[Jaqueline and Max join David and Sierra at the altar, and they can't help but feel like there's an underlying layer of tension. Their parents are nervous and she can't quite put her finger on why.
Her eyes glance to Sierra and David, eyebrow raising as the officiant clears their throat.
"Shall we begin?"
"Yes," Gainor replies. "Let's get on with it."]
How romantic.
[But still, she turns and faces Sierra, extending her hand to her.]
( Sierra takes Jaq's hand in hers, then covers them both with her other hand, squeezing. The officiant encourages Jaq to do the same while picking up the handfasting thread. The thread extends out from whatever substance it's been sitting in. Sierra fights a frown as she sees it drip. Maybe that's the magic, she thinks. She doesn't flinch as the officiant readies the thread, one end in each of her hands. )
[Jaqueline does as she's told, looping one hand over Sierra's and lets them be bound together. She knows that this is one step closer to their parents getting what they want, but she tries to focus on the moment. Focus on the woman in front of her.
This, she can take for herself, no matter what.
Eventually the officiant steps back and nods to them. "The vows?"
Jaqueline takes a deep breath, before reciting the words laid out for them.]
I call upon the universe to witness this union, as I bind my life with yours. I promise to honor your spirit, to uplift and cherish you, to walk this sacred path as partners. May we grow together, sharing our hearts and our souls, and may the love we share be a beacon to guide us through the darkness. With this cord, I join my spirit with yours, in love and in faith.
[She means every word of it, even if it feels forced.]
I( Sierra starts, every word deliberate, fighting back the a tears of sentimentality this display doesn't deserve. ) call upon the universe to witness this union, as I bind my life - with yours. I finally promise to honor your spirit, to uplift you, to put you first,
( Max tilts his head closer to his soon-to-be husband, "This is the feminist rewrite," he quips. But Elton can tell he wants his sister happy and has only recently realized what will do it. Just how much she sacrificed for him. He doesn't know the extent. But he knows how long she has gone. )
to cherish and kiss the ground you walk in because you deserve that and more, to walk this sacred ancestral path as partners. May we work together, grow together, sharing our hearts, our fears, our plans, and our souls and may the love we have always shared be the beacon we both need to guide us through the darkness and back to one another. I choose you. Every time. From this day forward. With this cord and these witnesses and your brother's stand-in
("Hot stand-in," he grumbles. Then looks back. "I mean. Rude. That was rude," he nods, smirking underneath. Sierra would always go with style. Maybe this gives him hope. And a kernel of an idea. )
I join my spirit with yours and yours with mine, in love, in faith, under siege - ( she turns to address the crowd ) the patriarchy ( she explains with elicits some laughter. she faces her wife again. ) - so mote it be.
[Jaqueline grins, catlike, at her partner's editing of the vows, though she can see their parents - with the exception of Sierra's father who's not present - rolling their eyes.
The officiant would probably be amused as well, if he wasn't there under some kind of duress. "Yes, well. Lovely. You may now kiss the bride."
And Jaqueline will do just that, because it's her wedding and she'll do what she wants.
David also looks amused because good for them. He'll celebrate their wedding if nothing else. Elton, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be processing any of this. He's starting to realize that maybe he made a huge mistake.
( It's more apparent than ever to Max and Ezra, and even Sierra as she breaks her first kiss as a wife, that most of this crowd isn't aware of what's going to happen. They think this is a straightforward ascension, a passing of the torch to the heirs to finish the Gauntlet and claim power. Maybe they're innocents, too, but that makes them dangerous under their parents.
The officiant turns to the other couple, one he has a bead on being unconventional. He believes he heard he word stand-in? But, it's likely, his family, or livelihood or whatever is being threatened, isn't worth not performing this ceremony.
Removing the second round of ties that will bind, he gestures for Max and Elton to also join hands, clearing his own throat. He smiles to the crowd. More pomp. More circumstance.
Max holds one hand out, palm down. His eyes say, you're a freaking idiot, but do what we're told. We may not have a plan, but we have self preservation instincts, unlike you.
[They are very expressive eyes. Elton also doesn't really seem like he had much to live for. He just fell for the con, and he's realizing he might be seeing the person he lost sooner than he thought, though not in the same way he thought.
Sorry, love. I thought this would turn out better.
But he takes Max's hand, almost on autopilot, watching as the officiant binds their hands and waits for Max to begin the vows.]
