for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[fullofdynamite]

She's the Petrova Doppelganger and you've met my mother. Even if she was never going to use her for anything, she likes having information.

[Or at least he hopes that his mother doesn't have any plans involving doppelganger blood. Not after how this evening went for the Inner Circle.]

Her and Katherine Pierce have been floating around for a while.

[A beat.]

Unless you mean how do I know about her and Dean, and it's because he's the knight in shining armor who rode to her rescue.

[richrisque]

Yeah. The latter.

( But, good to know his mother has one eye on her. )

Elena Gilbert was invited to prom?

[fullofdynamite]

Elena Gilbert was the ... prom crown?

[Is there a proper comparison that fits with this analogy.]

She was the upgrade to the ascension ceremony. Her blood was part of the spell that wasn't just going to allow them to highjack our bodies but also make us immortal in the process.

[richrisque]

Ah, the piéce de resistance.

( She smirks, shaking her head. )

And Dean Winchester, naturally, brought his brother and who knows who else because when you go after one of them...

[fullofdynamite]

His brother, Elena's brother, I want to say Allison Argent?

[It looked like Allison Argent, so he doesn't really know her.]

And then throw in Stefan Salvatore and Elijah Mikaelson for good measure.

[richrisque]

They really have friends in high places. The Argents working with the Winchesters now. I heard there were sightings of each of them in New Orleans, but they weren't reported being together.

( Maybe that was deliberate on their part. )

Well, Stefan Salvatore, because of the obvious. Elijah signals that Dean Winchester has finally gotten over his Bela grudge. Also, that he knows Bela's even alive.

At this point, I want to know who wasn't there.

[fullofdynamite]

Actually, I think Bela was there on other business.

[She seemed to have an in with David Gainor, though what is yet to be determined.]

That may have just been a coincidence.

[richrisque]

Your wedding was a regular who's who. Was Elena Gilbert on the groom's side or the groom's side?

( Give her just a little more ribbing time and then they'll get down to it. Also, he's so tense. He needs a smile. )

[fullofdynamite]

It wasn't a wedding.

[There's barely any fight in that, but he's not calling it that, he won't. Even if it absolutely one hundred percent was.]

And she wasn't there.

[So he doesn't know.]

[richrisque]

Wow, you are really down deep. Okay. You're not going to be any good like this. Because I need Elton with solutions, not whatever this ( she gestures, circling her palm in front of him. ) is. So, take that bottle, by the time you get up to your room, it will ready for you. You can even take the bottle, but tomorrow morning, I need you in fighting shape. This isn't over and maybe you can't see it right now, but, you're going to have something on your hands. And you need sleep. And a shower. I'll keep the boys away, but I can't guarantee you won't have brothers in your living room tomorrow.

[fullofdynamite]

Fine.

[The grumbling is half-hearted, but he will take the bottle because yes. He's not done getting drunk tonight. If he has to suffer Ken and Hiro with a hangover tomorrow so be it.

He gets to his feet, still sober enough to do that on his own, before he glances over at his stepsister and nods.]

Thanks.

[richrisque]

You won't thank me tomorrow. But, I'll take it now. Go. Or, do you want a more handsome escort. I'm closing down the bar tonight. I could call Valentine.

( Head of security. )

[fullofdynamite]

[He shakes his head, before turning to head back to the elevator.]

No. I can make it to my room just fine.

[He can navigate a casino, thanks. He'll wait to get very drunk until after he gets to the room.]

[richrisque]

( Her bar is still empty, however, so she can stay on this side and dial her boyfriend's number. Because. Sigh. )

[abad_influence]

[Lucas smiles when he sees her name on his phone, answering as soon as he sees it.]

Bored at work already?

[richrisque]

Oh, I would be, if my long lost step-brother hadn't reenacted a platonic Casablanca. ...Admittedly, that one got away from me. Elton is upstairs. And ma -

( She brings the phone down, typing back )

married.

[abad_influence]

Married? Does his mother know?

[Lucas met Mrs. Zhao a grand total of once and he thinks he would be happy if he was never in her presence again.]

She's going to be pissed if not.

[richrisque]

Not like that kind of married, if I correctly made sense of his story and from what Felicity is messaging about. Think more, ceremonial, less God. Zero romance. What we wouldn't have.

( Infodump and flirt! )

[abad_influence]

Oh, so you've been thinking about our wedding? Good to know.

[He has not because, well. Hunter. He figured if he ever got married it would be a Vegas wedding chapel or something small. Then he fell in love with Emi, and ... well, expectations adjusted.

The Azumas don't do anything small and they certainly wouldn't do a Vegas chapel.]

Is Elton okay?

[richrisque]

There's sentimentality under all my professionalism and my vulgarity.

( She didn't know if after losing Lucas that she ever would. With him back. Maybe he's been thinking about it. )

He'll crawl his way out of the bottle tomorrow morning. But, I think he's in over his head. Do you know anything about whatever Colony ceremony almost happened? They involved him. Or, he involved himself.

[abad_influence]

So Sam Winchester set out a heads up that something was going down in Baltimore, but he wasn't really specific. You want me to ask around, see what I can find out?

[But if he had to hazard a guess...]

Maybe they took out the final members of the Inner Circle.

[richrisque]

They did. Because, he handed himself over - and Ezra - because he thought they would induct him and not take his body. But, I think that they still need his body. And him in his body.

( That's what it sounds like. )

[abad_influence]

I'll ask around. See what they know. But I would argue that needing him in his body and not just his body is a good thing as far as this mess is concerned?

[Doesn't mean it's good, but at least they want Elton to be himself.]

[richrisque]

And when he wakes up with a splitting headache, I'll make that clear to him. I still see him going the stubborn route.

[abad_influence]

Yeah, stubborn is kind of his impetus for being.

[Elton isn't Elton if he's not being stubborn about something.]

But maybe he'll actually be willing to figure out what's going on after having slept on it.