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

[maxxx]

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[likeababyduck]

[Sweets glances up in his rearview mirror, eyes narrowing until he recognizes one of the faces, before lifting a hand to give them a wave to come closer. They should probably coordinate first before they make their way inside, and he's secretly grateful that Shipp brought friends.

He unlocks the car doors and greets them with a smile.]

Thanks for coming.

[And then he turns to introduce himself to the people he doesn't know.]

I'm Sweets.

["Liv," she answers with a wave, not shaking his hand as she slides into the back seat.]

[drugdeals]

( Her brother slides in on the other side and Shepp sits up front. )

Luke.

( "You were closest?" Sweets is right in thinking he's the most surprising choice to send in regarding Stiles the vampire being held hostage. )

[likeababyduck]

That and Stiles happens to be one of my patients.

[So he really was the most convenient option to send in, given he's someone Stiles already trusts.]

Every call goes straight to voicemail, my texts are going undelivered, and I tried sending an email, but I haven't gotten a response. That's not unusual for Stiles though, it's been just over an hour and he's supposed to be on vacation.

[And Sweets knows from experience that Stiles finds email to be the most tedious part of his job.

Liv leans over towards the building and squints. "They could have knocked out cell service and Wi-Fi."]

[drugdeals]

Is that ethical?

( Not the point, though, right? )

Magically.

( Luke plays catchup as Shepherd gives a proper rundown.

"This isn't routine. He's being targeted, probably cut off from outside sources, along with a werewolf ally. The Colony thinks they've neutralized him until they get what they want. Our job is to neutralize them. Or, with less blood on our hands, free him and his friend. Have you seen anything off?" )

[likeababyduck]

He was my patient before he got targeted.

[Or at least he became his patient in good faith, it just so happens that Sweets is in a position to be able to help.

Liv eyes the building, trying to see if she can pick up on any of the magic in use. She's sensing something in the floors above, but she can't exactly pin down what or where. "Do we know what Colony witches we're dealing with?"

Sweets shakes his head.]

I don't know. But I've been taking pictures as people go in and out.

[And he'll pass his phone over to Shep so he can start swiping through the various faces.]

[drugdeals]

( Shep shakes his head, swiping through photos Sweets snapped (10) for Sierra and (1) for Jacqueline.

Luke pulls himself up over the chair to look. A (10) gets him nothing for Sierra and an (18) sends warning sirens off in his head. )

Uhh. Jaq Malreaux is Colony?

( Did you think he's cut his old extracurricular business out since college? That's right, he's still shady af, but has a lucrative business running with witchy psychotics, etc. A chemistry degree got him something besides his day job in the lab. )

[geminated]

[Both Sweets (8) and Liv (3) are unfamiliar with either the name or the person, but Liv turns on her brother and raises and eyebrow because what are you doing doing business with Colony witches.]

And who is that, exactly?

[drugdeals]

A customer. A frequent flyer, and not someone I would want targeting me.

( Customer probably won't cut it, will it? )

She has a smoking hot brother, jury's out on his sexual orientation.

( Distract, distract. )

[geminated]

[Yeah, well, your sister is focused on your indiscretions now. Congrats, Luke.]

You do realize that the Colony is the coven that cast the Gemini Curse, right?

[Because Jo did share that fun fact with her sister during one of their conversations.]

[drugdeals]

( No, he didn't know that. But, it doesn't change anything, does it. His customers are who they are. That's true of any customer coming to any business. )

I didn't know she was Colony and I didn't know we're connected to them. But, doesn't that beg the question if we're liabilities here?

( "Because they cast the curse on our coven? Before we were all born? The world doesn't revolve around us and our secret TLC upbringing."

And Shepherd would rather not air this out here in front of the therapist, but Luke can come in just as hot. Because he was not let in on this. So, the cat's out of the bag. The curse has a beginning, like everything. )

So, when exactly did we find out the origin of the very curse that's keeping us in arrested development?

( He can't keep a man, or he goes after the wrong ones and his sister practically plays house and lives along the edges of what a life might be like if she ever let her guard down.

So now it's personal twice. )

[geminated]

Jo struck a bargain with one of them because they found out that the Colony was watching Elena. I thought she would have told you.

[But yeah, now really isn't the time. Though Sweets is watching this ping pong with some curiosity, he doesn't intrude, letting them work it out.]

We'll talk about this later. Can you use your relationship with her to distract her? Figure out where she is in the building?

[drugdeals]

She's a customer, not a girlfriend I brunch with.

