best to take a moment present

[maleficum]

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[maleficum]

[David spends most of the initial time on the train sitting next to his husband fighting with Jaqueline in WhatsApp. He’s simply trying to confirm that they left Stiles alone and are moving on but Jaqueline is being difficult and decisively ends the conversation with a middle finger emoji.

Irina is curled up on the pair of seats ahead of them, swapped around to face him. Not long into the gentle rocking of the train car, she falls asleep and it’s only then that David decides to bring up the subject of what to do with her when there aren’t any little ears listening.]

We need to figure out where to send her.

[praevaricatio]

( Ezra spends the initial time playing with Irina, asking her questions, and answering them in return, but trying not to alarm her. She curls up across from them, eventually, and Ezra watches the frozen tundra go by out the window as she's rocked to sleep. Every now and then, he glances over at his husband's frustration and quick thumb-work.

Eventually, he covers one hand with his. Maybe that's enough with the angry Whatsapping? It won't help anyone. And as he says, they have something they need to discuss.

he sighs in acknowledgment, wishing they didn't have to send her anywhere. but it's about to get a lot less dangerous. )

It needs to be somewhere off the beaten path. Warded. Under the care of people not drawn into the gauntlet.

( which eliminates every witch they know, and he mentally crosses them off. he leans in, trying to lighten their conversation. )

We don't exactly have close friends we can ask to babysit.

( but that was by partial design, and partially what happened as Colony. )

My first instinct? ( if it comes to close friends, or formerly close. ) What about Elena?

[maleficum]

That bunker is said to be pretty impenetrable. And she would be surrounded on all sides by powerful people. But it's not perfect. Those wards probably need some updates in order to be as safe as we'd like.

[Read: as David would like. Using it to protect Elena, a full-grown adult aware of the dangers of the world, is one thing. This is a five year-old child who is less able to do so.]

Are we sure that's not too few steps from us?

[beanchaointe]

[Lydia spends most of the train ride back to Moscow lightly dozing against Harvey’s shoulder as some of the tension eases out of her. She doesn’t feel like she did much, in the grand scheme of things, but the moment she sits down she feels exhausted, almost as though all the worry and fear that was keeping her going and now she doesn’t have any energy left.

After that, David opens a door right back to her apartment and the two of them are home again, at least for her. She looks around her apartment, taking it all in again and takes a deep breath before rubbing the back of her neck.]

And now I feel like I should move.

[She’s sure the witches will find her whether she wants them to or not—they clearly did the first time—but that doesn’t mean she should make it easy on them.]

[rehire]

( Harvey reads, catches up with witch contacts (also on Whatsapp), skims through actual work emails, and shoulders Lydia's exhaustion. She's earned the rest. She may not feel like she did "much," but the plan hinged on her and she was basically dragged into it. Her allies and friends coming aboard is a testament to who she is - and the threat the Colony posed.

It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, he was the liason to the Colony. Everything shifted. And he's beginning to really care for Lydia Martin.

Because David isn't Lewis, and Harvey ultimately understands the game, he claps a hand on David's shoulder. A very, until next time, we're still friends gesture before stepping through behind Lydia.

He closes the door and the sounds of the desolate train station and whisp of wind disappear behind it.

He goes from practical to flirtatious. )

As much of a hassle as moving is, I don't disagree. ( hands come to her shoulders, fingers kneading against tension and along pulse points ) Would I be given your new address, or will you make me earn it?

[beanchaointe]

[She smiles as she leans back into him with a shrug.]

I think that you've done enough to earn it already.

[She did like her apartment, but she'd also be okay with leaving it behind. It's not as though she has anything overly sentimental. And, as much as she's enjoyed and relished her time at MIT, she does know that she has other options.]

And NYU has been trying to court me.

[wildkingdom]

[Malia does not set up shop near the rest of the group. She still doesn’t trust the witches—she doesn’t need to have been upstairs to know that—so she takes Parrish and grabs a pair of seats towards the back of the car. She angles herself slightly so her legs are kicked up over one of his, eyes looking out the window, ears picking up on snippets of conversation from the witches but purposefully trying to give Harvey and Lydia some privacy.

It’s a talent that took her a long time to develop, through years of relearning what it meant to be someone’s friend, and while she’s not sure she trusts Harvey, it’s Lydia’s choice. And given some of her past choices, he seems … okay. Human lawyer is one of the least dangerous options she could have gone with. And he was arguing for them with the help they provided so … at least there’s that.

She watches the snowy tundra pass them by as they head back into Moscow before glancing over to Parrish.]

How much time do you have left before you have to go back to Beacon Hills?

[nicedemon]

( Parrish was in from the jump out of loyalty, care, and worry. But, it's adrenaline that fueled him mostly. He doesn't like his friends in danger or being used as pawns. And Malia had a stake in it involving Lydia. It was only a matter of time. He wouldn't have said no.

