for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[somanyadjectives]

Long story.

[Stefan really doesn't want to spend his day dealing with Kai Parker. But it seems as though he doesn't really have a choice, so he'll just suck it up. He pulls away to check the maps app on his phone before coming back.]

Send me the address. I can be there in about three hours.

[Possibly sooner because he forgot he still has a routewitch charm in his car.]

[daydrinker]

I'll send it right now. ( He looks back at the drapes concealing him on the balcony. ) Stefan. Thanks.

( He hangs up, deciding to text his wife,

Come out onto the balcony.

Her phone lights up wherever it is. )

[saveslives]

[Jo glances down at her phone, reading the message before getting to her feet and heading out to the balcony. And once she closes the door, she throws up an anti-eavesdropping spell so that Kai can't listen in.]

What did Stefan say?

[daydrinker]

He'll be here in three hours.

( He looks behind his wife. )

What's he doing now? Just watching TV?

[saveslives]

Basically. He doesn't seem particularly bothered, but Kai has always been hard to read.

[She sighs.]

I don't know what we're going to do with him.

[daydrinker]

All my instincts say 'lock him up and throw away the key.' ( Other instincts say prison world. But they've been there and done that. ) Why do you think he's not trying to get away? He's free. Why wouldn't he want to use that freedom. For whatever.

[saveslives]

I don't know. Maybe he's ... changed?

[She knows he's been present for the past twenty years, even if he hasn't been visible?]

Or maybe he's learned from his past mistakes.

[daydrinker]

( Mistakes aren't a harsh enough term, but he lets her have it. )

Maybe we'll find out soon enough.

[saveslives]

[She nods, before exhaling slowly. Then she wrinkles her nose.]

I was thinking about how this curse made things so complicated between us, when we were trying to break it.

[And magic will what magic will.]

[daydrinker]

Between you and Kai?

( Or, Jo and Alaric? )

I never asked what was involved in breaking the curse.

[saveslives]

They had a stall tactic in place. These rooms where we were distracted by a ghost from our past. I had Kai. There were these keys we had to find, and he and I were talking about what got us here.

When we found our key, I let him open the door.

[So is she responsible for this?]

Then there was the actual curse which involved channeling a lot of magic from a pillar in the middle of a room of ghosts that had the Parker witch that triggered the curse in it.

[daydrinker]

It still sounds like breaking the curse might have unmerged you, but you didn't do this. That curse was never supposed to be there in the first place.

( He grimaces. )

Kai was never supposed to be a part of you.

[saveslives]

I know. But that doesn't change the fact that he kind of is now.

[They've been one person for almost twenty years. It's hard not to feel like the fact that he's re-emerged means that there's a part of her living outside her skin.]

[daydrinker]

We'll get answers soon about what it means. For you and for Kai.

( They need them. )

[saveslives]

[She nods briefly, before glancing down at her watch.]

We have a while before Stefan gets here. I should call the girls and tell them about the curse.

[Because she has a feeling that while Ric updated them, he didn't tell them that.]

[daydrinker]

I'll keep an eye on your brother.

( But, also keep his distance. )

[saveslives]

[She lets Ric slip inside, before pulling out her phone and WhatsApp video-calling her daughters. There are a couple rings before Josie answers the phone, flashing her a smile.

"Hey, Mom."]

Hey, sweetie. Let's just give your sister a chance to connect.

[bibrid]

( They rarely miss each other's calls, especially when their mom is up to poorly covered witch business. So, Lizzie answers, too. )

No dad?

[saveslives]

Dad's handling something else for me right now, and I wanted to talk to you alone. I know that he sent out a message already that everything was fine, but I want to tell you what it actually was that was fine.

[A pause, deep breath:]

We broke the Gemini curse.

[Josie stares, blinking for a moment: "THE Gemini Curse. The merge curse?"]

[bibrid]

The... whole thing?

( Shopping has halted for now, as she's sat for lunch. She's trusted Danny at the chicken shop. He knows what she likes and she's trying new things. This is... new. )

[saveslives]

The whole thing.

[She swallows hard, giving them a chance to process that before she continues.]

I'm sorry for not including you, but I knew you both had plans and I also knew it might be dangerous. So I pulled rank as your mother, just in case. But I didn't go alone. Your aunt and uncles helped, as well as Bonnie and some other friends. This wasn't just about our curse this was also about some very dangerous external witch stuff, and I wanted you both to be safe.

[bibrid]

Just - don't lie to us next time. You can't stop us from worrying, you as the parent should know all about it. Or, if you do, be the one to make the lie, cause dad... It's not one of his strong suits.

( It's his tone and general everything. )

[polydeukes]

["I promise, I will be more transparent in the future." She then glances her attention to her other daughter. "Jo? You alright over here?"

She's ... well, she's a little shell shocked. She blinks as her mother addresses her, before shaking her head.]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

[She is not fine. She may need her girlfriend to talk her through some stuff when this phone call is over.]

[bibrid]

Jo?

( She frowns, too, sister's intuition. But, what also comes with intuition, knowing that this isn't the place to air it. )

Is there anything else we need to know, mom? Any curse blowback or, anything? Or are we just -- it's over?

[saveslives]

["I'm okay." That sounds a bit firmer, but they'll talk later, when their mom isn't around.

Jo hesitates, unsure what to say but she might as well:]

There does seem to be a side effect or complication but we're still trying to figure out all the nuance. But when we've figured it out, I will update you all. Promise.