but oh what a year

[patrols]

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leverage, inc. (lindsay, beck, sophie, eliot) | new orleans

[patrols]

♫

So what do we know about these people?

[Lindsay pauses to check her look in the mirror before they leave their apartment, making sure that she looks appropriately unthreatening for dining with vampires. She knows that her Slayer status has been downplayed in some of her fiancé’s other political meetings, but Davina told her that Sophie is old so she may be slightly more familiar with Slayers than her local vampire counterparts.]

Davina seemed pretty insistent that we meet them.

[telegraphs]

( He mishears, at first, about to tell her there isn't anything they have to do. They've been invited, and it's that. But, she's fishing for information and her fiancee is who she needs to go to for that. This is why she's marrying him, right? Because he always has the information? )

Sophie and Eliot are the leaders of a team that give back to the local community. She is older than he is. Eliot is a world class chef. Sophie owns a theatre in the French quarter. Davina said that they are friendly and worldly and the invitation was pretty much mutual.

[patrols]

Okay.

[She nods before turning to join him on their way to the car.]

By local community, I'm assuming the human community, not the supernatural one if we're getting involved.

[telegraphs]

As far as I know, human community. The down on their luck. She didn't go into detail, but from what I saw behind that smile, there's probably something special about them.

( Which... also makes them better. )

Perhaps, not above board.

[patrols]

Given that there are a lot of things going around that aren't above board, I'm not really sure that's a problem.

[It just depends on how their trips below the board help other people.]

[telegraphs]

Not a worry of mine.

( He's the leader of the human faction, and not a librarian now. And not a cop. )

Should be interesting.

[patrols]

Yeah, should be.

[It may be a worry of Lindsay's eventually, but she's not a cop right now. Not her job.]

And if he's as good a chef as Davina claims, very delicious.

[telegraphs]

I was told the food is almost as good as the stories that come with it. But, that wasn't Davina, that was someone else. A Vincent, I believe, was visiting Freya Mikaelson. He's a big proponent of all things Sophie Deveraux. You'd think she was a New Orleans staple.

( He's looking forward to it, though. And, while hungry, the curiosity seems to be apeing the hunger. )

[patrols]

Oh, Vincent Griffith. He's a good in to have. He's like Davina's right hand man.

[Look she may not like a smarmy networking role for herself, but she's very good at remembering who is who.]

If she's a vampire and he likes her, that says a lot.

[telegraphs]

Well, I made an impression, then.

( And a damn good one. )

Says everything. We need people in our corner, too, for when we go toe-to-toe. We aren't pushovers, New Orleans!

[patrols]

No, we are not.

[And with that they will get into the car and head over to meet with Sophie and Eliot.

In the meantime, Sophie is helping Eliot in the kitchen (read: taste testing the appetizers and adjusting the table settings) and as she moves one of the wine glasses into place she muses: "It's been a long time since I've had dinner with a vampire Slayer."]

love a good dialogue parallel

[whumpawhumpa]

It's been a long time since I've gone toe-to-toe with one. Nearly lost an arm.

( Before he was turned, even. It's what happens when your boss who wants something procured is a vampire, even if you yourself just believe him to be eccentric and the target of strong, militant women. )

But, Davina trusts them and it's a good idea to maintain our friendships here.

( Especially as they operate. )

Harry's law can only take us so far.

[wereall_addicts]

It's true. And this position will give him an ear in the community with regard to people who might be able to be referred in our direction.

[There's always so many people who need help. In a lot of ways, the world keeps seeming to get worse.]

And I do love a good Irish brogue.

[The lilts are just music to the ear.]

[whumpawhumpa]

People on both sides of the coin.

( The humans and the supernatural. He gives her a private smirk. Flirting between them always feels second to everything else, but when they give themselves the room and the air together, it just clicks. )

You do a mean one.

[wereall_addicts]

Thank you, I've worked hard on it. It can be so easy for it to go wrong. Kind of like Boston.

[A pause.]

Maybe that's why I struggle so much with Boston. It's those weird vowels.

[whumpawhumpa]

Yeah, and you pahk your cah in the garage too much there.

( Though, Eliot always mastered the accent. )

You knock the harder accents out of the pahk. ( Eyebrows. )

[wereall_addicts]

[She grins, before leaning in closer over the counter, with something that is bound to be both witty and flirty but before the words can slip from her lips, a knock sounds at the door.

She glances over at the clock on the oven and raises an eyebrow as she steps back to answer the door.]

Punctual. We're putting a pin in this for later.

[whumpawhumpa]

Count on it.

( He wipes his hands on a towel, slaps it over his shoulder and then sets out two trays of appetizers for their guests.

One of said guests knocks first. )

Sophie?

[wereall_addicts]

I've got it.

[She makes her way into the entryway and pulls open the door to greet the happy couple.]

Hello! You must be Beck and Lindsay. I'm Sophie - please, come in.

[telegraphs]

( he just can't put out perfectly placed and arranged appetizers and answer the door, he only has vampire speed and precision. and he bought very distinctive platters. (strong, for if they're attacked. but ornate and beautiful so they can be washed and reused.) ) Aye. ( He lets his fiancee in first, ladies first as gentlemen say, before taking her coat. He shrugs his off as well. ) Nice to finally put a face to the name.

[wereall_addicts]

Likewise.

[She takes both of their coats to go hang up before gesturing to the dining area.]

Make yourselves at home. There are h'orderves and Eliot is finishing up dinner.

[telegraphs]

H'orderves and appetizers - canapes, all rival a main course if you ask me. ( He likes an impeccable-tasting bite. Sumptuous. Not filling. Even though he will eat a tray of them. He is why their Sling is filled with saved Food Network shows. ) Not that I'm not looking forward to Eliot's dinner. This is Lindsay, my fiancee. You come highly recommended across several networks of communication.

[patrols]

Everything smells delicious.

[Really does, she wants to shove it all in our face.]

Anything we can do to help?

["Nonsense, you're guests." Sophie finishes in the closet and makes her way back in. "Can I fix either of you a drink? Wine? Beer?"]

Wine sounds good to me.

[telegraphs]

Wine is fine.

( He prefers beer, but he goes with the crowd when it comes to entertaining or parties. Maybe he'll have a beer with dinner. Something tells him Sophie has good wine.

Hearing her offer, Eliot already has three wine glasses at the ready and starts to pour the barollo he'd let breathe, so Sophie can collect and distribute. )

The way people talk about you two, you're like a staple of New Orleans. If this where you're both from?

[wereall_addicts]

[Sophie shakes her head.]

I was born long before New Orleans existed. But I've been friends with Marcel for decades, so I have lived here before. This run has been a few years. A friend decided to set up our team here for a little while.

["What does your team do exactly?" Lindsay asks. "I know you've done some ID work but ... everyone's been kind of vague about it."]

To put it simply, dear, we're thieves. But we lean more to the Robin Hood end of the scale. Rob the rich and destroy their reputations for the poor.