ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ.

[tricrsed]

her idea of effective teamwork did NOT include, the looming threat of death, nor were the heiress’s idea of teammates, a bunch of emotionally unstable vampires, who’d like nothing more than to rip her in half. beggars couldn’t be choosers however, and despite being ‘ obligated’ via threat, aurora couldn’t help but admire the RESOLVE. the way these people, that family seemed to love each other, it made her wonder and it gave her hope that perhaps one day, both beck and piper would find something like that.

not that it stopped her from being irritated, however and that much was made evident as she allowed the heavy leather bound cover of a spell book fall, the loud slap resonating in the space that had been purposefully kept between the young woman and the spare tribrid ( words she’d heard the collective use ) from tormenting each other with anything outside of the sounds of ruffling pages and sneezing, as dust covered books, were tossed on tables, for them the scour through.

“ aren’t creepy, coffins, cementareis and weird rooms more your speed? “ the brunette countered with a quirk of a perfectly plucked brow. “ it was my JOB, i had.. have a desk, like a normal human being. “ she added with a roll of her shoulders, shocking surely but the collective wasn’t anything remotely otherworldly , outside of the witches ⸺ just a bunch of humans, who’d banded together in pursuit of the same goal ‘ the eradication of the supernatural ‘ their individual reasons, never the center of it all, but her parents’ murder had been dangled in front of her, more than once. and while she was helping, part of her couldn’t help but feel accomplished, because the tribrid would come back, at least that was the plan. but her parents wouldn’t, and klaus mikaelson was the reason. so hey? what was a little lingering hatred between… paused, enemies? “ not all of us get off on the idea of torture dungeons and severed limbs. “ grant did, but that wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have. “ so you’re like… “ she paused as she gathered her thoughts. “ the extra? what were your parents afraid the midget version of the package would run out of batteries or something some day? “ another pause fell between them. “you know now that we’re asking impertinent questions and all. “

[devouredxmuses]

" no, i prefer the forest. " though, wasn't that nature's cemetery ? " i'm in my twenties. i'll save the others for my mid-millenia crisis. " ingrid replied waving her off. " oh, so normal human beings take jobs that specialize in devastation ? is it easier to sleep at night because there's a paycheck for your murder ? or maybe you're just disconnected enough from it. i think you humans forget you're still predators. " morality is fickle and dependent on too many factors. gone were the days of black and white, if they had existed at all. everything was gray. ingrid wasn't exactly the best person to have this conversation. surely between the two, ingrid had more bodies. in the tribrid's case, her humanity had been gone when she took those lives, humans killed with their's firmly intact. " you a vegan ? " because if not, what leg did rory have to stand on. at least the tribrid could catch and release. it had been too long since she'd fed from the tap anyway.

a throaty laugh falls at the brunette's dig. a question she'd pondered long enough to take the sting out of the implication. " my family may basically be royalty, doesn't mean we think in terms of heir and spare. " plus, the pair only shared a mother. each of their fathers left behind an heir of their own. " families that actually love each other tend to multiply. your parents clearly had other priorities. " money and control obviously. something the mikaelsons had consolidated centuries before hope was even born. " maybe if they would have spent more time with you as a kid we wouldn't be in this situation. " the worlds were thrown out to hurt. ingrid knew next to nothing about the other, it was all speculation.

after a beat ingrid focus's her gaze back down to the book in her hands. " seriously. how did you even go about making it ? " the reversal had to come down to something in it's creation. even if it didn't, no stone left unturned right ? she also wanted a little more insight into the collective. what was the source material that they had ?

[devouredxmuses]

where: freya mikaelson's home library. who: ingrid & rory ( @tricrsed ).

god did she wish to be numb. even after trying to lock all that emotion away safely, it didn't disappear. instead there was a sharp ache that tugged at her endlessly. a gaping hole that had been torn through her in hope's absence. ingrid wasn't alone really, no, she had heath, laurie, caroline, sol, her aunts and uncles. but it wasn't the same. the core of her family was gone. each member ripped from her one by one until the youngest mikaelson was left all alone. no. hope wasn't lost to her. not entirely. always and forever meant something. that was the mantra she found herself repeating when she felt even an ounce of her control slipping from the firm grasp she wrangled it under.