( His eyes say something else next. 'Watch this,' )
Elton-I-Have-No-Idea-What-Your-Last-Name-Is. Elton-Easy-On-The-Eyes. I call upon the universe to witness this Married at First sight-caliber union, as I bind my life with yours. I promise to honor your spirit, to uplift and cherish you, to walk this sacred, special snowflake path as partners. May we grow together and not apart, but if we fall into the gay cliche, may our marital bed stay sacred... ( what's next. right, pushing forward. ) while still sharing our hearts and our souls, and may the blind love we share be a beacon to guide us through the darkness and the bullshit. With... this cord, ( Throughout his speech, he meanders, he pauses, he tries to push for time, to brace himself for the cavalry that never comes. He sees his parents lean forward, their ire, their hunger. His mother is almost on her feet. His final message his eyes give is an apology. Because, he tried to delay this as long as he could. And this damns the both of them. It's rather to be married and alive then to refuse and be dead.
He plays the golden boy one last time. ) I join my spirit with yours, in, in... in love and in faith. So. Mote it be.
[Elton does appreciate that he's trying, even if his face seems fairly resolved (13). This doesn't seem like a safe space to show it, but maybe Max will see it if they're paying attention. He repeats the vows as written, knowing that he's expendable, and the officiant nods.
"I now pronounce you spouses. You may - "
Before he can request the kiss fully, both men already leaning in to get it over with, the doors to the back of the makeshift chapel fling open and a loud, familiar voice draws all eyes to the back of the room.]
I'm sorry. Did I miss the part where we were supposed to object?
He takes a generous step back and exchanges a look with his sister. He couldn't have been a few minutes earlier.
Ezra and David stand at the corners, like the men of honors they are. Ezra doesn't make a move but sees a familiar flick of Max's wrist. His eyes grow intense and he shakes his head, eyes not on them. Not yet.
Max rolls his eyes.
He guesses it's... his wedding. A sigh, he raises his handfasted hand in Elton's up high. )
[All of the parents eyes are focused on Rusty, all with varying shades of emotion from wariness to interest to anger. Rusty's just about to continue his dramatic entrance when a witch bursts through the door behind him.
"Vampires! Elijah Mikaelson and Stefan Salvatore. They're here."
At that, the parents startle more, until eyes flow from Rusty, to the woman standing just slightly behind him.
David grins when he sees Bela. "Your timing, as always, is impeccable."
Bela smirks in return. "I try. Shall we finish this then?"
That question is more to the heirs than anyone else in the room.]
( Their parents are one thing, but channeling the husband whose power you now share makes snapping a row of witness witches necks pretty easy with that flick of the wrist he doesn't hold back: (15).
Serena takes Jaq's hand and phases through the floor.
Ezra imbues Rusty and Bela with some bonuses (+3 to attack rolls, +2 to AC equivalents), but keeps his eyes on his husband's "parents." )
[The witches do not make it past Max's assault (3), and the front row goes down. Jaqueline goes easily, letting them disappear out of view.
Bela zooms forward, taking care of the witch who announced their arrival (14 vs. 2), snapping their neck and letting them fall to the ground. But before Rusty or anyone really can make a move, Celeste moves.
She sees the undercurrents - that's always been her particular skill, so she disappears in a veil of mist, appearing on the stage behind her son. He slips through her fingers to keep her from getting a good hold (16 vs. 19), but she plays it off as a casual brush against Max's shoulders.
"You really are predictable, aren't you mon cher?" she says, loud enough for Rusty to hear, knife in her hand enough to have the implied threat - at least for Rusty. "All these years, and you still can't stay away."
Rusty has gone stock still, halfway down the aisle, not sure how to proceed. Almost as though he doesn't want to press her. Like he knows all too well that she will kill her own children just to spite him, though he's not sure that's the play here. Still, he doesn't risk moving.]
Celeste -
[His voice goes dry, unsure of what to say.
She smiles wider, like the cat that ate the canary. Max may have taken after his mother in terms of talents, but Jaqueline got her smile. "Same old Russell. Always leading with the heart."]
( Jaq and Sierra phase into the empty seats between Sierra's mother and Jacqueline's father.
Sierra tries to pull hers close, a letter opener tainted with witch-poison pressed to her neck (15).
Max watches his mother disappear with a trick he's never seen executed in front of himself before. He reminds himself this isn't his mother, but he can't help but fight through pangs of being that scared little boy who had to teach himself how to clobber his own armor together.
He comes to his senses, her missing him as he tugs him and his handfasted husband, damn it, with him. He makes quick work of the ties, dropping them to the ground even though they did their job.
