[Adrienne sighs before nodding. She pulls out her phone and stares at the search box for a moment. She tries to think of where to first begin, and she starts with the family she knows best.
Melraux.
It's fairly sterile - Jaqueline keeps her family's digital footprint fairly sparse. But Max needs to be online for business reasons, so as she scrolls through the options and stumbles onto social media, she finds him. She doesn't have to dig too deeply to know that he's a descendant of her mother.
( Isobel takes the phone in hand, impressed with how quick her new friend has found someone. She looks at the screen first, then her finger swipes up, passing different - articles? Captions? And carefully curated pictures. )
Most of these pictures, the captions under them are labelled. Inner Harbor. Annapolis. And this restaurant. I believe he lives in or does business in Baltimore.
( She stops on a photo. )
Her. I know her.
( Donna Paulsen looks as put together as she always does. She's even still at the same firm, though, they've gone through a few different names, it seems.
She checks the time and holds the phone back out. )
[It seems as though she's certainly a good stop to make. She could use some more contacts regardless, and perhaps Donna is someone she can make herself useful to.]
In passing. She knew Katherine better than me. The friend I placed the call to. We can either approach the matter directly, or distract her with subterfuge and get the information you need. She'll likely not give it outright. Though, she could pass a message along. Right now, it's the step we have.
( And she wants to stay on the side of solutions. )
[She's not good at sneaking around. She thought she got that from her assumed father, but she certainly didn't get it from her mother. Maybe that still holds true.]
[Adrienne considers carefully, before giving a small shrug in return.]
I've been dead for so long, I'm not sure I have many. And depending on what people may know about me, I may have even less. What kind of leverage do you think she may be looking for?
[Because everything is about leverage, right? That's how the world works.]
Not leverage. Motivation. She can and will help. But, if it falls under... moral turpitude, she won't be eager to. Not that I'm implying that's what you're after. I think she'll be sympathetic to your plight. She has lost family. Died. She's a vampire. The only way we'll know is if we go.
[She won't ask her to kill or compel anyone, but she'll do her best to move things in a positive direction.
Donna, however, is neck deep in paperwork with Connor because resolving the legalities of a coven coup is apparently not as simple as you may think. She's got her hands braced on the desk while David sits on speakerphone, being unhelpful, as per usual.
"What do you mean it's not done yet?"
David sighs. "We may have a small problem with an in progress ritual and one of the components missing. But we're tracking him down."]
If we don't have every signature, we can't move forward with the changes in the estate.
( Connor heard it was a blood bath. Before now, he'd assume it to be metaphorical. Or, maybe not even. But he knows now how much it should have been. )
Everything is on hold right now. Your assets are frozen. None of your parents had wills written, or, for that matter, a good, legal paper trail. Probably because they wanted your bodies.
( Is he speaking out of turn? Well, he's the lawyer here.
Isobel takes Adrienne to Pearson Specter etc, leading her up the elevator and past a few desks, all the way over to Donna's glass-walled office, the door of which is open. Isobel doesn't bother checking in with the secretary, who seems to be on lunch, anyway. She approaches, but lets Donna start the conversation. )
[The last thing Donna needs right now is Isobel Flemming, but apparently today is not Donna's day. She rubs her eyes before turning back to the phone.]
David, you and Connor make a plan. I'll be right back.
[And with that she will make her way out of the office and head back towards the two women.]
What are you doing here? I heard you were dead.
[Because Donna keeps up on these things when she can.]
("Absolutely not...?" Connor asks as Donna leaves him to it. Moving around the desk, Connor closes the door so Donna's friends don't disturb them and he consults with David, who just sounds tired.
Isobel flashes a steely smile. )
I was, I'm not now. Is that any way to greet an old friend?
[Friends don't leave their friends messes to clean up. Honestly the number of vampires Donna would call a genuine friend is a very short list, and Isobel isn't on it. Acquaintances at best. And she doesn't like it when dead people surprise her like this. It's annoying.]
Today has been very long, and I'm really not in the mood to do some kind of banter-dance. So answer the question, Isobel.
I'm here, because after returning from the dead, shortly after, I met Adrienne here who has quite the story and a witch lineage to track down. Including your client, Maxim. Am I pronouncing his name right?
( Adrienne can speak for herself when she'd like, but Isobel will at least present the facts. )
[Donna's eyes narrow as she turns on the other woman. Adrienne smiles and extends a hand, as she's seen other people do in greeting. "Adrienne Melraux. I understand your firm may represent my coven."
Donna shakes her hand, because she does try to be polite to people she's never met, but something about this sounds very ... odd.]
