perpetual anticipation is good for the soul but it's bad for the heart

[maxxx]

Comments

[impetere]

[Cora accepts his apology. She gets that figuring out all the vamp stuff threw his head for a loop and he needed to get some space.

She has a harder time with the plane ticket.

It's not that she doesn't appreciate the gesture, and see that he is making an effort to try and connect with her. And she talks with Josh about it as she tries to sort through those feelings, and comes to the conclusion that there's no reason not to go and being the third wheel on Derek's current romance is not fun, especially not since Malia left to go back to Beacon Hills.

But she does know that some members (Malia) of current social group (Derek) might squint at this a little too hard if she told them the full truth so doesn't tell them the truth: she says she's going to DC, but she blames it on Peter.

(Peter agrees to be her scapegoat for the low, low price of a favor to be determined later.)

So after packing up her things and heading to the airport, she doesn't start having real second thoughts until she was already on the plane, so that's lucky. She makes her way off the plane once it lands, making her way out of the airport and pauses on the sidewalk, taking in the semi-fresh air (as fresh as an airport pick up can be) and pulls out her phone to text him.]

I'm outside arrivals.

[phonetically]

( BWI is an easy navigation, one big circle of pick-ups and drop-offs, departures up above and arrivals down below. He left early because of traffic on the beltway, so it's not three minutes before he finds her at her baggage claim's exit. He pulls right up, passenger window down. He waves, smirks, and then climbs out before grabbing one of her bags. )

Hey. You made it. Good flight?

( He will get to what matters, they have to, right? )

[impetere]

[She nods as she goes to follow him to the car, keeping her backpack slung over her shoulder.]

Yeah, it was fine. No turbulence or anything.

[She takes a deep breath, and tries not to be awkward.]

Thanks for the ticket.

[phonetically]

I needed to make a gesture, right?

( Therapy. Lightbulbs. )

Thanks for using it.

( Things are weird. The intimacy of their last night lying beside one another is still there, back then, months prior, and he doesn't know how to get it back. Only that there are steps.

The door slams behind him as hers does, too. )

I have the weekend off. My partner's on another assignment, so I - have the weekend off.

[impetere]

Okay.

[And then, just out of curiosity because of the way he phrased that:]

When was the last time you had the weekend off?

[phonetically]

You mean my long Vampire Weekend?

( Then. )

Not since then. Everyone was doxxed while I was in therapy. On the clock.

[impetere]

So have you actually done any sight-seeing in DC since you moved here?

[Because maybe that's a good bonding activity. See some museums and other locations and have something to talk about that isn't themselves.]

[phonetically]

I watched a lot of that old series, Scandal, does that count?

( Probably not, right? )

Did you do a lot of sightseeing? In South America or -- everywhere else you've been, or is everything just... werewolfdom?

[impetere]

I like to see what's around when I'm living somewhere new.

[And she's lived a lot of new places. She's never really had a place to call home as a result, but maybe that's not so terrible a thing. She can't really say for sure.]

But I don't always have a job to take up my time.

[phonetically]

Helping Scott, that's kind of a job, right?

( Or, the packs, or accompanying her brother places. )

How is Derek?

( He was with him when they got the drop on the both of them and set events in motion. His vampirism. Derek's kidnapping. )

[impetere]

It is, but it doesn't really require me to go to the same place every day.

[So it's less restrictive on her time than an actual job.]

Derek's good. He and Hayley seem pretty happy.

[phonetically]

Derek's in a relationship?

( He's been missing in action, remember? Also, ignore his tone. It's just -- Derek and Relationships, do they belong in the same sentence? Romantic, questioning your brother like this, right? It's Stilinski's smooth moves. )

[impetere]

Yeah. Did you get to meet Hayley in Mystic Falls? The hybrid?

[She doesn't know how with it Stiles was before he ... you know ... died.]

She's Hope's mom.

[phonetically]

I uh - think we missed each other. Mystic Falls was a lot of faces and coincidences and - the dying.

( A lot passed him by. )

Good for Derek.

[impetere]

Yeah. He seems pretty happy, and on the scale of Derek's usual taste, she's twice as dangerous but about fifty percent less evil.

[Which, you know, is a good change of pace for Derek.]

[phonetically]

( He pulls into his apartment's garage, locating his spot he leases. )

50%'s a good number. Hayley's more mama bear, than bear for bear's sake?

( He turns the ignition off. Conversation is at least easier like this. )

[impetere]

She's the alpha of the pack there and leads the werewolf faction, but she's also a hybrid and her daughter is a Mikaelson and she's basically an honorary Mikaelson and those things are never not going to be dangerous.

[It's more pragmatic than emotional.]

But I don't think Derek likes non-dangerous women so as far as options go, she's not a bad one.

[phonetically]

They sound complicated.

( But also dangerous.

Cora, do you mind if Stiles takes your bags in hand? )

He definitely likes... traumatizing women. I mean, women that traumatize. Not -- going after -- women.

[impetere]

[She will blink a bit but she won't stop him. That's a nice thing for him to do, right? Right. She'll let him take her bags. This is fine.]

Hayley seems more on the Braedan side of things than Jennifer.

[And they are not going to mention Kate.]

[phonetically]

( He pushes the button to the elevator. )

And you? What've -- what've you been up to the past few months?

[impetere]

Hanging out in the bayou with the rest of the pack. Hanging out with Malia until Parrish came out to visit.

[Though she did actually see Parrish, in the flesh, out in public because the group probably had at least one night at a bar not Rosseau's, as that's still in the process of being rebuilt.]

Nothing too crazy.

[phonetically]

Parrish visited Malia?

( He's out of the loop, you see. )

Malia and Parrish?

[impetere]

Oh yeah. That's been going on a while. She's dangerously close to calling him her boyfriend.

[Which for Malia post-high school is certainly something.]

And when she does, it will make him very happy.

[phonetically]

( Stiles' phone vibrates in his pocket as they step off the elevator. )

Huh, I uh, didn't know they were a thing. Good for her.

( And him. And them.

He unlocks his door, rolls her luggage in and holds the door open for her. With his other hand, he pulls his phone out. )

Lydia messaged me.

( Well, he's just going to call her and tap the speakerphone button. When the call goes through, he doesn't wait. )

Hey, Lydia, Cora's here with me in DC!

[beanchaointe]

Oh good. You have a werewolf with you.

["That doesn't sound good." Cora makes her way closer so that she can be better heard by Lydia. "What's wrong?"]

Oh, so many things. Have you noticed anything off lately?