He does raise an eyebrow. Mon chere? He yanks himself away from his husband. )
Go, get away or make yourself useful, he says, pushing him off before turning to face his mother and her -- )Hey. ( He throws a hand out to hold her in place, catch her by the spine, but this is still his mother and she is powerful (3) ) If you really had raised me, you'd know what your son is capable of. I will kill you.
( Ezra doesn't join the fray, stepping in front of his husband, watching the display, but, does his best to keep David's "parents" in their seats. (17) He throws a hand out, pointing.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," he says. "The grownups are talking.")
["Of course you would. I didn't raise fools." The sharp spikes of her smile turn back to Rusty. "Not even the lovely Adrienne. Though she had the fatal flaw of trusting her mother a little too much." Celeste pauses, lifting the knife in her hand and checking the edge. "Probably got that from her father."
The implications are not subtle. Neither is the way Rusty's hand curls into the fist or the deep anger, deeper than anything Max has likely seen this far, manages to float to the surface.]
You didn't have to kill her. You didn't need that much blood.
[Celeste shrugs. "It was time to cull the herd. Perhaps if she had proved herself more, I wouldn't have."
John and Elizabeth do not pass their save (16, 10), but their faces remain unbothered. Yes, you can hold them in place for now, but they're still put you in their place later. Perhaps it's almost as though they're letting him win.]
( Max furrows his brow, because the implications -- sound like Rusty was with the witch who took his mother's body. This is all very Erika Kane. Because there's a kid involved? )
That's what you guys do. People come up on too much power, you cull the herd in your favor. Celeste, is that your middle name I don't know about?
( He tries and fails to pretend he doesn't know who "Celeste" is and that this isn't his mom. But he let that mask slip a minute ago.
Ezra, with blood on his hands, already, thinks about little Irina and his mother and father in hiding, and everything David lost or never had. He goes for the opposite row of witches, but instead of snapping their necks, he tries sending them somewhere else. A pyramid. Or tomb, where they can live out the one life they have in one swoop. Failed saved fall through the bench as if in a dream. Very nightmare on Elm Street. (16) )
[John Gainor stops playing possum at that point. Transitory magic, while not a routewitch, is his particular area of expertise. His hand comes up and he severs through Ezra's spell (17), before looking back at his son-in-law. "Oh, no, no. You want to get rid of us, it won't be that easy."
Meanwhile, Celeste sneers. "Let's not play dumb, Maxim. It's beneath you." She knows that if Rusty of all people is coming to his rescue, Max already knows the truth. Particularly if Rusty cares, and she can read that caring in every inch of his frozen form.
Besides, it's more fun, at least for her, if Max knows what's waiting for him, for the threat she's about to make next.
"We could make it fun, mon chere. Best of both worlds, no?" She steps over to where Max moved away, delicately running her fingers against his shoulders as she passes behind him. "We're so close. With your curse and what we have planned, we could keep doing this dance for centuries. Isn't that what you always told me?"
Rusty sets his jaw, before shaking his head.]
No, Celeste. That's not what I want.
[Celeste frowns, before leaning in closer. "Tell me, Maxim. Does he get under your skin the way you get under his? Did you two have extra fun while running around killing my friends?"]
[John stands, adjusting his suit as Ezra makes his way closer, the sneer on his face evident. David is right behind his husband, trying to make sure that this doesn't go pear shaped because he knows his father and this could go very wrong very quickly.
Celeste goes easily (10), laughing as her son holds her in place. Honestly, Max, this is probably why you shouldn't get physical. Because now you're close enough to stab (14).
Rusty sees the blade coming down and surges forward, flinging his arm out to fling it away, but Elizabeth catches him first (3 vs. 7), vines ripping up from the floor and pinning him in place. He struggles to try and get free and in the end all he can do is shout.]
Max is stabbed, hard, pretty central, and he drops his mother's body before slumping down, first to his knees and then to the ground.
Ezra doesn't react. He knows there will be casualties. He stares down John.
"I don't even hate you," he says. "I hate who you took from him. You might even be the better deal. But, you want his body and your wife wants mine. That can't happen," he chides. "Not to mention, there are some... mechanics to think about that you probably haven't had to think about. I don't know if you've thought this through..." It's the Logan in him that keeps him talking as Serena slips another knife out and phases it through the bench while he's distracted, aiming for John's achilles, but keeping an eye on the proceedings up ahead. )
[The blade sinks into her brother's chest and Jaqueline's voice shrieks across the room, her hands rising, and then throwing forward, all the nightmare energy that is her birthright bubbling up from the stage to try and hold her mother in place (10 vs. 8). Sludgy, gripping hands rise up from the stage and wrap around her mother's ankles.
