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

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[an_honestword]

I'm sorry, I thought this was a war.

[Rusty thinks resting on your ideals is all well and good, and in some ways he's pushing Ezra because he wants to make sure he's really set on this path. That he knows what he's risking by being soft.]

I thought you all wanted to ensure that your bodies didn't wind up meat suits for your in laws. Because you do realize that it's you, right? Marrying in means marrying into all of it.

[Does he also realize that he's left two ticking time bombs with the Petrova doppelganger if they fail?]

[praevaricatio]

I know what I married into. But, it's not just about me. Or, David. Or the other heirs. We dragged other people in and now everybody gets a say. Maybe that's not their call. Or, ours, but that's what we're doing.

( He will kill his husband if his body becomes his father's. Make no mistake. )

Things go south with Lucas then they will make the hard decisions. We have a loop hole and we have the time. There isn't only one way to skin a cat.

[an_honestword]

[Is he prepared for what will happen if his becomes Helena's?

Rusty appraises him for a moment, then looks over at Lucas and shakes his head.]

I hope you're good.

[Lucas snorts. "Nice to meet you too."]

[maxxx]

Gentlemen to your corners.

( he jokes under his breath, tapping his sister's leg with his, shaking his own head. )

Let's talk all things Roslyn Sanchez. She's obviously in town.

[an_honestword]

She is. She and her family are staying at a local hotel-resort-situation.

[He moves to a map they've blown up of the area for planning purposes.]

Not quite sure yet what floor she's on, but I know how we can find out.

[Jaqueline leans forward. "How? Color me intrigued."]

Has the Colony caught word of Kirsanov's death yet? You can get yourselves sent as an envoy. The three of you, obviously.

[He gestures to Jaqueline, Max and Ezra.]

[praevaricatio]

( Max looks at his sister, not sure how that information has trickled down, or if it has.

"We should check in with the parentals?" he asks. )

I can find out if David's heard anything. He brought Sierra back to the compound in Maryland. If our timing's right, we should make our move before the Gauntlet is unleashed. For all our sakes.

[tearhiseyesout]

I don't think we should reach out and volunteer until we know for sure what they know.

[Let's not incriminate themselves if they don't have to.]

So yes. Let's have David and Sierra check on that. But not get themselves killed.

[praevaricatio]

( "A nice, tall order for the morning," Max says, resigning himself back to his sarcasm in the wake of, yes, being spurned. )

Perhaps, we should come at everything with a little more hope and perseverance?

( Max shrugs that off as Ezra messages his husband.

Any chance word of Kirsanov's downfall has made it back home?" )

[maleficum]

They've sent people out to investigate, but no word yet. Probably because they're sorting through the rubble.

[And because he's concerned that this is now hinging on a traumatized hunter:]

How's our secret weapon doing?

[praevaricatio]

We're holding off Rusty going scorched earth on everything, including Lucas. But, he, being Lucas, is up for this.

Also, Hernandez is in Rosalyn Sanchez's body...

[maleficum]

Oh no. Her poor hot husband.

[Look, he only has eyes for Ezra but he does still have eyes. And Eric Winter is very pretty.]

Is that making it harder to get to her?

[praevaricatio]

Didn't say it. Was thinking it.

If anything, it gives us a clearer plan. But, his first plan was the Malreaux and me sent in as an envoy. Because of Kirsanov.

[maleficum]

Let me see if I can speed things up. Sit tight.

[And with that he will go back to Sierra, and Ezra will be left to contend with his cat herd.]

[praevaricatio]

Dave's seeing what he can do to speed things along.

( To Lucas )

You were a ranger?

[abad_influence]

No. I grew up a hunter.

[So he never did the military himself, but he's well trained by people who were.]

It goes back a ways in my family, like the Winchesters.

["What a vote of confidence," Jaqueline murmurs. "It'll either be a success or an apocalypse."]

[praevaricatio]

Courtesy of your parents.

( That's enough of that pointless snark. )

Are we thinking long-range is safest? Rusty, is there anything he has to do specifically, any way she needs to be killed? If we get our hands on something?

[abad_influence]

[Rusty shakes his head. "If the body is gone, and your believed loophole is true, then we probably just have to kill her."

Lucas considers this before nodding.]

I'm good with a sniper rifle, if you can get me a window to shoot through.

[praevaricatio]

If we can make contact as her envoy, she wouldn't bring us to her. She'd set the meet.

( They'd have a somewhere to work with. Also, get with the program, they're going with all things loop hole, got it? )

[abad_influence]

[Jaqueline raises an eyebrow. "That means we can't guarantee it will be private. We might cause quite the commotion."

Lucas makes a face, not thrilled with that.]

Do we have a choice?

[praevaricatio]

Then it's two, you two - as envoy, and I can protect Lucas.

( If that's how it shakes out. Rusty stays in the wings. )

Or, if we make contact or, are able to track her after we make contact, we could push from there, but no matter what... It's not going to be clean.

[an_honestword]

[Rusty glances over at the hunter.]

Can we make it look like a hunter hit? They already know hunters are burning their bodies.

[There's no way they can miss that, even if they don't know who is responsible yet.

Lucas shrugs. "I did bring witch bullets."]

[praevaricatio]

Is it a stretch, that a hunter would make the connection between Rosalyn and Hernandez?

( Max rubs his chin, gesturing.

"It's a witch meet either way. Could've followed us, caught on, took a shot." He purses his lips. "Probably good to get off a few after the Hernandez killing blow." Another second as it occurs to him. "That'd probably be it with our hand in it. We'd be taken to safety and, yeah, you and the gayband would be on the run." ...One more beat. "Door?" )

[abad_influence]

[He lets his eyes scan over each of them, trying to see if anything's familiar about any of them.]

Any of you cause problems recently that could have gotten a hunter's attention?

[Jaqueline raises an eyebrow. "What are you looking for us to just offer up ourselves on a silver platter?"

Lucas' jaw tenses.]

The blond guy isn't wrong. A hunter needs a reason to be here.

[praevaricatio]

That trigger went out, we were almost all on a list not long ago. It might not be a stretch to say maybe international hunter-stragglers picked it up.

( Hunters disbanded, but they didn't stop becoming hunters. )

... Do you have any ties internationally?

[abad_influence]

I was part of the whole Monroe mess before I died.

[He wasn't a true believer, exactly, but he did participate.]

Does that count?