hope was going to wake. ingrid was going to do everything tribridly possible to bring her sister back from whatever nightmare she was in. it strengthened the redhead. gave her something to put all of her focus and energy into. falling apart would only leave her sister stuck in whatever state she was in now. and that was why she found herself here with essentially the enemy. ingrid would play nice enough only if it would produce results. the second the other woman was proven useless or if ingrid caught even a whiff that betrayal was on the horizon, the tribrid would take her out. at this moment, rory was a means to an end.

the pair had been pouring over many of ingrid's aunt freya's magical tomes for quite a bit now in silence. every once and a while ingrid would throw a glance over in the other's direction. sizing her up. after some time the silence was nagging at her. plus, rory being collective brought a morbid sense of curiosity. ingrid knew that right now she might need rory, but that didn't mean she was going to be on her best behavior. when had she ever been ? " so, the collective got a collection like this hidden in some weird ass lair or something ? " she asks with a little bit of a bite.

[dailybtvs]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1997-2003) “Spiral”

[tricrsed]

@devouredxmuses !!

[hellonexrth]

She had no right to flinch at the words Benni leveled at her. No right to feel anything aside from guilt, really. It didn't stop it from happening. Her plastered smile faltered, and for a split second she was reminded of just how much she hated herself. She watched the entirety of their relationship play out before her. Watched and remembered every single bad thing she'd done to this person, this friend of hers and wanted to recoil inside her skin. Facing things was never something she'd been good at, and even though she felt lighter lately, it hadn't changed the fact that everything she'd ever done lived like a stain on her skin.

"Hey," she said again, anxiously, feeling uncomfortable and wrong and vulnerable. This wasn't the kind of person she was. No, Diana was strong and independent and she knew how to form fucking sentences in front of other people. Apparently when those sentences contained genuine apologies, however, she came up flat and empty.

"Listen," she started, putting a hand on the door frame and leaning in, looking down at her once friend, her hopefully future friend. And it was a test in growth. A test in mending and learning and change. It was a test, finding Benni's eyes, that she felt certain she was going to fail. But maybe that was the test too. Trying, despite knowing the outcome. Failing anyways. Wasn't that just so human of her? "I apologized to you a few weeks ago. I... was lying. It was a lie. I wasn't sorry," she said, fumbling over the words, talking with her hands, probably looking like a complete alien, some foreign entity that had taken over her body. "I don't mean that I'm not sorry—fuck, how do people do this? I mean, I wasn't sorry then. I'm sorry now."

[devouredxmuses]

the diana that stood before them now was not the diana that benni had known well. that version was confident, collected, arrogant even. this one ? there was a sense of maybe, insecurity ? the unrehearsed and raw nature that was displayed before them now brought a bubble of empathy to the forefront of benni's feelings. their grip on the stake releases and her newly free hand drops. the other was still firmly held the door knob. this was benni's friend. regardless of what had transpired between the pair, benni couldn't simply drop caring for diana so simply. that was why it all hurt so badly. now with the actual apologetic look adorning her features, benni softens. this vulnerability wasn't something that benni was used to with diana.

i was lying. that had been obvious when it was given, so they distanced themself from her. the fakeness, the inability to really see the damage she'd caused. it was too painful for the human so they had to remove themself. though the admission of her placation apology did sting. corroborating what they'd been feeling. this time, the vampire's body language matched her sorry, the human finally felt that it was genuine.

" i believe you, " benni replies gently. all the prior hostility had drained from them. at the end of the day, it had just been a mask for the sadness. vulnerability of their own starting to show. this was what they had been wanting, real acknowledgement and benni had not been expecting to get it. the pain wasn't washed away in its utterance by any means, but it still felt like a breakthrough of some kind. " it sucks to admit when you've fucked up, but i appreciate it. and accept it. " were they over it ? no. not entirely at least. benni's aunt had warned them of the dangerous nature of keeping the company they had, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. " i just don't know where to go from here. "

[hellonexrth]

Sitting in the empty office once shared with a friend, it felt much bigger than it did before Emery joined him there. Once upon a time, when he'd had the space to himself, it felt exactly the right size. Perfect for just him and some nosey client. Too small, even. With Emery, it had shrunken even more so. Cramped. They always bumped into each other making coffee. There was a stain on the carpet below the machine to prove it. Now, the office felt huge. Windows looking out over the city with their shades drawn, and a cup of coffee he'd served himself without bumping elbows with anyone. Man or wall.