Celeste wrinkles her nose, before glancing over to her husband. "Deal with your daughter."
Louis sighs, ignoring what's going on with the Gainors and moving towards Jaqueline. "You brought this upon yourself, darling. You always do." He flicks his wrist, summoning an athame, and prepares to slice it across his new daughter-in-law's throat (9). Fortunately he's never been that good with blades.
Rusty tries again to free himself from the vines and get to Celeste (6 vs. nat 20), but Elizabeth holds him firm, forcing him down to his knees as she holds him in place.
John also catches wind of Sierra's little ploy (also ... nat 20), throwing out a hand and drawing Sierra's blade up into his hand. He tests the weight of it, before tipping his head to the side.
"Funny, Ezra. I didn't think of you at all." Then he proceeds to raise the knife and go to bring it down into his son-in-law's chest (... a third ... nat 20 vs. 8).
David is surging to try and push his husband out of the way but he's not fast enough. He's never fast enough. The knife sinks into Ezra's chest and while it's not enough to immediately kill him, David shouts desperately into the back. "Bela!"
Bela meets the eyes of the other person on stage people seem to be ignoring. Max is bleeding badly, withering quickly, and Ezra isn't doing much better but she can only be so many places at once. Elton stands on the stage, watching the chaos break out and they have a quick, silent conversation that indicates what needs to be done.
Bela zips up to the front of the room - past the Gainors, much to David's disappointment. She bites into her wrist, forcing it into Max's mouth, and once he's drank enough, she removes the knife so she can heal.
Elton, however, buys them time. He jumps off the stage, hands moving quickly, to a series of pressure points in John Gainor's back, freezing him in place just as he had done Ezra not that long ago (18 vs. 8). It allows David to get Ezra away and somewhere safer.
Which leaves Susannah, letting out a low moan has her hand comes forward to the chair in front of her seemingly oblivious to the chaos happening around her. The waves of grief turn slowly to anger and she grits out "I'm going to kill that bitch," before phasing immediately to the floor to go join another thread!
Sorry Elena, Matt and Dean. Maybe you'll make it to the lobby before she finds you.]
( Sierra just misses the blade trying to slice her (11) as she loses the one she had on her through the floor. She falls backward, grabbing at Louis' arm. She tries to take him down with her with a Tibetan move she hasn't used in a while. She tries flipping him over (16) and if he's still holding that knife, well she can't stop an object already in motion. (Basically, she tries flipping him over and then stabbing him with that hand.)
Ezra feels the blade pierce his chest and he falls back into his husband, but with an ounce of strength, he tries burning those branches holding Rusty in place with a trembling hand (11).
The blood bubbling up from Max's mouth, his own and Bela's, sputters as he coughs and his hands cover the wound that's healing. He is still down for the count as he rolls on his side and watches the chaos. )
[Ezra succeeds (7) in setting the vines aflame, possibly because Elizabeth is distracted by the attack on her husband and is turning to do her own stabbing, this time into Elton (3 vs. 13), but Elton catches on and dodges out of the way. He then turns and does the same trick he did to her husband (14 vs. 6) and freezes her in place as well.
Rusty charges forward the moment he's free, moving to put himself between Max and Celeste. He takes the knife from Bela that was used to stab Max, and grits his teeth as he stares down Celeste.]
I should slit your throat, just like you did her.
[Celeste raises an eyebrow. "Then do it. I don't think you can." He quickly proves her wrong, stabbing down into her (10 vs. 4), though Jaqueline's getting distracted by her father, so she manages to wriggle away from hitting anything vital.
Speaking of Jaqueline, she doesn't take well to her father stabbing her wife, but Sierra seems to have things in hand, as Louis rolled a (4) and lets out a cry of pain as Sierra's knife stabs into his shoulder. She makes her way over to help, though, placing her foot down on her father's neck to hold him still.
Bela moves over to Ezra, repeating the process she did with Max - having him drink the blood and then withdrawing the knife. This time, however, the knife goes to David, and the glib, affable persona he usually puts up falls away. He grits his teeth and charges forward to stab into his father (12 vs. 4) and John can't help but let out a forceful exhale, though he's unable to move thanks to Elton.
David grits his teeth as he steps forward. "The bodies are gone." He twists the knife and there's another pained noise from his father as more red spills onto his suit. "And once you're dead, I'll burn these bodies too. And you won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."
John grits his teeth before pushing through. "Then do it, already."]
