for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[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.

[richrisque]

We know what's going on. But, yeah, he'll figure his way through it. I didn't have blood pact on my Christmas Bingo card this year. Then again, I also didn't have resurrected boyfriend I almost shanked on it, either.

( So, fair. )

[abad_influence]

Life likes to keep it spicy.

[It'd be boring if they predicted everything.]

I didn't have dying on mine, and yet.

[He still has dreams, sometimes, that he's going to wake up with a hole in his chest. Maybe they'd be more accurately called nightmares, but he's trying to keep it positive.]

[richrisque]

We're replacing the square completely. I think, marathon sex session will do nicely.

( just, if they're making up the rules. )

[abad_influence]

Upgrade accepted. The original was a shitty square anyway.

[And the less he thinks about it, the better.]

How much longer do you have to work?