She rose the bag but his eyes found the box, instead, and he sighed. It was inevitable, but he hated that it had come to this. He'd hoped, uselessly, that they'd be able to work it out somewhere along the line. Of course, because Heath didn't reach out and so did Emery stay silent, the problem only continued to stir between them. Heath had nothing against the guy. But neither would he apologize. Neither could he apologize for protecting the woman that he loved. But neither, still, had he wished for Piper's death. None of it had gone the way he'd hoped. None of it could be fixed. And so, yeah. Benni would have to load Emery's stuff into that box and carry it away.

"And by a few things..." Heath said, trailing off, peering into the depths of his coffee mug. "You mean all his shit, right?" He kicked away from the desk and let the the chair propel him a foot or so backward, nearly into the wall behind him, before he stood, his coffee almost sloshing out over his hand. "Fuck, it's not like I killed his new girlfriend." One hand ran through his hair as he sighed. "Sorry." Then, "Hey, Benni. Hey," as he put the coffee on the desk and dropped an arm around her shoulders in a lame, half-hearted hug.

[devouredxmuses]

" she was his girlfriend ? " they exasperate. because of all the things heath had said, that was what stuck out. not that the girl was dead, of course they cared, but emery having a girlfriend ? and benni hadn't been the one to know or get to the bottom of ? that was just down right offensive. emery had mentioned reuniting with a friend and benni was going to do more digging, but some pressing work assignments had delayed their snoop. her pastry arm lifts to return his hug with mirrored lack of enthusiasm while she grumbles, " hey. " then the bag drops to heath's desk and benni moves to emery's.

" well not all his shit. just a few bits and this purple pen he really likes ? truly kept going on and on about the pen...." either he really did love that damn pen or it had been a ploy to dodge every other question lobbed his way. " he didn't say anything about a dead girlfriend, trust me, i'd have remembered. " this newly revealed fact did answer about half of benni's inquiries. if heath was in any proximity to said dead girlfriend they understood his curtness. the human was just thankful heath was giving her anything and she wouldn't be herself if she didn't press. " if you didn't, who did ? "

they pause to take a moment to scan for that blasted pen, leaving without it was a nonstarter. if anything else was left behind, all the more reason for emery to come back himself. " and why does it feel like you did ? " there wasn't any malice, or blame in their tone. just curiosity and care. the only guess benni had was ingrid and to their knowledge, emery had used his powers on her. they didn't really know the tribrid at all, except from heath and emery's stories and a relatively surface level investigation. the treatment she gave most people. was ingrid the vindictive type ? was there any way for emery and heath to come back together if she had done it ? that was benni's concern. that the rift was much bigger than anything they could to in attempts to repair it.

[hellonexrth]

He spent most of that day, like the one before, either sitting by her side of laying curled up in bed with her. He knew it was insane. He knew she was gone. Deep down somewhere in the dark pit of his chest, he did know that. Held it as fact. Ignored it. Turned away from it. Refused to think about it. Instead he looked at the dagger. Wrapped his hand around it sometimes and tugged, withstanding the pain for as long as he could before it pulled him under too. The first time, he'd cracked his head open on the nightstand and laid on the floor, waiting for it to heal back together. He wished it wouldn't. The next time, he'd held on longer, even managed to pull a centimeter or so before his mind gave out. Now, he sat by her side muttering words under his breath, telling her to wake up, to come back, not to leave him. Not like this. He didn't hear door. Wouldn't have heard it even if he hadn't been speaking through his own feverish haze. He hadn't showered. Hadn't had anything to drink. Hadn't even changed his clothes since bringing her home. None of that mattered. In fact, nothing really seemed to matter.