( Sierra doesn't take any chances. She pulls at the knife still gripped by her father-in-law and it extricates with a soft excruciating crunch. She removes the knife from his fingers, holds his wrist against his chest and doesn't say anything before attempting to plunge the knife into his neck. (18)
Ezra cries out as the knife is removed, falling back from shock as his system starts to right itself. "Dav - David," he gets out, grabbing for Bela's hand, eyesight returning, color returning to his world, to his features.
Max pushes to his feet, brandishing his own knife he'd hidden in his stylish boots.
Between the carnage, everyone is preoccupied as he rounds the guy who cares? about? him? and stabs Celeste from the back, holding her in place.
[Between his daughter holding him in place and Sierra's rather effective pin, there's not much Louis can do to avoid it (8). The blade sinks into the flesh of his throat, severing his vocal chords and forcing the blood into his lungs as he begins to choke. Jaqueline tips her head to the side, fascination coloring her features as she thinks of all the times she fantasized about doing this herself. Doing it with Sierra is better.
Her attention is eventually drawn back to the stage, however. He sees Max holding their mother in place with a knife in her back and Rusty coming from the front. She tightens her hold on her viscous nightmares, giving them all the advantage they needed, and is also pleased when Rusty does as promised, reaching out and slicing the knife across her mother's throat and letting the blood spill.
David, on the other hand, does not hear Ezra calling his name. All he hears is his heartbeat roaring in his ears and sees the blood on his father's otherwise pristine suit and something snaps inside him and he just continues to stab into his father over and over again. All the years of burying his feelings, his anger at both of them, the simmering rage for the way they would sacrifice him, even before they ascended, to achieve their goals, and he finally has somewhere to put it. So he withdraws the knife and he stabs his father again, and again, and again, brutally, over and over until Elton's spell holding his father in place collapses because there's no life to attach itself to, and his lifeless body drops to the floor.
Which just leaves Elizabeth, held in place, eyeing them all like she may still yet connive her way out of this.
And Susannah, of course, but she's not in this room.]
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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Her eyes glance to Sierra and David, eyebrow raising as the officiant clears their throat.
"Shall we begin?"
"Yes," Gainor replies. "Let's get on with it."]
How romantic.
[But still, she turns and faces Sierra, extending her hand to her.]
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This, she can take for herself, no matter what.
Eventually the officiant steps back and nods to them. "The vows?"
Jaqueline takes a deep breath, before reciting the words laid out for them.]
I call upon the universe to witness this union, as I bind my life with yours. I promise to honor your spirit, to uplift and cherish you, to walk this sacred path as partners. May we grow together, sharing our hearts and our souls, and may the love we share be a beacon to guide us through the darkness. With this cord, I join my spirit with yours, in love and in faith.
[She means every word of it, even if it feels forced.]
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( Max tilts his head closer to his soon-to-be husband, "This is the feminist rewrite," he quips. But Elton can tell he wants his sister happy and has only recently realized what will do it. Just how much she sacrificed for him. He doesn't know the extent. But he knows how long she has gone. )
to cherish and kiss the ground you walk in because you deserve that and more, to walk this sacred ancestral path as partners. May we work together, grow together, sharing our hearts, our fears, our plans, and our souls and may the love we have always shared be the beacon we both need to guide us through the darkness and back to one another. I choose you. Every time. From this day forward. With this cord and these witnesses and your brother's stand-in
( "Hot stand-in," he grumbles. Then looks back. "I mean. Rude. That was rude," he nods, smirking underneath. Sierra would always go with style. Maybe this gives him hope. And a kernel of an idea. )
I join my spirit with yours and yours with mine, in love, in faith, under siege - ( she turns to address the crowd ) the patriarchy ( she explains with elicits some laughter. she faces her wife again. ) - so mote it be.
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The officiant would probably be amused as well, if he wasn't there under some kind of duress. "Yes, well. Lovely. You may now kiss the bride."
And Jaqueline will do just that, because it's her wedding and she'll do what she wants.
David also looks amused because good for them. He'll celebrate their wedding if nothing else. Elton, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be processing any of this. He's starting to realize that maybe he made a huge mistake.
Just maybe.]
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The officiant turns to the other couple, one he has a bead on being unconventional. He believes he heard he word stand-in? But, it's likely, his family, or livelihood or whatever is being threatened, isn't worth not performing this ceremony.
Removing the second round of ties that will bind, he gestures for Max and Elton to also join hands, clearing his own throat. He smiles to the crowd. More pomp. More circumstance.
