for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[regentem]

We could ask Freya. She may have seen something like this before. But the only magic I know that reanimates the dead is from the Voodoo Queens, but they've been gone a long time.

[She glances over at Hayley.]

Is Freya at Rousseau's tonight?

["She mentioned something about having a date, but I can text her and see." Hayley shifts to pull out her phone. "She may not answer if she's ... busy, but if nothing else we can see if Freya's free tomorrow."

Davina's eyes narrow briefly at the mention of Freya having a date, but she shakes it off. Not her business.]

I should reach out to Sophie. See if we can get Erica ID's and stuff to make her a real girl, legally speaking.

[Erica's eyes light up. "Could they give me my driver's license?" She will ask the question, but she does not know how to drive.]

[commend]

Yeah. Sophie really could. Or Brianna. Or, if Hardison is in town. Technically anyone on her team is qualified. A full ressurection will take more. You're legally...

( Dead. He does turn to Erica, though, because )

Did you learn?

( Did she have time? Was she fifteeen or sixteen? Did Derek teach her? )

[yourtype]

... Not really? But I could now! It's not like I'm going to school or have homework or anything.

[Maybe she'll get a job. Eventually she'll have to find things to do with her time. She glances between Derek and Scott with an almost pleading expression.]

Please?

[commend]

Yeah, of course, we can get on that. It may take real classes, though. They're kind of a requirement.

( Not that... it can't be faked. He looks back at Derek.

"Yeah. Scott and I can take you out driving, but we're not experts on the subject," he offers with a gesture. They can get her to and from them, though. Or, get her study materials. "We can help you get your license. Reacclimate." )

We're here for you.

[yourtype]

Okay. This is going to be fun.

[It will not be fun for Derek or Scott probably, but teaching teenagers to drive is never fun. And the longer she puts off trying to figure out if she actually wants to go see her parents the better.

That being said, the next morning she is taken to Leverage HQ to meet Sophie, Eliot and Breanna and they take their time making Erica into a real girl. Breanna will give her her license because who wants to make a trip to the DMV if they don't have to, but Scott and Derek will have to teach her to drive.

That being said, about halfway through the session, the door to the theater opens, and in walks three people almost no one in this room will recognize. While Breanna's busy, Sophie will come over to do the meet and greet.

"Hello. Are you are other friends who happen to have crash landed in New Orleans?"]

[whumpawhumpa]

( Eliot looks up from his workstation. Hardison's a great influence and both he and his foster sister have taught him, so he's helping.

Gray leads his sister, but both flank Damon.

"I'm Damon. This is Gray and Stephanie. You must be Sophie," he says.

"Hey," Gray says, nodding to her. )

[wereall_addicts]

Hello. That would be me. Welcome to our offices.

[She steps back to give them more room to enter.]

Breanna is currently working on Erica, but once she's finished she can get started on Gray and Stephanie. Please, make yourselves comfortable.

[Erica has already been photographed, so when her attention is drawn by other children her age, she will move over to Gray and Stephanie wherever they settle. "Hey, I'm Erica."

"Stephanie," she nods. "You're new too?"

Erica shrugs. "I guess? Is that what we're calling it?"]

[scrutinously]

( It's a sprawling first floor-bar-former something else, but before Gray could actually make himself at home, Erica approaches.

Damon will make his over to the bar, move behind and snoop. )

There might be different definitions going around, but new about sums it up. Maybe new again for some of the people. That's our dad, but, not our dad. It's fun being us.

[yourtype]

Oh, that kind of new. Yeah, that's not my problem.

[It might have been easier if she had been. It feels awkward to tell people you were dead instead. His sister seems to catch on though and her eyes widen.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Yep. Awkward. Just like she thought.]

I don't really remember, so it's fine.

[scrutinously]

It's not fine, but we can't do anything about how not fine it is, so, don't feel anything you can't. What's this whole setup? Who's Sophie?

( By the bar, Damon pulls down a very nice scotch and two glasses before zeroing on Sophie. Does she want? )

[yourtype]

[Sophie will never say no to a drink. "So you're Damon Salvatore. I've heard interesting things." Her expression says she's old enough that interesting could mean a lot of different things. "People keep being surprised that we haven't met."

Erica on the other hand glances back over at Breanna, figuring the other woman will correct her if she explains this wrong.]

So Sophie is a friend of Hayley's and Hayley is the local alpha, but basically what they do here is help people? But with crime.

[Breanna smirks. "That pretty much sums it up, yeah. We take down people who are using the law to hurt people by hitting them where it hurts most - their wallets and reputation."]

[scrutinously]

( "It's high time we share a drink, then," he says, pouring two glasses. "All good things. Obviously."

Gray looks at Breanna for her reaction, too. )

That's badass. Taking down does sound like you do crime, though. So, do you stop the crime or do the crime. Is bringing us all into this a crime?

[yourtype]

["Obviously." Sophie smirks as she takes her glass. "We clearly have similar taste." At least in the finer things in life.

"Both?" Breanna shrugs. "And considering all the work I'm about to do to make you real people so you can do things like drive and fly you're kind of in on the crime already. Though from what I'm stalking in the big group chat, it's not like you had much of a choice."

Erica shrugs. She doesn't really care about the human laws that Breanna is working with a lot of the time.]

