell with Jaq.
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But, Sierra still liked David. The four of them were something when they were younger. Menaces of the same mind who met up several times during the year, sometimes more frequently during Max and Jaq's breaks from boarding school. )
Is that what you think I wanted? Happiness?
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[Isn't it a basic human need that you want to be happy? They weren't trained to think that way, but he's not unaware of the fact that they all probably could use a lot of therapy.]
Or at least being able to steal moments of happiness while we have them.
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Their upbringing equipped them differently. She doesn't believe her parents would invoke a demon to get what they want, but she also wasn't sic'ed on others like an attack dog. She didn't take after her mother or her father. She was just Sierra, heir apparent. Not taught or equipped, just expected. )
I may not have been back when you finally resurfaced ( she only heard bits and pieces from afar and then the whole story from Jaqueline ) but there was a consensus out there. You found it.
( She doesn't know Ezra, but she can tell he makes David - if not better, brighter. David is twisted and wry and dark, but that darkness met Ezra's light, or so said the staff and her confidantes. She had a knack for getting the help on her side in all households. She still used it to her advantage.
Maybe they could. )
No thanks to your parents.
( She waits. )
You know I was there at your wedding.
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[His wedding was a bit of a stressful blur, that he didn't really come down from until he and Ezra were alone and he was sure it hadn't become a Red Wedding.]
I don't remember much of my wedding. Don't tell my husband.
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( She'd rather he hadn't seen her. )
But, I couldn't not be there. I had to know who won your hand.
( Who beat out the political alliance that was dead in the water the minute his parents had him possessed. )
I tried to find you after they did what they did.
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Thank you.
[But the demon made a point of making himself hard to find. He wasn't going to make it easy.]
The effort counts, to me at least.
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( Ezra. She assumes, his family. Of course he'd want to get in good with other covens. She can only guess the demon's master plan. )
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[The demon was looking to fuck with Ezra's mother, but didn't count on Damian Jericho being tasked with reclaiming the wayward Colony heir.]
It was one of those situations where you aren't sure how to trust anyone, but you have no choice at the same time? But he never made me regret it.
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iswas (debatable), Sierra is will versed in how intertwined a possessor and possessee can become, where the length of time a possession lasts can make it harder to delineate between who is at the wheel. Where your own actions bleed into that which you thought you'd never do. )That's a lot coming from a Gainor.
( Moreso, considering the new reality the heirs find themselves in. )
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[Sometimes he likes to think about what would have happened if Jaqueline had never come get him that day, and he and Ezra were able to just live out their lives and the rest of their relationship in that apartment. It's a pipe dream, and he knows it, but it's a nice fantasy to have sometimes.]
Hopefully he'll keep not making me regret it.
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( She sees it in his eyes, has seen it for years, from the sidelines, from afar. Never close enough to affect anything, not until she came in from the cold. )
And so's he. I don't know who he had before you, if anyone, but I can tell you they didn't hold a candle.
( Couldn't. )
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Guess not. And on some level that's a little concerning.
[Because David is a mess on a good day.]
But I'm not going to complain about it either.
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( Or, in her case, just past, but, semantics, David. )
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I guess we better be, if we're looking to take down the Inner Circle.
[Best not give them anything additional to use against them.]
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( She was never against him, his family, or even the Knightsbridge coven. She was out for herself. And Jaq. What they could do for each other, and everyone. But, this is a new phase. )
Do you ever think about it? How we were brought up?
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[Sometimes all he can do is think about it, and how much he wishes things would change. How much he wishes he was able to be a child rather than a soldier. That his teenage and college years weren't stolen by a demon at his parents' request.]
Probably should try therapy or something.
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( Disappearing, if they're being more accurate, but the joke lingers between them, as do the years of separation and the difference in circumstances. )
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Made an attempt once. Didn't work out. But ... maybe if we make it out of this alive, I'll try again.
[Just take Ezra and disappear for a little while. Granted, they won't really be able to - they'll have a coven to whip into shape - but it's a nice dream.]
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( A girl can dream, as light as she's making it. )
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[He's kidding. Mostly.]
I don't think that you can do worse than the way the Inner Circle has been handling it. I'm willing to bet you'd have at least one hundred percent less possession.
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( With her guard down, she lets a smile form, missing the playful quality she used to have. They were all close once. Maybe they can be again. )
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Exactly. So as long as you stick with that, I'm sure you'll figure it out.
[But she also shouldn't take any of this too seriously. He's a bit too responsible to burn something down not to rebuild it himself.
He may take a small vacation though.]
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( The corporate side of rebuilding a coven. )
We're coming out on top.
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