Max holds one hand out, palm down. His eyes say, you're a freaking idiot, but do what we're told. We may not have a plan, but we have self preservation instincts, unlike you.
They're very expressive eyes. )
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Sorry, love. I thought this would turn out better.
But he takes Max's hand, almost on autopilot, watching as the officiant binds their hands and waits for Max to begin the vows.]
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Elton-I-Have-No-Idea-What-Your-Last-Name-Is. Elton-Easy-On-The-Eyes. I call upon the universe to witness this Married at First sight-caliber union, as I bind my life with yours. I promise to honor your spirit, to uplift and cherish you, to walk this sacred, special snowflake path as partners. May we grow together and not apart, but if we fall into the gay cliche, may our marital bed stay sacred... ( what's next. right, pushing forward. ) while still sharing our hearts and our souls, and may the blind love we share be a beacon to guide us through the darkness and the bullshit. With... this cord, ( Throughout his speech, he meanders, he pauses, he tries to push for time, to brace himself for the cavalry that never comes. He sees his parents lean forward, their ire, their hunger. His mother is almost on her feet. His final message his eyes give is an apology. Because, he tried to delay this as long as he could. And this damns the both of them. It's rather to be married and alive then to refuse and be dead.
He plays the golden boy one last time. ) I join my spirit with yours, in, in... in love and in faith. So. Mote it be.
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"I now pronounce you spouses. You may - "
Before he can request the kiss fully, both men already leaning in to get it over with, the doors to the back of the makeshift chapel fling open and a loud, familiar voice draws all eyes to the back of the room.]
I'm sorry. Did I miss the part where we were supposed to object?
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He takes a generous step back and exchanges a look with his sister. He couldn't have been a few minutes earlier.
Ezra and David stand at the corners, like the men of honors they are. Ezra doesn't make a move but sees a familiar flick of Max's wrist. His eyes grow intense and he shakes his head, eyes not on them. Not yet.
Max rolls his eyes.
He guesses it's... his wedding. A sigh, he raises his handfasted hand in Elton's up high. )
By like a minute.
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[All of the parents eyes are focused on Rusty, all with varying shades of emotion from wariness to interest to anger. Rusty's just about to continue his dramatic entrance when a witch bursts through the door behind him.
"Vampires! Elijah Mikaelson and Stefan Salvatore. They're here."
At that, the parents startle more, until eyes flow from Rusty, to the woman standing just slightly behind him.
David grins when he sees Bela. "Your timing, as always, is impeccable."
Bela smirks in return. "I try. Shall we finish this then?"
That question is more to the heirs than anyone else in the room.]
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Serena takes Jaq's hand and phases through the floor.
Ezra imbues Rusty and Bela with some bonuses (+3 to attack rolls, +2 to AC equivalents), but keeps his eyes on his husband's "parents." )
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Bela zooms forward, taking care of the witch who announced their arrival (14 vs. 2), snapping their neck and letting them fall to the ground. But before Rusty or anyone really can make a move, Celeste moves.
She sees the undercurrents - that's always been her particular skill, so she disappears in a veil of mist, appearing on the stage behind her son. He slips through her fingers to keep her from getting a good hold (16 vs. 19), but she plays it off as a casual brush against Max's shoulders.
"You really are predictable, aren't you mon cher?" she says, loud enough for Rusty to hear, knife in her hand enough to have the implied threat - at least for Rusty. "All these years, and you still can't stay away."
Rusty has gone stock still, halfway down the aisle, not sure how to proceed. Almost as though he doesn't want to press her. Like he knows all too well that she will kill her own children just to spite him, though he's not sure that's the play here. Still, he doesn't risk moving.]
Celeste -
[His voice goes dry, unsure of what to say.
She smiles wider, like the cat that ate the canary. Max may have taken after his mother in terms of talents, but Jaqueline got her smile. "Same old Russell. Always leading with the heart."]
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Sierra tries to pull hers close, a letter opener tainted with witch-poison pressed to her neck (15).
Max watches his mother disappear with a trick he's never seen executed in front of himself before. He reminds himself this isn't his mother, but he can't help but fight through pangs of being that scared little boy who had to teach himself how to clobber his own armor together.
He comes to his senses, her missing him as he tugs him and his handfasted husband, damn it, with him. He makes quick work of the ties, dropping them to the ground even though they did their job.
He does raise an eyebrow. Mon chere? He yanks himself away from his husband. )
Go, get away or make yourself useful, he says, pushing him off before turning to face his mother and her -- ) Hey. ( He throws a hand out to hold her in place, catch her by the spine, but this is still his mother and she is powerful (3) ) If you really had raised me, you'd know what your son is capable of. I will kill you.