I'm a werewolf so I was kind of already a little outside the law anyway.

[scrutinously]

( "I'd like to think so, though I've drifted away from Varvatos," he admits.)

Just how big is this group chat?

( He looks to Erica. )

Still need ID, though.

[yourtype]

["Excellent choice all the same, though." She takes another sip. "How long are you planning to stay in New Orleans?"

Erica shrugs because he has a point.]

Fair enough.

[Then her eyes light up.]

Hey, can you make me twenty one? I mean ... technically I'm like thirty something.

[Breanna glances back to her and shakes her head. "You barely pass for eighteen. Quit while you're head."

Erica pouts but nods. Fine, fine, she'll act her age.

"As for the group chat, it's so big," Breanna replies as she goes back to work. "It's like the entire Justice League has shown up to debate all the dead people who are reappearing. We only got looped in because you guys need IDs and stuff, because otherwise this is not our usual bag."]

[scrutinously]

( "We fly out tonight if this all goes through, but, I was planning on being here longer. Sort of a - fourth life at this point." Kind of, Damon thinks. )

In her defense, there are people that do look twenty-one. Do I look nineteen?

( He's trying. Why not. ,b>)

Right, people here aren't being taken down by crime for crime. Well, we're - thank you - for the help. Helping me and my sister. Damon.

[yourtype]

["One of the bonuses of being a vampire. You can have as many lives as you want." She smiles. "You have my number now. If you happen to swing back into town, give me a ring." They can be dinner friends, or something. She could use more social friends in New Orleans.

"No prob. I am happy to help." The printer starts to sound, and a few minutes later, Breanna pulls the freshly minted license off the tray and passes it to Erica. "There you go. You're officially street legal."

Erica grins as she takes it from her.]

Thank you!

[She realizes she might be a little too happy to have her (fake) license, but given it's something she never thought she'd have, she'll allow it.]

And for what it's worth, I would have pegged you for twenty?

[He seemed older than her, but she wasn't sure by how much.]

[scrutinously]

( "I'd like that. I've heard stories about you, too. How many lives is it, yet?" He's dating someone, but he can flirt. )

I'll take twenty. Steph's eighteen. ( He steps over. ) Not that I'm an expert on ID's in this New Orleans, but it looks real. I like the holographic detail.

[meanestgirl]

["A lady never tells," Sophie smirks. There's very little Sophie does that isn't flirting so she certainly doesn't mind. "But I do remember when the Globe was new, so it's safe to say he answer is many."

"Thanks! I work really hard to make them look good." She turns back to the Salvatores and glances between them. "Alright, which one of you is first?"

Stephanie steps up.]

I'll go.

["Great. In front of the blue screen please."

Erica holds out the card so he can get a better look. "Are you guys going to the whole thing in Mystic Falls?"]

[scrutinously]

( "Globe Theater? Shakespeare?" Damon asks. )

Yeah, our - ( mother... ) I think it's going to have the largest sampling of people like all of us, and technically, it's where we're from. Damon's here in New Orleans, though, so after, is anybody's guess.

[yourtype]

[She nods. "Fell in love with the theater then and there. Though of course it was another hundred years before they let me on the stage."

Erica nods, because makes sense.]

I'm going too. I'm probably coming back here after, cuz this is where my alpha is but my best friend is also in Mystic Falls so I don't know.

[scrutinously]

( "It really was all men up there?" Damon asks before sipping. )

We don't know all that much about werewolves, other than what we've read. But, I didn't read anything about an alpha. How does the alpha thing work?

[yourtype]

["Oh yes. Well ... biologically speaking, at least. I'm sure there were a few up there who felt things we didn't have words for at the time." Feelings for which theater was an outlet and a restriction all at the same time. "Women weren't allowed on the stage officially until 1660."

Erica makes a face because how do you explain the alpha thing.]

Well, it depends on the kind of werewolf you are. For my kind of werewolf it's a little more direct. An alpha is more powerful than a beta werewolf, their eyes are red, and they can turn other people into werewolves. But in Hayley's case it's more of an honorific? They choose who the alpha of their pack is, but otherwise they're all the same kind of werewolf.

[She pauses.]

Maybe Hayley's a bad example because she's also a vampire.

[scrutinously]

( "That's right," he says, gleaning information and remembering Shakespearean fact. Or, vagueties. "And now, you..."

Do crime?, he doesn't ask, not reflecting on what his kids think. )

We're going to take your word for it, ( Gray says, also without choice. ) How is it. Being back?

[yourtype]

[Sophie smiles before giving a shrug. "This has always been my stage. Eliot can attest to the fact that I haven't always been the most compelling artist on stage." Mostly because it's hard to find the truth in herself. But she is good at bringing it out of other people.

Erica glances over her shoulder, making sure that Scott or Derek aren't about to walk through the door to get her before shrugging.]

It's weird. My friends are all so much older than me now, and in different places so they feel more like trusted adults than actually friends? So I have to make new ones, and then I've been gone for so long that I'm not sure if I should like ... go see my parents? Or just let them keep thinking I'm ... you know. They didn't know I was a werewolf or anything.

[For some reason, it's easier to say all of that to a veritable stranger than it would be to say it to her actual friends.]