When Ingrid appeared in the doorframe, he didn't look at her. He kept his hands folded over one of Hope's, his eyes trained on her face. What if she were to wake up? What if she were to wake up, and he missed it? The stirring of her body, even a single blink of an eye. So, no. He couldn't look away. Instead, he let her approach, let her see Hope laying in their bed atop the covers, the dagger protruding from her chest. "I'm going to kill your little demon friend," he said, almost casually, but twisted in the way the words felt so true. So raw and real, made of the heartache that made him wish to claw at his chest. It had already been ripped open by someone else. But still, he could not reach his heart, could not grab it and squeeze it hard until it popped. What if she woke up? "She'll wake up," he said. Not to Ingrid, but to the voice in his head the tried to argue for the worst, for her end.

[devouredxmuses]

finally it hit her. no longer could ingrid ignore theo's words once her gaze landed on hope's lifeless and daggered body. it all came crashing. the weight of everything she was trying to keep at bay slamming down to flatten her. " no, no, no, no, no, no, please no, " the words rushing from her lips as her movements got slower and slower. ingrid sank to her knees a few feet from the bed where her sister lay. dropping her head to her hands ingrid screamed, fingertips digging into her scalp. it was paralyzing, the grief. immobilizing each muscle one at a time until she stopped moving entirely. frozen in time and space. the only movement was the tears staining her cheeks. the tribrid couldn't reach out and touch hope even if she wanted. while a statue physically, everything inside her erupted. it was raging and red hot.

ingrid hadn't heard his first sentence. misery clouded her mind and buzzed out her ears. it was taking every shred of control not to burst the entire house into flames. repress. she had to repress because exploding would only screw her. she'll wake up. that seeped through the noise. they were the only words she needed to hear for delusion to sweep up and save her from the devastation that wracked her body. now her head turns to look at her brother in law. one of the only people in the universe that was surely feeling as she. " she'll wake up, " she repeats, voice raw. if hope was gone, that hurt much to much for ingrid. that dagger, it didn't symbolize death. no, just like the daggers of mikaelson before, there was simply desiccation. sleep. a suspension in some place far from reality.

the idea of waking hope sparked the older mikaelson's namesake. it gave ingrid something to cling to. she could rouse her sister. with hope incapacitated, ingrid was one of the most powerful witches and she would stop at nothing until hope woke. ingrid rubs her eyes, dabbing away the tears. she'll wake up. she sniffs a few times before turning her body to more face laurie, getting a better look at him. the vampire looked as wrecked as ingrid felt. it was going to be okay. she'll wake up. come hell or high water. the redhead takes a deep breath, stuffing down all the unhelpful feelings. locking them as deep as they would go, crafting a door of her very own. a hand reaches out to rest on laurie's arm in as comforting a gesture as she can. " we're gonna figure this out, laurie. i swear. she'll wake up. "

[tricrsed]

so much of his life had been about playing catch up, he’d been running after both kaya and ingrid for as long as he could remember that somehow being the ONE that was ahead ( at least in this moment ) made for a satisfying dynamic. the playing field had finally been leveled, now he had more to offer than NERDY fun facts that did little outside of grossing both girls out, he wasn’t a doormat either of them could walk all over anymore and maybe that’s where his skewed perception of reality cane in. not that he cared, he was enjoying being HEARD for the first time in what he felt had been a very long time. “ well aren’t you boring “ he added in a dry and monotonous tone, a pout forming blood stained lips, one which soon broke into a grin.

“ damn that bad huh? “ he commented with both his hands up in an unconvincing’ i’m innocent ‘ sort of stance before he made an exaggerated gesture to indicate that his lips were sealed, on that matter at least. there were plenty of other strings he could pull at. she was after all one of two people he knew better than anyone living ( or not ) she was right on one thing however how she got her kicks now that she was oh so determined to keep to the straight and narrow wasn’t really his concern. her leaving him alone and not ruining his buzz? now that, he was after.