( Ezra doesn't join the fray, stepping in front of his husband, watching the display, but, does his best to keep David's "parents" in their seats. (17) He throws a hand out, pointing.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," he says. "The grownups are talking." )
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The implications are not subtle. Neither is the way Rusty's hand curls into the fist or the deep anger, deeper than anything Max has likely seen this far, manages to float to the surface.]
You didn't have to kill her. You didn't need that much blood.
[Celeste shrugs. "It was time to cull the herd. Perhaps if she had proved herself more, I wouldn't have."
John and Elizabeth do not pass their save (16, 10), but their faces remain unbothered. Yes, you can hold them in place for now, but they're still put you in their place later. Perhaps it's almost as though they're letting him win.]
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That's what you guys do. People come up on too much power, you cull the herd in your favor. Celeste, is that your middle name I don't know about?
( He tries and fails to pretend he doesn't know who "Celeste" is and that this isn't his mom. But he let that mask slip a minute ago.
Ezra, with blood on his hands, already, thinks about little Irina and his mother and father in hiding, and everything David lost or never had. He goes for the opposite row of witches, but instead of snapping their necks, he tries sending them somewhere else. A pyramid. Or tomb, where they can live out the one life they have in one swoop. Failed saved fall through the bench as if in a dream. Very nightmare on Elm Street. (16) )
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Meanwhile, Celeste sneers. "Let's not play dumb, Maxim. It's beneath you." She knows that if Rusty of all people is coming to his rescue, Max already knows the truth. Particularly if Rusty cares, and she can read that caring in every inch of his frozen form.
Besides, it's more fun, at least for her, if Max knows what's waiting for him, for the threat she's about to make next.
"We could make it fun, mon chere. Best of both worlds, no?" She steps over to where Max moved away, delicately running her fingers against his shoulders as she passes behind him. "We're so close. With your curse and what we have planned, we could keep doing this dance for centuries. Isn't that what you always told me?"
Rusty sets his jaw, before shaking his head.]
No, Celeste. That's not what I want.
[Celeste frowns, before leaning in closer. "Tell me, Maxim. Does he get under your skin the way you get under his? Did you two have extra fun while running around killing my friends?"]
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Max shudders and then flinches away.
He can't stop himself, his mother's voice or not, the goading, the implications... anger fuming, he turns to grapple her neck (19)
He isn't the Malreaux that gets physical. But, today he is. )
Shut. Up. End his curse.
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Celeste goes easily (10), laughing as her son holds her in place. Honestly, Max, this is probably why you shouldn't get physical. Because now you're close enough to stab (14).
Rusty sees the blade coming down and surges forward, flinging his arm out to fling it away, but Elizabeth catches him first (3 vs. 7), vines ripping up from the floor and pinning him in place. He struggles to try and get free and in the end all he can do is shout.]
Celeste, no!
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Max is stabbed, hard, pretty central, and he drops his mother's body before slumping down, first to his knees and then to the ground.
Ezra doesn't react. He knows there will be casualties. He stares down John.
"I don't even hate you," he says. "I hate who you took from him. You might even be the better deal. But, you want his body and your wife wants mine. That can't happen," he chides. "Not to mention, there are some... mechanics to think about that you probably haven't had to think about. I don't know if you've thought this through..." It's the Logan in him that keeps him talking as Serena slips another knife out and phases it through the bench while he's distracted, aiming for John's achilles, but keeping an eye on the proceedings up ahead. )
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[The blade sinks into her brother's chest and Jaqueline's voice shrieks across the room, her hands rising, and then throwing forward, all the nightmare energy that is her birthright bubbling up from the stage to try and hold her mother in place (10 vs. 8). Sludgy, gripping hands rise up from the stage and wrap around her mother's ankles.
Celeste wrinkles her nose, before glancing over to her husband. "Deal with your daughter."
Louis sighs, ignoring what's going on with the Gainors and moving towards Jaqueline. "You brought this upon yourself, darling. You always do." He flicks his wrist, summoning an athame, and prepares to slice it across his new daughter-in-law's throat (9). Fortunately he's never been that good with blades.
Rusty tries again to free himself from the vines and get to Celeste (6 vs. nat 20), but Elizabeth holds him firm, forcing him down to his knees as she holds him in place.
John also catches wind of Sierra's little ploy (also ... nat 20), throwing out a hand and drawing Sierra's blade up into his hand. He tests the weight of it, before tipping his head to the side.
