if she'd been covered with glitter

[maleficum]

Comments

[rehire]

Louis is to pride as you are to - anything you wear.

( She wears it, it doesn't wear her. Louis doesn't let pride overcome him, he leads with it. He's proud of his morality and mental acuity. And his math.

He slides over, tugging her around the arm of the couch. Come join him, sit beside him, bring that neck to his lips. It's been a while since he's woken up like this and woken up to someone he likes in the morning.

He hums against her, holding her there. )

How behind schedule are you?

[beanchaointe]

[She goes where she's tugged, sliding into the seat next to him, and her hands moving to his shoulders as she lets his lips wander where they please. She glances quickly at the time on her phone.]

Behind enough that there's no point in rushing.

[So she can definitely be delayed a little while longer.]

[rehire]

There's a cafe on the corner I like. Usually, I take my scone to go, but something tells me you're fun to people watch with.

( He also doesn't want to cut their time off yet. She's heading somewhere else, and he is still in the middle of several witch conspiracies he hasn't been apprised of yet. )

[beanchaointe]

I do enjoy a good scone.

[And people watching, so that works out well for everyone.]

I'll go get dressed.

[Unless he'd like to keep her preoccupied on his lap for a bit longer.]

[rehire]

( He's not a child, but there's one more passionate kiss to share, before he lets her go in favor of finding things less comfortable to wear, as does Harvey at the same time. This is a breakfast he's looking forward to. She's intriguing, new, and equal in ways he can't voice. He always liked his intellectual equals. She's moreso. A genius in her own right caught up in whatever maelstrom from the night before - one that led to a memorable morning after.

As he puts an arm through one sleeve, he asks. )

Any word on the source of the giant magic surge?

[beanchaointe]

Apparently it was a ritual gone wrong.

[At least according to the group chat. She reclaims her clothes from his bedroom floor and dresses, before checking her appearance in the mirror.]

But they managed to get it back on track so that it resolved itself. Hopefully there shouldn't be any lingering side effects.

[rehire]

Any more. ( He settles behind her, dropping a chin on her shoulder. ) You're not feeling anything else, are you? Everything is ... banshee?

[beanchaointe]

[She glances back at him curiously before raising an eyebrow.]

You mean do I sense any impending deaths?

[rehire]

Do you feel any different than usual, should I magic missile proof my penthouse?

( It's a snarky way of checking in, Lydia. But, touché, that is a thing to ask a banshee. )

... What's it like?

[beanchaointe]

[Ah.]

No, nothing like that.

[And then there's that question and she hesitates in trying to figure out how to answer it. It's long since stopped being as terrifying as it was when she first started to show signs. She doesn't find herself winding up next to dead bodies and not remembering how she got there as much as she did as a teenager. But it's still not a fun experience.]

Honestly? It's a bit like losing your mind.

[rehire]

I couldn't imagine anything worse.

( Harvey's mind is what makes him. )

Is it constant?

[beanchaointe]

[Lydia is the same. In some ways it's worse for her as a mathematician, as all of math is logic and numbers. It's one of the things that made her fall in love with it in the first place. The world could change on a dime, but numbers were constant. One plus one will always equal two.

It's hard when you can't trust your own instincts.]

No, not really. Most of the time I'm fine. But if I'm being called to a death it could start with dreams or noises or voices. When I was first learning how to control the bodies, I would get in my car to go to the drug store, and without even realizing it and not understanding how I'd got there, I'd wind up by a pool with a dead body in it instead.

[rehire]

Did the dead bodies every find you, or it was more like you found each other?

( Like always the twain shall meet. )

[beanchaointe]

There have been a few instances where I figured it out before the person was actually dead.

[She hesitates, before wincing.]

That's always frustrating, because there isn't always a way to easily avoid it. Especially if it's someone you really know well. My best friend got run through with a sword in high school and I ... I don't know what I would have done if I had to wail for her.

[The number of times she's almost screamed for Allison are too many.]

[rehire]

Allison Argent?

( With his shady introduction having been massaged by his real alliance with David and Ezra, he still reminds himself he's been at the Colony's beck and call, courtesy of Jessica's take no prisoners attitude. "It's not about what we believe our clients to be, it's about what's best for our clients." )

[beanchaointe]

That's the one.

[It's also not uncommon knowledge, so it doesn't bother her that he calls it out. There are certain things they keep private though, so part of her is curious how much he actually knows.]

She survived, obviously. But for a little while it was touch and go.

[rehire]

She was run through with a sword. Most don't survive impalement.

( But Allison is a different breed. )

[beanchaointe]

She got very lucky.

[Allison is tough and a survivor, but Lydia also believes in luck and that her best friend has it in spades.]

She continues to get lucky. And one day, I worry that luck is going to run out.

[rehire]

She's a hunter. It comes with the territory. You're a good friend to want the best for her and to want her safe.

( He admires Lydia. Her loyalty, her worry, her intellect. Basically, her mind. )

[beanchaointe]

I try, anyway. I can't stop her from doing what she thinks is right. When that happens, the best thing you can do is go along with it and hope they don't get themselves killed.

[Or, in the case of Stiles, if they do get killed, they somehow come back.]

[rehire]

She wouldn't stop you, either. None of you would. You kids have a loyalty the likes I haven't seen before.

( But, he's a cold-blooded lawyer, isn't he? Kids is a stretch, but. She's younger than him. He'd guess over a decade. )

[beanchaointe]

[She raises an eyebrow and because he opened the door, she has to ask:]

Because of your profession or because of the witches you work with?

[It's a valid question.]

[rehire]

Because of my profession. I stay loyal to my clients - and to the firm.

( For the most part. He's learned that Mike's bleeding heart rubs off on him, but representing the Colony has also stunted that part of him and it drives a small wedge between them. )

[beanchaointe]

I take it that your clients don't necessarily stay loyal to you?

[This seems to be something that's important to him, and honestly that's something Lydia vibes with. Loyalty is important, and she appreciates that in a potential partner.]

[rehire]

My clients either do what I say, or say damn it all to hell and do what they want. And sometimes, that screws me over. But, I do my damnedest to make sure a client stays in line.

( Sometimes that's where Mike comes in. )

Other clients... are loyal themselves and only themselves. You learn that the hard way and become their enforcer. Legally. I don't care what cured Elena Gilbert in Mystic Falls. But my clients were sure as hell curious.