( But, maybe, he can try something. He sighs and sits back, pulling his phone out. )

She's not going to just tell me where she is, especially when she thinks I'm --

( He stops. He sighs. )

Okay, she's not warm and fuzzy. And she comes to me when she wants something. But, she did find me once after one of Liv's and I's fights.

( So, she has context. But, she didn't deeply care about what was going on. )

I could try. But nothing might come of it.

( Either way, he flicks his finger along his contact bank and taps Jaq's number, opening the message icon. )

Hey, I was stranded in DC over a long weekend. Long story short: don't spend a weekend away with a virtual stranger. Only, I budgeted wrong this month and I'm coming up short for a way home. Do you know anybody in the area at all?

( His context clues, and what he'd point out if she asks, she is one of his wealthiest clients, she keeps his secrets like he doesn't care about hers, and he can easily say he sent this to his entire customer list. So let's see what he can get if he casts that lure. )

[tearhiseyesout]

Huh.

[Jaqueline squints at the text message from Luke - unexpected but not unfamiliar. She tips her head back for a minute as she considers how to answer.

But, it's worth asking:]

We don't have any Parker witch connections here, do we?

[ostensively]

We're the Parker witch connection here, aren't we?

( The Colony doubled down and retreated back to their main campus. )

In DC? What do you mean?

[tearhiseyesout]

[She holds up her phone and shows her the text.]

I mean in terms of Stiles. He doesn't have any Gemini Coven ties that we know of?

[He was turned in Mystic Falls, but that doesn't mean he and Jo are friends or allies. There was a lot of supernatural congregation happening at the time.]

[ostensively]

( Her machinations were global, so the (1) she rolls garners her zero knowledge on the subject besides the cold hard facts. )

He died in Mystic Falls. The Gemini twins attended the Salvatore school. Are those ties or coincidences?

( She reads the text message. )

Do you trust Parker? Who is Parker?

[tearhiseyesout]

Luke Parker is a adept little alchemist that comes up with some fun concoctions that I used from time to time on ... personal projects.

[When she wants to fuck with people, essentially.]

I'm not looking to burn this bridge just yet. Think you can hold down the fort here while I deal with it?

[Because the only time Jaqueline does something out of the goodness of her heart is when there's something in it for her later, clearly. And she'll deftly text back:]

I'm in town. What part of DC are you in?

[ostensively]

I'll burn the goddamn fort down if I have to.

( So. Yes.

Luke considers his answer.

"She doesn't sound suspicious."

I'm at this fancy restaurant in the loop, but I can come to you. Seriously, you making a buy would save my life. )

[tearhiseyesout]

I'll come to you. Drop a pin and I'll meet you there.

[She doesn't do venmo, he should know that by now. She knows too much about the fallibility of apps to trust her financial information to it. But she can stop at an ATM and grab some cash.]

[drugdeals]

Fuck. I need the car.

( He can't drop a pin 10,000 feet away. )

She wants me to drop a pin and I said I was in the Loop.

Phone's dying, finding a charger
Will drop a pin

After sending that, he switches his phone to airplane mode. )

And now my phone "dies."

[geminated]

[Liv sighs, before rummaging around in her pockets until she pulls out the car keys. Tossing them over to her brother she then points a finger at him.]

Be careful with it. I still need to get home.

[drugdeals]

As far as she's concerned, I have no car, so I won't be anywhere near it.

( Before climbing into the car, he pauses. )

You guys be careful.

( And with that, he has to navigate his way toward the Loop (8), before taking his phone off airplane mode and navigating.

Shepherd scans the building.

"We should stay out of sight until she leaves. Sweets, what's Stiles' apartment number?" )

[geminated]

[Sweets supplies said apartment number, and Liv turns her attention back to the windows.]

We also shouldn't assume she's alone. I can do a cloaking spell before we head up.

[pricetags]

The old standard.

( He borrows some of Liv's juice in case he needs to do anything with it, she cloaks the three of them and they make their way up through the apartment.

Meanwhile, Liv's brother pulls into a garage, leaves the car there and finds a fancy French restaurant to drop a pin to.

Someone lent me a charger.
Really having a shit day.
Is this close to you? )

[likeababyduck]

[Jaqueline: Can be there in thirty. See you soon. And with that she will make her way out of the building and over to the restaurant in question, brushing past the three cloaked folks as they make their way up to Stiles' apartment.

Sweets leads the way, and when they reach Stiles' door, he glances down and frowns.]

That looks like mountain ash.

[He may be a human, but he knows how the world works.]