a desire that could be deemed counter productive if he took into account that he’d been the one to SEEK her out in the first place. he had news, and were he actually himself, he’d be there to offer support, instead of gloat, another indication of how far down he’d actually fallen. but what did it matter? so long as it had her occupied? “ oh come on now red, you used to love my GUESSING games…” he cooed with a hand over his mouth in an attempt to suppress the chuckle that slipped from his lips. “ all i’m saying is that, you might want to check if there’s still room inside the MIKEALSON family plot.. what with all the people you’ve been burying lately… “ his voice trailed again and shrugged. “ she is small, i suppose she’d fit anywhere you threw her into. “ so he was being obnoxious and a little gleeful but the vampire had been after getting the tribrid back from the moment she’d turned him. the only obstacle? his morals, and the fact that he cared for the people who loved her ⸺ which once again established how ‘ useless ‘ human emotion could be. because with his pesky regrets gone and only his darkest and worsts impulses left? now he could celebrate. “ congrats red, you’re an orphan and only child. “ a pause fell between them as if he’d realized what he’d said. “ or was it condolences, sorry… i get the words confused lately. “

[devouredxmuses]

ever since ingrid could remember, control was a skill she had lacked. she'd eat too many sweets, her temper would flare, her mouth got reckless ( hands and feet were known to do so as well ), tears would flow into rivers, and her magic would spark before thought. still through it all, she had tried to rein herself in. which was fruitless as things would fester inside until they burst free, collapsing things around her. this was proved over and over again. her mother, heath, the hills of corpses she'd left throughout the country, kaya's death, the dagger in her heart. she wasn't a child anymore. the tribrid was a lean mean killing machine and control had never been more valuable. each time she felt as though she had gotten a handle of it all, some new tragedy would strike to reduce her once more.

it was like the whole world stopped spinning as theo spoke. each sentence worse and more cutting than the last. but they couldn't be true. hope was forever. that's what she had known her whole life. that she and hope would one day be that forever. if something happened to their remaining family, hope would be there. if there was a weak tribrid, it was her. if death would come for such a being it would be ingrid. while morbid, there was a sense of comfort. that true loneliness wasn't really a possibility for her. if anyone knew what hope's death would do to her it was theo. so that had to be why he was saying it. to rip into her in the places that would hurt. still, just the thought had her grip tighten so much the glass in her hand shattered. liquor running down her arm and soaking the fabric of her sleeve.

" bullshit, " this time the hand slams down on the countertop just to damage the wood even further. if there was ever a time to find control it was now. every fiber of her being was screaming to shove her hand right through his chest and rip out the beating heart that resided inside. instead her fingers curl into the bar, chipping the wood and keeping themselves from puncturing her friend, one of her best friends. it was his lack of humanity. he was just trying to get to her as she had tried to get to him. to push any button he could to watch her unravel and she wasn't going to. ingrid believed that because it was much more plausible. so she took a deep breath to steady herself, to push back the vitriol and violence that threatened to slip free. " guess we can cross comedian off the future careers list because i'm not fucking laughing. "

[hellonexrth]

This wasn't happening. She'd joined the Collective at Rory's guidance. Rory, who she trusted more than anyone in the entire world. And it had gotten her—what? Killed? Killed and resurrected, brought back to life feeling more tired than ever, with a man she'd only seen in passing now taking up residence in the dark. If her life didn't already feel like it was straight out of a horror movie, this would have sent it over the edge. But she'd killed and been killed, how much worse could it truly get?

She leaned forward opposite him, trying her best to maintain composure, trying to act like everyone else she'd met in their damn club, cool and collected. She could do that. She came from wealth, from resources beyond comprehension. Sure, her parents hadn't exactly handed that wealth down, but she should have known how to keep her head on straight because of all the lessons they'd taught her. Clearly, she wasn't great at it. But thinking about Brad right now would do her no good, so she thought about Emery instead. Level-headed, easy-going Emery who'd been by her side since she moved home. She channeled his nature, his vibes, and attempted, as best she could, to chill the fuck out. To take things one step at a time.

"I don't have anything of yours," she said. It was true. It had to be. She'd taken nothing from the Collective, aside from instruction. And she was done with that, too. Done with all of it. For an oracle, she wasn't exactly good at seeing the future. This particular moment, for example, stretched out into darkness as if obscured by something else entirely. Her visions of the Collective winning, of all supernatural creatures being destroyed still stood strong. But Emery was right. Just because she saw the future didn't mean she couldn't change it. And maybe not being able to see this moment, whatever it was, meant she held all the power. "So kind of you," she said, tilting her head to the side to examine him. If only she could reach out, place a hand atop his—sense his future, his reasonings, his desires. Then maybe, just maybe, she would stand a chance at grasping the upper hand.

