because the lives of the wicked should be made brief

[somanyadjectives]

Comments

[saveslives]

[Jo studies him carefully for a moment, before nodding.]

Good luck, then. I hope your hand hasn't already been tipped.

[The noose is circling in a lot of ways.]

I'll give Mr. Specter a call.

[praevaricatio]

You do that. ( He stands, having said everything. ) From this moment forward, we're off the table. I wanted to give you everything I had. ( A beat. ) Well. I did learn a lot under you. I hope you know that. That was all real. And I hope I made you proud. Up until.

[saveslives]

[She takes a deep breath and leans back in her seat. Ezra is a good doctor, she can't argue that. And he was an apt pupil. But everything else, they'll have to work out on the other side of things.

So she nods, and leaves it at that.]

Good luck, Ezra. Maybe if you make it out the other side of this, we can sort the rest out.

[praevaricatio]

Maybe.

( He snaps his fingers and the atmosphere shifts. )

Have a good rest of your shift, Dr. Laughlin.

[saveslives]

[She nods and lets him go, but waits until he's gone before leaning back at her desk with a heavy sigh. It's going to be a lot of logistics to handle, for better or worse. She clears her calendar for the afternoon and prepares to dig in, making herself a list.

No matter what, all of it needs to start with Harvey Specter. So after looking up his number, she dials the phone and leans back in her seat, hoping she doesn't have to go through too many hoops with his secretary.]

Hello, my name is Josette Laughlin Parker. I need to speak to Harvey Specter.

[rehire]

( The name Laughlin lands the hardest when Donna raps on his door to say he has someone on the line. She overhears his secretary and beats her to buzzing him. It's more important, a, than a buzz - time sensitive, but, also, he doesn't need her name floating around the office.

Donna fills in her blanks. He tells her to come inside and listen in. After she lets the glass door shut and joins him, Harvey. )

Josette Laughlin Parker, this is Harvey Specter and our Chief Operating Officer, Donna Paulson.

[saveslives]

Mr. Specter. I just had a conversation with Ezra Adin-Gainor. He suggested that I talk to you about a book we may need for a particular ... project we happen to be working on?

[She's not sure how safe it is to communicate on this line. But she figures given who she mentioned, she might have dropped enough clues that he'll know what she means.]

[rehire]

I wasn't aware he had passed that project off. By any chance, was he with his husband?

( He needs to get to the bottom of who's involved. He thinks he knows the answer. )

[saveslives]

No. I got the impression that David had already ... returned to headquarters, so to speak. And not in a good way.

[She doesn't know if David is alive or dead but Ezra seemed determined to reach the end of this road.]

Ezra indicated to me that the book would assist us in finishing up the secondary prong of the project. The one involving ... burial rites?

[rehire]

Yes, one of our clients, their time is coming due. ( A host of them under the same umbrella. ) He recruited you for funeral arrangements, then. Les funérailles à Paris.

[saveslives]

He did. He said there would likely be wards on what we need, and you would have the access information required to get it.

[What she's expecting: Harvey to hand over the code information so she can pass it to Bonnie to go get it before she returns to the states to help. She hasn't discussed it with Bonnie yet, but they've been trying to break this curse together for so long. She can't imagine Bonnie would say no.

What she's going to get? Remains to be seen.]

[rehire]

I have that access. But, I can't just pass on my clients' last rites. There are contracts to sign and logistics that would best be gone over in person. Where are you located, Josette?

( He's just going through the motions, he will relent. )

[saveslives]

Mystic Falls, currently. But I will be in New York next week if that would be easier.

[She's coming to see Lizzie off before she flies to London, and taking advantage of her already having a reason to be there seems smart.]

It will give me some time to arrange things on my side as well.

[rehire]

I think we should meet in person. Go over the flower arrangements, understated, of course, the coffin type - location.

( Paris. If you catch his drift. He looks up at Donna. She catches it, too. )

[saveslives]

I'll be arriving next Tuesday evening. I can come by your office Wednesday morning?

[That will give her time to get things settled before she meets Lizzie and Alice for lunch.]

[thefaxwhisperer]

[Sometime after Harvey's phone call with Jo, Ezra makes an appearance in the lobby of Pearson Specter Litt. Donna is quick to move and intercept him, tucking her arm in his as she pulls him back towards the quieter areas of the office.]

You travel fast. Josette Parker said she just saw you.

[praevaricatio]

( She works fast. )

You know my husband.

( He has his own tricks up his sleeve, holding a key he uses for emergencies. )

Works once every lunar cycle.

[thefaxwhisperer]

Huh. Think he might give me one of those if he survives the Gauntlet?

[She has a lot of friends in a lot of places, it would certainly be more convenient for travel.]

[praevaricatio]

It's mine, actually. My magic. We pull this off and your entire team can have one as a thank you. The ones in the know. ( But, down to business. ) So, Jo already connected with Harvey?

[thefaxwhisperer]

[She nods.]

We just got off the phone with her.

[They step into Donna's office and she close the door behind him.]

Harvey's going to fly out to Paris to meet with a friend of hers and transfer the book.

[praevaricatio]

He should know we're out. After this, it won't be long now before they suck me back in. Last chance for any bright ideas or questions.

( Since he doesn't have to bridge to Harvey. )

[thefaxwhisperer]

[Donna takes a deep breath as she moves to sit at her desk.]

I'm not sure there's much more we can do for you. Gauntlet attacks are picking up and if they realize that Harvey has been helping you ...

[Harvey's likely going to be targeted for sticking his neck out.]

[praevaricatio]

I'm not asking for you to do anything for me. Or, David. Just handing out a lifeline if you need it. We've played everything close to the vest and now the time is nigh.

( So, he's making the offer. )

[thefaxwhisperer]

[Donna nods slowly as she considers.]

Harvey is heading to Paris to meet Jo's contact. If there's any way you can ensure he gets there in one piece, that's all we need. Beyond that, I'm not sure there's much else left.

[praevaricatio]

How soon? I can draw attention away from him.

( It won't be hard. He'll just do a trackable spell. )