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

[maxxx]

Comments

[praevaricatio]

Rusty.

( He holds the chair for his husband, before taking a seat himself. When the server approaches: )

Just coffee for me.

[an_honestword]

["Same. Thank you."

Rusty nods as he asks orders the coffee from the waitress, and once she's gone, Rusty gestures over to where the couple is sitting with his fork.]

They seem to be having a lovely time.

[Too bad they have to crash their date.]

[praevaricatio]

Let's make it lovelier, then. How are we approaching?

( Harvey's back is to them, or he'd recognize the husbands. Does Lydia? )

[beanchaointe]

[At first, no. She's having a good time on her date, so her attention isn't wandering (3). But during a pause where Harvey talks to the server about the dessert menu, her eyes do wander over and meet Ezra's across the way (20).

Yes, she recognizes him. It's hard to forget Ezra's face, given it's part of one of her more recent traumatic memories. But she also knows what's going on with the coven, and therefore it's rather concerning that he's here.

Is he here for her? Or is he here for Harvey?]

[praevaricatio]

I guess like this.

( "Lydia?" Harvey asks, as the server leaves them. He follows her gaze. "The Gainors?"

This can't be good. )

[beanchaointe]

[David gives Harvey an apologetic wave over Ezra's shoulder, before getting up and making his way closer. Harvey is his lawyer, of the three of them he's the one with the most plausible reason to go over and talk to them.

"Hi. Would the two of you like to join us? Possibly somewhere more private?"

Lydia meets his eyes then looks back at the other table, her eyes glancing from Ezra to Rusty as he stares at her with an intensity that she doesn't like. It's giving Peter Hale vibes, and she would very much like to say no.]

Do we have a choice? You're phrasing it like a question, but your friend doesn't feel like he's asking.

[rehire]

Are tracking her down or me, Gainor?

( He will step away if needed, especially to keep Lydia out of this. Say him. SAY HIM. )

[beanchaointe]

[David is unfortunately going to have to disappoint you, Harvey. His eyes hold his for a moment, before he turns away and puts his attention back on Lydia.

"I'm sorry about the imposition. But we could really use your help."

Lydia exhales slowly, before reaching for her glass of wine.]

In that case, I think privacy would be better.

[David nods. "I'll see if the restaurant has somewhere more private we can talk then." And he'll step away to go speak with the hostess.]

[rehire]

We don't have to stay. Only I owe them anything.

( He pauses. )

Do you want me to find out what they want and report back?

[beanchaointe]

We're all here. I don't think it's worth playing telephone.

[She leaves out the "when I can just tell them no to their faces." Because Lydia isn't necessarily inclined to say yes, exactly, but ...]

David and Allison have some kind of alliance. I don't want to disrupt that.

[rehire]

I'll be right beside you.

( A few minutes later, absurdly, they are all crammed into the back storage room among racks of wine, boxes of liquor, and a bag of spilled sugar. )

You were saying you need Lydia's help?

[an_honestword]

The member of the Inner Circle we're currently targeting is a bit of a collector. Specifically, of rare supernaturals.

[Lydia already doesn't like where this is going. "You want to use me as bait." Yep, she feels justified in her Peter Hale vibes from that one.]

Yes and no.

[Lydia raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate.]

We also need your hellhound.

[praevaricatio]

We need Kirsanov to let his guard down. We would infiltrate. You wouldn't be his captives, only his Trojan horse.

( Harvey understands, not liking it.

"And Lydia isn't enough." Harvey says. "Why is Lydia in the conversation at all, what with a former mud pit of fictional creatures to track down?" )

[an_honestword]

Banshees aren't as rare as some, but they're fragile. If you're going to keep a collection, you'll have to replace it every so often. And they can provide an interesting chaser if they happen to have bound themselves to another supernatural creature for their protection.

["Like a hellhound." So it's not her she's really after, it's Parrish. She doesn't really want to put her friend in their crosshairs, mostly because she knows he won't say no. He's too good a guy for that.

But Parrish's involvement brings Malia, and it could give her an opportunity to keep someone like Jackson in their periphery as a back up plan. She would need to think this through.

"I want the full details of the plan before I even ask them. And if they say no, I say no."]

I'll see if I can draw something up. I could get it to you based on the information we already have by tomorrow morning.

[praevaricatio]

We're moving fast. After we take down one member of the Inner Circle, we're moving on to the next. And the next. We need this up on its' feet within 48 hours.

( His husband has the door that can help get a certain Hellhound to them.

The flight and everything else will be -- just that, everything else. But, there's step one. They made contact. )

Do you have any other questions before we adjourn?

[beanchaointe]

If I say no, is that the end of it?

[Because while she knows they're technically allies, she doesn't trust them. She certainly doesn't trust the new person. And she wants to know the risks before she steps in the pool.]

[praevaricatio]

If you say no, we find another way.

( But the narration assumes Rusty is not giving off the same sentiment.

"David. Call me when everything is ready. We'll meet in -- less close quarters." )

[beanchaointe]

[Nope, he's definitely not. But he doesn't elaborate either. Trying to explain that they have eyes on one of her best friends is not going to endear him to her any further.

David nods. "We'll be in touch."

Lydia presses her lips into a thin smile before nodding.]

Good. Now, if you'll excuse me.

[and she will push past the three very tall men blocking her way out of the closet and will head out of the restaurant, just to get some air. She assumes Harvey is not far behind her.]

[rehire]

( Pantry, really, but the narration accepts 'closet' too.

In the fall air, Harvey lets her get her bearings, stays close, but not too close, and he waits for her to say anything, if she wants to. If she walks, he walks beside her. He's here for her and not here for her. )

[beanchaointe]

This is really not what I had planned for after dinner.

[She glances up at him with an apologetic smile because they had much better plans than this.]

But now I think I have to make some phone calls.

[He's welcome to come back to her apartment and wait for her to make them, but she doesn't know if that's how he wants to spend his time.]

[rehire]

Do you want me to be there with you?

( He's going to refuse to not be, but he's going to let her tell him one way or another, at least. )

[beanchaointe]

I think it's less complicated if you're not.

[She's not ready to talk to either Jackson or Allison about her new romance just yet.]

But I don't mind if you wait in the living room while I take the calls in the bedroom?

[rehire]

I was going to insist. I was just putting up a front. Good, right? Convincing?

( He draws her close so they have have one, private moment as he brings his lips to hers. )

Got any good magazines or law journals lying around?

[beanchaointe]

[She smiles as he stays close, tipping her head to the side as she thinks.]

I'll see what I can do.

[She's mostly got varying kinds of interesting nonfiction, but she has been reading up some on the law so she can follow his work, so there's a couple of those and also a few more gossip rag-esque magazines, or he can browse her shelves for something that's not in the current rotation.

Once Harvey is settled, she retreats to her bedroom and flops back on her bed as she pulls out her phone.

Text number one, to Jackson:]

Do you think you could get to Boston in the next two days?

[Text number two, to Allison:]

We need to talk about your witch friend.

[With those sent, she scrolls down to Parrish's contact in her phone and hesitates. He's been out of things for so long, aside from the random one off in Beacon Hills. She hates bringing him into it now. But eventually she hits send and brings it to her ear, trying to figure out how exactly she's going to broach this.]

[illtempered]

For you? Yes. Miss me?