"Funny, Ezra. I didn't think of you at all." Then he proceeds to raise the knife and go to bring it down into his son-in-law's chest (... a third ... nat 20 vs. 8).
David is surging to try and push his husband out of the way but he's not fast enough. He's never fast enough. The knife sinks into Ezra's chest and while it's not enough to immediately kill him, David shouts desperately into the back. "Bela!"
Bela meets the eyes of the other person on stage people seem to be ignoring. Max is bleeding badly, withering quickly, and Ezra isn't doing much better but she can only be so many places at once. Elton stands on the stage, watching the chaos break out and they have a quick, silent conversation that indicates what needs to be done.
Bela zips up to the front of the room - past the Gainors, much to David's disappointment. She bites into her wrist, forcing it into Max's mouth, and once he's drank enough, she removes the knife so she can heal.
Elton, however, buys them time. He jumps off the stage, hands moving quickly, to a series of pressure points in John Gainor's back, freezing him in place just as he had done Ezra not that long ago (18 vs. 8). It allows David to get Ezra away and somewhere safer.
Which leaves Susannah, letting out a low moan has her hand comes forward to the chair in front of her seemingly oblivious to the chaos happening around her. The waves of grief turn slowly to anger and she grits out "I'm going to kill that bitch," before phasing immediately to the floor to go join another thread!
Sorry Elena, Matt and Dean. Maybe you'll make it to the lobby before she finds you.]
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Ezra feels the blade pierce his chest and he falls back into his husband, but with an ounce of strength, he tries burning those branches holding Rusty in place with a trembling hand (11).
The blood bubbling up from Max's mouth, his own and Bela's, sputters as he coughs and his hands cover the wound that's healing. He is still down for the count as he rolls on his side and watches the chaos. )
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Rusty charges forward the moment he's free, moving to put himself between Max and Celeste. He takes the knife from Bela that was used to stab Max, and grits his teeth as he stares down Celeste.]
I should slit your throat, just like you did her.
[Celeste raises an eyebrow. "Then do it. I don't think you can." He quickly proves her wrong, stabbing down into her (10 vs. 4), though Jaqueline's getting distracted by her father, so she manages to wriggle away from hitting anything vital.
Speaking of Jaqueline, she doesn't take well to her father stabbing her wife, but Sierra seems to have things in hand, as Louis rolled a (4) and lets out a cry of pain as Sierra's knife stabs into his shoulder. She makes her way over to help, though, placing her foot down on her father's neck to hold him still.
Bela moves over to Ezra, repeating the process she did with Max - having him drink the blood and then withdrawing the knife. This time, however, the knife goes to David, and the glib, affable persona he usually puts up falls away. He grits his teeth and charges forward to stab into his father (12 vs. 4) and John can't help but let out a forceful exhale, though he's unable to move thanks to Elton.
David grits his teeth as he steps forward. "The bodies are gone." He twists the knife and there's another pained noise from his father as more red spills onto his suit. "And once you're dead, I'll burn these bodies too. And you won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."
John grits his teeth before pushing through. "Then do it, already."]
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Ezra cries out as the knife is removed, falling back from shock as his system starts to right itself. "Dav - David," he gets out, grabbing for Bela's hand, eyesight returning, color returning to his world, to his features.
Max pushes to his feet, brandishing his own knife he'd hidden in his stylish boots.
Between the carnage, everyone is preoccupied as he rounds the guy who cares? about? him? and stabs Celeste from the back, holding her in place.
"Do it," he urges, mouth smeared with blood. )
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Her attention is eventually drawn back to the stage, however. He sees Max holding their mother in place with a knife in her back and Rusty coming from the front. She tightens her hold on her viscous nightmares, giving them all the advantage they needed, and is also pleased when Rusty does as promised, reaching out and slicing the knife across her mother's throat and letting the blood spill.
David, on the other hand, does not hear Ezra calling his name. All he hears is his heartbeat roaring in his ears and sees the blood on his father's otherwise pristine suit and something snaps inside him and he just continues to stab into his father over and over again. All the years of burying his feelings, his anger at both of them, the simmering rage for the way they would sacrifice him, even before they ascended, to achieve their goals, and he finally has somewhere to put it. So he withdraws the knife and he stabs his father again, and again, and again, brutally, over and over until Elton's spell holding his father in place collapses because there's no life to attach itself to, and his lifeless body drops to the floor.
Which just leaves Elizabeth, held in place, eyeing them all like she may still yet connive her way out of this.
And Susannah, of course, but she's not in this room.]
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