He has no bead on Harvey beyond 'negotiated for them,' and doesn't know anyone else involved at this point. Witches are one of his least favorite supernatural entities because to him, they are the ultimate wildcard with a subset of power.

He gives Lydia a hug goodbye, reminds her he can always call her, and then follows Malia to the back of the train. She comfortably hooks a leg over his and he lets his head fall back, eyes closing. He doesn't sleep however, the adrenaline still coursing through his system. Playing bodyguard and melting ice will do that. )

I took the week.

( both on his mother's and the sheriff's advice. he does the math. )

I have four more days, including our flight back. ( he brings a hand to her knee. ) I know this isn't how you wanted to spend our vacation, but you have to admit, it is very us.

[wildkingdom]

It wouldn't be the supernatural if there wasn't something trying to interrupt us at every turn.

[It's annoying if Four days. That's not a lot, but she can work with that.]

What if we didn't take the magical door back to Boston and instead we stayed on the train and visited some stuff in Europe instead? We could take the train into Warsaw, and see how much we can see until you have to go?

[an_honestword]

[There’s a kind of satisfaction that comes with killing something when you’ve spent a long time imagining their death. He’s killed Kirsanov hundreds of different ways in his mind, over and over again, some similar to the way he’s been killed in the past. So many deaths over so many lifetimes and he’s finally taken a definitive step forward to ending this curse.

Maybe he’ll still die and have to start all over again, but it’s one less target on his list. That’s progress, no matter what way you slice it.

He’s likely the most at ease on the train—seat reclined back, eyes closed—but he can sense Max’s eyes in the seats facing him.]

There something you want to say?

[maxxx]

( for the record, it's not about 'wanting to say' or 'having to say.' but, that Rusty is a far cry from the Rusty he met in Hershey, Pennsylvania. he knew his backstory, can understand a vengeance coming from it, though he can't understand it personally. seeing it in person was something else. he has been at the negotiation table. he has done corporate espionage. he has done intimidation. seduction.

but, unlike his sister, he's never outright pulled together a sting that ended in straight up murder.

a lot of questions linger. but he asks just one. )

Are you okay?

[an_honestword]

[Even when Rusty was a member of the Inner Circle, he never shied away from getting his hands dirty. In his mind, a man's conviction is in what he's willing to do himself, and Rusty never hesitated. Killing Kirsanov is a job long that he's long been wanting to get done.

He blinks open his eyes, turning his attention to Max before shrugging.]

I'm fine. Are you?

[He does mean that question earnestly. He'd understand if Max wasn't. That's a lot to see - especially if you've never had to handle it before.]

[swillpot]

[Annie Chen is a lot of things: impressively organized, a keen eye for detail, and always knows the right questions to ask to get the information she needs. Even if she weren’t standing in as the head honcho in charge while Alexander was in Moscow and Daniel was off doing business with Rowena, Alexander would still want her to be the one to help sort through the roughly twenty surviving members of Kirsanov’s collection, trying to figure out where to send them.

She unfortunately also has not the best bedside manner, so she tends to need a soft touch with her to sand down the sharp corners of her questions.

Alexander is happy to fill in until Taylor arrives to help, and as he goes to head to bed Annie has them sorted by most recently obtained (most likely to have family to return them to) to longest held (less likely to have an immediate place to go). He leaves them to their work and heads up to his room to find his boyfriend, and moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to him.]

How are you doing? It seemed like it was a lot.

[illtempered]

( Taylor is perfect at bridging the gap between blunt and understanding, and being the polyglot she is, is able to translate a lot. surprisingly, a lot of the Cryptids are French. qui savait!

Jackson showers off the Siberia of it all. once the adrenaline dissipates, the annoyance and anger at the witches who insisted she be a part of this sets in. nobody uses his best friend like that. he knows a child is involved now and that the world works in shades of gray, any former-to-reformed asshole knows that, but he doesn't have to like it. he dries his hair for what feels like an eternity and settles back in his mind, playing it out all over again.

the inhuman cries, Kirsanov's end, the remaining cryptids wanting to go down with the ship and burning alive. one towel remains around his neck and his sits with the other towel wrapped around him.

Alexander brings him out of his thoughts. )

I wouldn't take a return trip.

( that's definitive. he'll get personal. alexander may just need to pry more. )

How are the displaced cryptids?

[swillpot]

They're managing.

[He moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to him.]

I pulled in one of our doctor friends to help with making sure they're all physically okay. And Taylor and Annie are working out a return and reintegration plan.

[He takes a breath as he tries to release some of the tension in his shoulders, reaching up to rub at his eyes.]

Some of them are from Purgatory, so I need to put in a call to bring Dolls back from New York.