[devouredxmuses]

in another situation he may have admired her ability to remain unfazed and obstinate. the sarcastic lilt wasn't something that ever generally irritated him. tariq was incredibly patient on most occasions. not easily intimidated or threatened in any given environment, physically, emotionally, or even attempts to batter his ego. relatively rational and measured. things shifted into something darker where his family was concerned. well, omar was the only family he had left. the vampire's parents died in short succession of his vampirism and by that point he had already lost his heart. rhiannon, the person he'd loved the most and their son that lived without him.

over the years his feelings on the mother of his child ebbed and flowed. the love they'd shared ( or at least he felt ) was everything to the man and she'd betrayed him. evaporated into thin air leaving him nothing but a gaping head wound and serious concussion. there were plenty of nights he fantasized about them reuniting. letting bygones be bygones and becoming one once more. it was in the proof of the woman's passing that he'd soured into something uncomfortable. so he carved those bits away from the rest of himself, that blistering resentment, suffocating grief, and obsession. mastered keeping it separate from his day to day. knowing it would only impede his mission. the photos in the file, they had unlocked the door he'd hid it all behind.

he'd asked her. once learning of her abilities, tariq asked the child had she stumbled upon an omar baker in her travels. when the answer was no, he probed no further. that had clearly been an oversight, he was getting sloppy. photos. he'd never showed her and that slack was biting him in the ass. tariq smoothly got to his feet and stood behind the chair, resting his hands on the top. lounging. " open the file ms. monroe, " voice more even and controlled. " my patience is wearing thin. i'd hate for your breath to stop once more so soon. " and he'd be there when she woke up. the cycle would continue until he got what he wanted. truly her future was in her own hands, the sooner she saw that the easier this would be.

[tricrsed]

suppression, violence, denial, and repeat without rhyme or reason had long ago been the NEVER ending cycle of life for the mikealson family ⸺ at least it had been until the accidental conception of ONE perfect little girl, hope had been and no pun intended the sign they collectively needed to find something outside of power to cling to. always and forever had found a new meaning and finally it seemed WORTHY of fighting for, the joy of seeing her brothers become parents, of becoming one herself. they had all been given the opportunity to taste happiness.. for what seemed a good long while and oh had they been… until they weren’t.

hayley’s death had been the catalyst for a set of events that would result in the death of the two men, rebekah mikaelson had always known would be there, klaus and elijah had been UNMOVABLE, unwavering mountains in her life for over a thousand years and while she’d let them go… as graciously as she could, the original vampire couldn’t help but feel that sense of rage return. that heavy reminder that they were CURSED, all powerful creatures or not, had crashed back into not just her life but it found it’s way to seep into the world of people she adored. and now that monster had been unleashed, which meant it couldn’t be contained nor could they put it back.

but hearing of her niece’s demise, was not the sort of REALITY check anyone wanted much less, those who’d seen grow into the breathtakingly extraordinary woman, they all RELIED on a little too much. still her brows creased, a manicured hand closing around the offered bottle. “ and then what? get a matching family coffin for him? “ her question wasn’t meant to be sardonic in nature but it had been blurted out that way. the blonde took a long drink from the bottle before holding it back out, her free arm coming to wrap itself around her sister in law’s shoulder for a moment.

silence fell between them, and rebekah shook her head “ the child married a perennial pain in the behind.. “ the sentence did little to hide the fondness she’s come to hold for the vampire who’d so dashingly won her niece’s heart. “ such is the curse of a true romantic… “ but her brows creased, and she studied caroline for a moment. “ when she.. “ was that the LOGIC they’d decided worked? would this be the way to avoid the truth. “ now i know that you’re barking mad.. but… “ she paused again, head shaking, part of her wondering if she should burst that bubble. ocean colored eyes did tear and that caused her to look away. “ she should be with her parents. “ with hayley, with klaus.. it was only fair to return her to them wasn’t it? they’d failed to live up to their promise, the least that could be done to atone had to be that. “ we can’t leave her out on display like a bloody christmas ornament. “

