there are prizes all around you if you're wise enough to see

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[braveandstupid]

[Sam gets shotgun, as is his right as little brother but slowly they arrange themselves throughout. Michael will slide into the very back with Ezra. And Elena will find herself between two parents who have been dead near two decades and very unsure how to even have a conversation with all the context they'll be missing.

Miranda sits next to her daughter, hand in hers, and mostly makes small talk and knows that the larger conversations will have to come later.

But eventually they'll make a stop for gas and food, Elena will hang back as people go inside and pull out her phone to call Jeremy. This isn't a conversation meant for a text message.

In the truck, Lucas will ask more questions, mostly about how things ended with Monroe and why they were in that tomb in the first place - does not like the idea of his parents being dragged into some kind of witch war, but has a feeling he wouldn't be around otherwise. But when Evelyn hangs back, he'll just head in to get food and coffee for them both.]

[founderscouncil]

( At the truck stop, Grayson and Miranda take the opportunity to stretch their legs, and to grab snacks and whatever else they want, courtesy of Dean.

Grayson breaks off for a second, wandering the meager amount of aisles, finding himself in front of the "snack" aisle. At a loss. )

[happiness_elude]

[Miranda is wandering, looking over the different packaging, both surprised and confused as some of it actually seems ... healthier? At a gas station?

Times do change.

She takes a couple bottles of water from the fridge and then moves to join her husband, rubbing his back gently.]

You need to eat something. A granola bar, at least?

[founderscouncil]

( she needs to eat, but, she's not wrong. he wills himself to grab a back of trail mix and some jerky, showing it to her. he feels like his body needs protein. )

This work?

( he does take one of the bottles out of her hands and uncaps it unceremoniously, taking a long drink. he finishes the entire moment off with a sigh. )

Do you think - she's almost forty?

[happiness_elude]

[He will get a smile and a nod, because yes that will do, before she goes to gather some options for herself.]

Probably around that. Sam said it was 2032.

[Which seems like such an impossible number.]

Can you believe that's Sam Winchester? It's like he's a different person.

[founderscouncil]

Sam always had a good head on his shoulders, he just kept it ducked down.

( He peers over at the brothers by the coffee machine as he speaks. )

I'm more stuck on Dean Winchester. ( he watches them. ) I can't shake the feeling if she didn't get mixed up with him, we wouldn't be here and I don't know how I feel about that.

( granted, he doesn't know how he feels about any of this. he looks back down at his wife, and then at the candy on the right. he holds up a gummy bear bag? )

Dean says candy's road trip gospel.

( seems as good a candy as any? )

[barely]

( Jeremy drops his trunk down, currently covered in whatever his just (rightfully) killed. Pulling his phone out, he sees his sister's name and connects the call. Hitting the speaker icon, he opens the back door and sets the phone on the backseat as he pulls his shirt off. )

Hey, Elena.

( Leaning over, he digs into his duffel. )

[braveandstupid]

Hey, Jer.

[If she sounds tired, it's because she is. And also uncertain, because she doesn't even know how to begin this conversation. Especially since they don't know how long this is going to last.

Start with the highest priority information:]

I need you to come to Kansas.

[barely]

( she does, and as he puts on a clean shirt, he zips his bag up, and picks the phone up.

pants still dirty, this still feels more important so he brings the phone up, cradling it below his mouth, the other hand resting on his car.

if he didn't know any better, she'd finally want him to meet her boyfriend, but when have they been on those terms. and hasn't it been, like, months?

this feels more somber. )

Elena, what happened?

[braveandstupid]

I was working on something with the Winchesters, and we triggered this trap. It ... it brought Mom and Dad back.

[Ripping off the band-aid is probably the best way to go about this. Because he needs to be here, to take advantage of this for as long as it lasts. And also so that she doesn't have to do this alone.

Dean has been a great support, but she needs her brother.]

I don't know how long this is going to last, so I need you to come here. Bring Dawn if you want.

[She doesn't know that Dawn is currently throwing things together for a transatlantic flight.]

