for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[slavophile]

Sure, please. ( He flips one of the front of his bags to pull out a little card case of his own, holding out his own card. ) It's why I'm here. I help where I can, so if you need anything else.

( "Thank you," Enzo says once Melanie is left with the card. "For coordinating all of this." )

[indurare]

My pleasure. I enjoy making new friends, and giving gifts to old ones.

[Getting both Enzo and Shelia back to Bonnie is the least she could do, given everything Bonnie's been through. Her tone turns teasing as she fixes herself her own drink.]

My gifts are not usually quite so interesting, though. It's going to have a hard time living up to it in the future.

[marinates]

Are you calling me interesting? It's the accent, isn't it?

( William can read a room, gives her a thumbs up, and then heads back to finish packing his equipment with the help of his sister. )

[indurare]

[Good boy, William. Thank you again.]

The accent certainly doesn't hurt.

[Hers was never as heavy as Scarlett's but there's still the bit of that southern charm.]

But it's not every day someone comes back from the dead and needs to find their way home.

[marinates]

No, it isn't. My second lease on life was cut short in a prison of sorts. And my third, I took in my own hands. ( running out of the Other Side ) Unfortunately, my fourth proved the most fatal. And I do have a grudge held. He may even be back there in Mystic Falls. I believe you're familiar with Bonnie Bennett. We were in love, once. But, that was then.

[indurare]

I know how those stories go.

[Or at least she knows them in theory. Great loves have never really been Melanie's forte, mostly because after she left her marriage (by dying), she didn't want to find herself back in a similar trap. So she had her flings, her brief dalliances, and she had her friendships.

It took almost two hundred years for things to start getting lonely.]

I may know your grudge. I have more than a few friends in Mystic Falls.

[marinates]

Will Stefan Salvatore be there when our plane lands, or after?

( He wouldn't expect the former, but, he means on the ground. If he's going there for Christmas, to the Lockwood's, it stands to reason he might be there, too. )

[indurare]

After, I would expect. It seems as though a great deal of people are heading back to Mystic Falls, but from what I understand Stefan will be one of them.

[She can only imagine given the alternate universe children and other people coming back from the dead.]

But I believe Bonnie or Isaac will be the ones to greet you at the airport.

[marinates]

Well, that won't be awkward at all.

( He'll always carry Bonnie in his heart, but isn't worried about coming back to her. Or, getting to know her new boyfriend. )

And what does the Christmas holiday look like for you, Melanie Hamilton?

[indurare]

Family, mostly. Wesley, my nephew has been making a home here, so it will likely be a small intimate dinner with family and then ... I'll probably be moving on.

[She's not sure where yet, but probably a nice city to wait out the winter. Scarlett and Rhett are expecting Russell, and who knows where they'll go to give him time to recuperate. But Melanie is ready for some time on her own.]

I haven't decided yet if I'm in the mood for sun or snow this winter.

[marinates]

Lucky you get the choice in the matter. I like both. Are you leaning toward either, at the moment?

( He's realizing he may have his own choices to make as well, soon. After this business with his coming back is settled or handled or understood. )

[indurare]

[She gives a small shrug, because no, she hasn't. She tries not to think too far ahead, to stay in the moment. She also knows that part of it will depend on where she's trying to draw attention away from, if people are looking for her to find Scarlett and Rhett.]

I've narrowed down places. Either Chicago or Mexico.

[She has a small villa in Puerto Vallarta. Not far from the beach.]

[marinates]

Both sound very appealing. Promising, even.

( He turns the phone given to him around to hold it out to her. )

Mind giving me a ring once you decide. I seem to be awash in possibilities. And I like them a little more narrowed down and as far from Mystic Falls as I can manage. At least, at first.

[indurare]

[She smiles at that before nodding as she takes the phone, saving her number in it.]

I think some company sounds lovely. I'll be sure to keep you apprised.

[marinates]

I look forward to it.

( He takes her hand in his and kisses the back of it. )