[tearhiseyesout]

[She and Sierra find other ways to burn off their frustration—a nice dinner, some drinks, some other activities—which throughout all of David continued to be a buzz kill, so concerned about the leverage and not factoring in any concern for his two supposed best friends who happened to have a very terrible day.

However, after some of the energy has come down, she realizes that while David said the job was done, he didn’t say if there were any casualties. So later, when Sierra is asleep next to her, she reaches for her phone and sends out a WhatsApp message to her brother:]

You better not be dead.

[maxxx]

My name is Meta AI. Think of me like an assistant who's here to help you learn, plan, and connect. What can I help you with today?

[tearhiseyesout]

[Jaqueline grits her teeth. Why is he like this?]

Fuck you.

[geminated]

[They make their way out of the FBI building, and then head back to drop Stiles and Cora off back at his place, and then they climb into Liv’s car, her in the driver’s seat, Luke in the front passenger’s seat and Shep in the back. Liv stares out the windshield for a moment, looking at the busy DC street, before glancing back at her brothers with a sigh.]

So that’s one way to spend a family reunion.

[The silent “now what next?” lingers in that statement. Their time together now is limited, even more emphasized by the fact that Shep’s phone dings, again, with a text from Annie.

We just had a big intake. Could use your help with placement. Do you need more time with your family?

There’s an apology in that text but duty calls, and work wasn’t going to stay away forever.]

[pricetags]

( "A broken relationship, a kidnapping, two daring rescues. Sounds to me like a Parker family reunion," Luke says, unable to deny that he's happy it happened. He's still visibly shaken from his encounter with Jacqueline but everything turned out alright in the end.

For Shepherd, it feels like another job, but it also isn't, because it involved his family. He'd been hiding for so long, he never thought about the possibility. He's about to admit to everyone that he should connect with their sister, but his text pings. He'd usually ignore it, but he knows instinctively that duty calls.

Phone in hand, he looks up at his siblings. )

The Underground beckons.

[geminated]

Alright. Guess I'm taking you back to your car.

[She glances over to Luke.]

What about you? Am I dropping you somewhere or are you following me back to the Armory?

[impetere]

[The Parkers drop them off and Cora looks over the mess that was created in Stiles’ apartment by the witch fight earlier. She doesn’t really know what to do, given that they were still finding their rhythm before the witches intervened. Now Stiles’ apartment is a mess, and while they’re finally alone, she feels like she’s back on the back foot.]

Do you want to stay here?

[She knows this is his home, but if he doesn’t want to be here, they have options.]

We could go get a hotel or something.

[phonetically]

I don't know.

( he kicks a piece of plaster that was freed from the wall when Sierra went flying with a sigh. )

I don't - no. ( something occurs to him. he was about to trail off, maybe even ramble, but for the first time in a long time something has clicked. maybe, before everything, before dying, he was a decorated FBI agent. but, he doesn't feel like one any longer. and what really had he done after his brief 'sabattical.' ) I don't. Cora, I'm sorry. I - I was a mess. ( he says among the mess. ) You know I can get my shit together, but, you also know I'm scattered, and a lot, and all that amplified, including my restless insecurity and I put all that energy in all wrong. And I got scared. And then all of my friends' lives and information was exposed and through all of that. I let you down. Hard.

[gambled_ourmistakes]

So. What’s the verdict?

[The mark had shifted slightly as they arrived in Chicago but it’s not gone completely. Damian doesn’t know what to make of it, but he also doesn’t know what to make of the man studying his arm, introduced to him by Rowena as Daniel Abernathy, yes that Daniel Abernathy.

For a man of his reputation, he give off a rugged, gives-no-fucks air, but there’s a gentleness to him as he takes Damian’s arm, applying his practiced eye to the symbols seared there by magic they weren’t prepared for. Damian’s never had the opportunity to meet him before now, and to be honest he was fine with that, but there’s still something about the man that is impressive. He understands the power he commands just based on the factions of the world they play in, and Damian doesn’t intend to cross him.

But he hopes for answers that are better than what he expects.

“It’s definitely still a problem.” Daniel rears back and sighs. “The Colony likes backup plans for their backup plans, so while yes, Kirsanov’s death does change things, it doesn’t break the spell. There’s another person, likely another member of the Inner Circle, that set the trap with him.”

No, that’s not the answer he wanted.]

Lovely. That is unfortunate.

[fifthbase]

( Rowena McLeod is more than aware of Daniel Abernathy's rugged exterior and gentle nature. She finds it a bit intoxicating truth to power, but, she can prioritize. Which is why she comes through as she's promised, brought her connection in and stands behind the two boys, observing. )

But, all traps are made of mechanisms, and all spells have a blueprint. A barcode, if you will. Finding the twin caster isn't out of the question.