[barely]

( for a split-second everything Elena says processes in the back of his mind as he addresses the last offer she makes. )

Dawn's in Scotland, some research trip and she's visiting her sister. And Stefan

( he drops down into the seat, his legs turning to jelly as cars fly by him on some backstretch of a country road. he does mental math. )

I'm in Wyoming, I just finished a case. I can be there in - Lawrence? ( he brings the phone down, bringing up his maps app ) 12 hours if I don't stop. 11 if I speed which you hate when I do. ( and he knows his mom probably would. ) How -- you called it a trap?

[disputable]

( While Lucas is inside, Evelyn parks the car and walks over to one of the empty picnic tabls. She clips ontop with a sigh.

Laying back, she blinks from the setting sun's rays as she finds her other son's number.

She dials Cooper and brings the phone to her ear as she closes her eyes. )

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop glances to check the caller ID as his phone rings, fully intending to send it to voicemail if it's not important, but when he sees that it's his mother, he immediately picks up.

That is the deal, and he doesn't want her to worry.]

Hey, Mom. Everything okay?

[He assumes it's not, because otherwise she'd be texting.]

[disputable]

( Fuck, she had it together the entire car ride and already she has to pause to gather herself as tears creep up again. )

Hey, baby. Are you somewhere you can talk?

[positiveinfluence]

[Oh, that does not sound good at all. His face goes from content to serious, before he gets up and excuses himself from wherever he is and moves to give them some privacy.]

Yeah, I can talk. What's wrong?

[disputable]

( she waits, feeling the sound of her heartbeat as the crowd or noise begind her son dissipates. )

Nothing is wrong. Yet. ( she's blowing this. ) Your father and I gave the Winchesters a hand and, whatever they're after - what they were after - triggered something and - ( she pauses again. ) Coop, Lucas is alive. He's alive and he's with us and we're with the Winchesters and we're going to Lawrence, Kansas. Can you get to Lawrence?

( all the information bleeds into each other, but she replays what she said and deems it, yes, helpful and informative as it needs to be. )

[cholesterol]

( Dean collects a bag of road trip essentials and hangs back at the front counter with his brother, just 'Dude,' eyes.

He and his brother have a few minutes to download away from everyone and he needs to talk about it. It's Mary all over again. )

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam shares that expression and follows his brother off to the coffee counter, reaching for a cup to start to fix one for himself and one for Elena.]

Rowena doesn't think Ezra is off the mark. This could be a long term thing or this could just be a way to generate extra bodies for Hernandez to jump into once she's ganked.

[cholesterol]

If they're only back to be Hernandez' meatsuits, then what do you think happens when she's ganked?

( Is that her failsafe? )

They all go up in smoke? Or drop dead right there?

( Elena doesn't deserve to lose her parents again. )

[imnot_likeyou]

I think when she's ganked, she jumps into one of them. Not sure what happens to the other two.

[He puts the to-go lid on each of the cups.]

She says it's probably in the runes on them - possibly the ones on Elena and the Sullivans too. She asked me to send her some pictures when we get back to the bunker.

[cholesterol]

( Dean closes his eyes, taking one of the cups preliminarily. Just to have something to do with his hands. He knew it, but he didn't like the sound of it. )

And Ezra's diagnostics? This a second opinion thing? Not that I think we shouldn't get one.

[praevaricatio]

( Ezra's message to his husband is quick and dirty. )

I apologized to Elena, got slapped and clown car'd the Impala today.

( All separate instances. )

What do you know about the hereditary mirroring rune?

[maleficum]

Sounds like your day's been exciting.

[Certainly more than his, given he just got to hang out with his mother. Unfortunately, his husband is not going to be that helpful (9).]

Runes never really were my strong suit. Why?

[praevaricatio]

Do you remember my first pre-Elena assignment? The Quinn's?

( How he drew out their dead child, brought him back completely, but only to get what the Colony wanted. Not for their gain, ultimately. Sure, he's grown up, but is he the same? )

[maleficum]

Yeah, I remember.

Ez, what happened?

[Because clearly something did, but if that is the rune he's bringing up then this could be going way off course.]