We may. Would you mind if I confirm that with the actual coven first?
["Not at all. Please do. I'm excited to meet Maxim and the other Melrauxs."
Donna nods.]
Excuse me.
[She makes her way back to her office, opening the door and closing it behind her.]
( Connor looks up as Donna lets herself back into her office. )
His husband is doing what he can. Something about his ex's sister's friend, I'm on mute, ( Conner says, tapping the button to unmute. ) David, Donna is back.
( he looks past her, wondering who the two raven haired, severe women are she's been talking to. he now realizes, today may be the day even though donna said, 'not today' )
You have no idea. I need Max and Jaqueline. I need you to open a door and send them here.
[David is quiet for a moment and Donna's eyes narrow.]
David.
["I would love to do that for you, Donna, I really would. But Max and Jaq can't really leave Baltimore right now due to the whole unfinished ritual thing. I mean, I could send Jaqueline and Sierra together but we don't know where Max's partner is and leaving the radius will subject both of them to incredible amounts of pain."
Donna slumps into a nearby chair, burying her face in her hands.]
Great, wonderful. Perfect. I just have a woman claiming to be a Melraux witch.
[David squints. "She can't be. There are only two left."]
That's what I thought but she was escorted here with a woman I thought was dead, so the truth is really relative right now.
[David's quiet again, before turning and going to find someone else to resolve this problem. He passes the phone to Max. "Here. You talk to Donna. Your family, your problem."]
So, this signature covers a lot more than the estate.
( Sorry, Donna, Connor sinks back into your chair. Normally, he wouldn't, but she's in the other chair and things feel more out of control than usual.
Max's ears perk up, eyebrows questioning as he listens to David's side of the conversation and then takes the phone in hand. Guess he's been tapped in.
I have a witch standing in my office calling herself Adrienne Melraux and claiming that she's part of your coven. But I thought at last count there were only two Melrauxs, you and your sister.
[She frowns.]
She also walked in here with a dead woman, if that means anything.
We've had... some of that around here. But, just around here. We would have recognized a dead woman we didn't - or - ( He looks to the rest of them, to his sister, a resigned David, his sister's wife. And Ezra. )Adrienne?
Her name's Isobel Flemming. She's a vampire friend of a kind of friend. Hold on.
[She gets to her feet and moves to the door, pulling it open and turning her attention back to Adrienne.]
Does the name Celeste mean anything to you?
[Hopefully loud enough so Max can hear, she responds. "My parents were Celeste Marchant and Gabriel Melroux." Which is a very slight lie, but Gabriel did raise her and maybe she got lucky and her parentage fell to the wayside after her death.
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praevaricatio) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2025-10-11 07:15 am
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( Maybe they're a company now. )
Only one way to find out.
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Melraux.
It's fairly sterile - Jaqueline keeps her family's digital footprint fairly sparse. But Max needs to be online for business reasons, so as she scrolls through the options and stumbles onto social media, she finds him. She doesn't have to dig too deeply to know that he's a descendant of her mother.
It's all there in his face.]
Him.
[She passes it to Isobel.]
He's probably one of them.
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Most of these pictures, the captions under them are labelled. Inner Harbor. Annapolis. And this restaurant. I believe he lives in or does business in Baltimore.
( She stops on a photo. )
Her. I know her.
( Donna Paulsen looks as put together as she always does. She's even still at the same firm, though, they've gone through a few different names, it seems.
She checks the time and holds the phone back out. )
I think we should take a lunch meeting.
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Who is she?
[And why is she important to take a meeting with. She wants to know as much as possible on her way in.]
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( That shows ingenuity. She likes when women rise in the ranks. )
Maxim is likely a client. At any rate, we may be able to get some information. Another piece to the puzzle.
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[It seems as though she's certainly a good stop to make. She could use some more contacts regardless, and perhaps Donna is someone she can make herself useful to.]
Do you know her well?
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( And she wants to stay on the side of solutions. )
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[She's not good at sneaking around. She thought she got that from her assumed father, but she certainly didn't get it from her mother. Maybe that still holds true.]
If you think she'll be receptive.
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( If she knew more about this Maxim, or the Malreaux, she would be more helpful. )
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I've been dead for so long, I'm not sure I have many. And depending on what people may know about me, I may have even less. What kind of leverage do you think she may be looking for?
[Because everything is about leverage, right? That's how the world works.]
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( So... let's go. )
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[She won't ask her to kill or compel anyone, but she'll do her best to move things in a positive direction.