[devouredxmuses]

" she's not dead rebekah, " caroline's voice sharp and her look matches. the generation before hope all ( almost ) lived over a millennia. there was no way the tribrid's demise would happen in her twenties. while the blonde knew just how ironic and twisted the world was, she could not let herself believe that this was the girl's end. not after what klaus and elijah sacrificed. the universe was a joke, but not this time. caroline wasn't going to leave any stone unturned. wasn't going to let klaus's child fade away so simply, her child. " they aren't powerful enough for that. " yes, she was mad. her mind had been halfway out the door the second she'd lost her husband, it's probably completely flown the coop at this point.

though caroline had only been around relatively recently in the mikaelsons' lives, it hadn't taken long for her to see the devastation that followed them around like a rabid dog. any scrap of happiness tarnishing amongst the chaos that forced itself into the picture. the woman had learned over the years just how out of control she was of everything. she was just a vampire. compared to her husband, hope, and their family, she was nothing. easily killable. how had she continued to live when the most powerful creatures in the universe, two of the most important people in her life, were brought to their knees, deathbeds. the blonde had never felt more powerless in her entire life.

if she let the idea that hope was gone actually set in where would she be ? in a ball on her bed for a century like she'd wanted to in klaus' wake for sure. letting herself starve and waste away to desiccation for however long. to pause the pain that radiated throughout her entire being. rebekah was right though, it wasn't right to just leave her out. but tucking her away in some mausoleum didn't feel like the correct answer either. " she's, she's not dead. " this time her voice was softer. a hand reaching up to brush the tears from her eyes away before they fell. " i don't know what they did, but they didn't kill her. they couldn't have. we're gonna figure it out, bex. we're gonna bring her back. "

[hellonexrth]

ft. diana & benni location: benni's apartment @devouredxmuses

Some wounds needed bandaging. She kept reminding herself of that on the walk across town, kept reminding herself that it was okay to apologize. That it didn't make her weak or spineless or any less strong. Maybe it was Zander that changed her mind. Seeing him fragile and vulnerable and himself. It made her want to put everything on the table, and live authentically or whatever. Okay, so maybe she wasn't totally sold on the idea. As much as she didn't want to change, she could also recognize all her flaws, see them in a harsh light. Zander's hatred of vampires—it had made her hate herself, too. And now that he, well, cared for her, that hatred of herself slipped away too, revealing everything she'd ever done wrong.

It was a long list, and most of the people deserving of apologies were deceased. Slaughtered in her desire for total control. Blood bags she drank too heavily from. People who wronged her. Her parents. They certainly would not get an apology. But Zander's grandparents? Yeah. They deserved one, even if she couldn't give it. She couldn't speak to the dead, but she could patch up relationships ruined by her own selfishness. That led her to Benni's door.

It took her a while to cross town, leave the expansive, wealthy area in which she'd taken up residence and into the—well, poorer areas where Benni had found a cheap apartment. Standing in the sour AC ambiance outside Benni's apartment, she hesitated for a long time before finally knocking, plastering a false-looking but actually genuine smile on her face.

[devouredxmuses]

the knock on the door was unexpected, pulling their focus from tab surfing the web to the present. visitors popping up unannounced wasn't something that felt positive. " give me a second, " they shout while closing the laptop before them and jumping to their feet. looking down, she noticed the, well, tragic outfit she had on. college branded sweatpants and a tank top older than she could remember. not exactly presentable, but then again, if they were lucky, it would just be a neighbor. over on the chair opposite her laid the matching sweater. pulling it over her head, benni finally headed for the door.

sitting on the side table next to the entrance was the human's trusty wooden stake. the one they wouldn't leave the house without. living amongst the dead certainly led to some paranoia. survival was benni's first priority. with one hand grasping the wood out of view, the other pulled open door to reveal the last person they would ever expect to be standing at their doorstep. diana. they'd already mourned the loss of friendship with the other. why was she standing here now ? the smile on the vampire's face made their chest ache.

" what are you doing here, diana ? " her grip on the knob tightening. they had half a mind to slam it back in her face. the betrayal felt just as fresh with diana standing here before her. benni's sense of reality had been shaken by the truth of her relationship with diana. someone the human had trusted at a deeper level than she had most, only to find that the foundation had been rotten. that everything had been built on lies and compulsion.