Donna, however, is neck deep in paperwork with Connor because resolving the legalities of a coven coup is apparently not as simple as you may think. She's got her hands braced on the desk while David sits on speakerphone, being unhelpful, as per usual.
"What do you mean it's not done yet?"
David sighs. "We may have a small problem with an in progress ritual and one of the components missing. But we're tracking him down."]
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( Connor heard it was a blood bath. Before now, he'd assume it to be metaphorical. Or, maybe not even. But he knows now how much it should have been. )
Everything is on hold right now. Your assets are frozen. None of your parents had wills written, or, for that matter, a good, legal paper trail. Probably because they wanted your bodies.
( Is he speaking out of turn? Well, he's the lawyer here.
Isobel takes Adrienne to Pearson Specter etc, leading her up the elevator and past a few desks, all the way over to Donna's glass-walled office, the door of which is open. Isobel doesn't bother checking in with the secretary, who seems to be on lunch, anyway. She approaches, but lets Donna start the conversation. )
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[The last thing Donna needs right now is Isobel Flemming, but apparently today is not Donna's day. She rubs her eyes before turning back to the phone.]
David, you and Connor make a plan. I'll be right back.
[And with that she will make her way out of the office and head back towards the two women.]
What are you doing here? I heard you were dead.
[Because Donna keeps up on these things when she can.]
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Isobel flashes a steely smile. )
I was, I'm not now. Is that any way to greet an old friend?
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[Friends don't leave their friends messes to clean up. Honestly the number of vampires Donna would call a genuine friend is a very short list, and Isobel isn't on it. Acquaintances at best. And she doesn't like it when dead people surprise her like this. It's annoying.]
Today has been very long, and I'm really not in the mood to do some kind of banter-dance. So answer the question, Isobel.
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( Adrienne can speak for herself when she'd like, but Isobel will at least present the facts. )
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Donna shakes her hand, because she does try to be polite to people she's never met, but something about this sounds very ... odd.]
We may. Would you mind if I confirm that with the actual coven first?
["Not at all. Please do. I'm excited to meet Maxim and the other Melrauxs."
Donna nods.]
Excuse me.
[She makes her way back to her office, opening the door and closing it behind her.]
David still on the line?
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His husband is doing what he can. Something about his ex's sister's friend, I'm on mute, ( Conner says, tapping the button to unmute. ) David, Donna is back.
( he looks past her, wondering who the two raven haired, severe women are she's been talking to. he now realizes, today may be the day even though donna said, 'not today' )
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Donna sighs as she moves closer.]
You have no idea. I need Max and Jaqueline. I need you to open a door and send them here.
[David is quiet for a moment and Donna's eyes narrow.]
David.
["I would love to do that for you, Donna, I really would. But Max and Jaq can't really leave Baltimore right now due to the whole unfinished ritual thing. I mean, I could send Jaqueline and Sierra together but we don't know where Max's partner is and leaving the radius will subject both of them to incredible amounts of pain."
Donna slumps into a nearby chair, burying her face in her hands.]
Great, wonderful. Perfect. I just have a woman claiming to be a Melraux witch.
[David squints. "She can't be. There are only two left."]
That's what I thought but she was escorted here with a woman I thought was dead, so the truth is really relative right now.
[David's quiet again, before turning and going to find someone else to resolve this problem. He passes the phone to Max. "Here. You talk to Donna. Your family, your problem."]
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( Sorry, Donna, Connor sinks back into your chair. Normally, he wouldn't, but she's in the other chair and things feel more out of control than usual.
Max's ears perk up, eyebrows questioning as he listens to David's side of the conversation and then takes the phone in hand. Guess he's been tapped in.
"Donna," he says. "What's my problem?" )
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[She frowns.]
She also walked in here with a dead woman, if that means anything.
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( He knows exactly where that name comes from. )
Mention the name Celeste. Who's the dead woman?
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[She gets to her feet and moves to the door, pulling it open and turning her attention back to Adrienne.]
Does the name Celeste mean anything to you?
[Hopefully loud enough so Max can hear, she responds. "My parents were Celeste Marchant and Gabriel Melroux." Which is a very slight lie, but Gabriel did raise her and maybe she got lucky and her parentage fell to the wayside after her death.
Donna glances back to the phone.]
You hear that, Max?
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( Ezra, crossed arms, offers a hand up, finger outstretched.
"Elena's birth mother?"
Max makes a face at Ezra and then listens to Celeste's response back. )
Heard it loud and clear. ( He covers the phone with his hand. ) Celeste's daughter is with Elena's birth mother. And Donna Paulsen.
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