[devouredxmuses]

where: heath & emery's office ! ft: benni & heath ( @hellonexrth ).

it did not take benni much convincing to drop their assignment's deadline and scamper over to the office she'd spent plenty of time at. especially when emery had been so unbelievably vague. when pressed, the man had remained a complete stone wall. he'd asked the human to pick some things up from his desk with next to no explanation. all they knew was that something had happened between heath and emery. the one thing she'd pestered out of the psychic was that things between them had changed. emery's disposition had been much more harsh, short, and unexpressive. the complete opposite of the man benni had come to know and love. he'd even snapped at them to drop the questioning after a few couple attempts. can you do it or not, he'd asked. if emery was a closed door, she'd try her luck with the vampire.

because it had to have been something big, for such a shift their dynamic. benni was worse than a dog with a bone and emery had opened the pandora's box of their interest. plus, the three of them had been friends, this wasn't something she could simply drop and leave alone. a rift between the pair felt like their responsibility to investigate at least, possibly close if they were lucky. though they couldn't even begin to speculate what had happened because emery had given them essentially nothing. they'd checked recent police reports, hoping something abnormal would pop up, but it was fruitless.

so there they were, entering the building with an empty box for emery's things in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other. " i come in peace i swear, " raising the bag higher, an offering of said amity. " just need to pick up a few things. " well that wasn't true, they had other intentions. it was just important not to go in guns blazing or accusing, or anything of the sort.

[devouredxmuses]

where: hope and laurie's place ! ft: ingrid & laurie ( @hellonexrth )

it was impossible, ingrid knew that. her sister was the strongest, fiercest person she knew. nothing could of happened to her. that's what the tribrid kept repeating in her head. she moved faster than she ever had, needing to confirm just how impossible it was. losing hope was never something that had crossed her mind. something she didn't know how she'd survive. when ingrid had gotten her mother killed, when their fathers made their sacrifice, when ingrid had killed kaya, hope was there. she was always there. she couldn't be gone. as much as she tried to stave off the thought, it kept festering. whether it seemed impossible or not didn't matter.

someone had forced ingrid to kill kaya, in her mind there had to have been a reason. something to further destabilize the city. this could be it. the leverage the collective had been so desperately searching and killing for. chaos unfurling in the wake of the continued death of her family. if the mighty mikaelsons could fall, no one was safe. a shift in power that brought unimaginable uncertainty and pain. her pain, laurie's pain. the rest of her family's pain. the hole inside her left in the wake of hayley, elijah, and klaus only growing exponentially. unfixable. devastation beyond measure. so ingrid clung to the belief that theo was full of shit. he of all people knew how eviscerating it would be for ingrid to lose her. when ingrid's humanity was gone she had liked inflicting pain, at some level. this could all be some plot to emotionally unravel her.

or as the time passed it felt too real. doubt was insidious, ingrid needed definitive evidence and she was going to the one place and one person who could give it to her. laurie. though ingrid banged forcefully on the door, that didn't stop her from plowing through the threshold. the sharp noise twice was the only warning before she was inside the house. " lawrence ! " she shrieks while scanning the room for sign of life. of hope or laurie's. " where the hell is my sister ? " her voice tight as tears prickle the corner of her eyes. pressure building under her skin with each passing moment in the dark.

[tricrsed]

had this been any other time, theodore would have had half a mind to be offended. he was after all obnoxiously PROUD of his above average intellect, on most days ⸺ a lazy hand came up to rub at his head, a dry chuckle slipped blood stained lips, as he eyed the remaining tribrid ( at least of her kind ) for a moment. “ wouldn’t say it’s leaked out anymore than yours did, the LAST time you went psycho. “ he replied with a roll of his shoulders. leaning forward and on the bar, helped the lanky framed ( but now stronger, much stronger ) vampire, steady himself. there was after all a little too much of a kick in his step lately.

and now he wasn’t stupid, he was well aware that his new found taste for violence wouldn’t and couldn’t match up to his best friend’s much less her now corpse of a sister ( the knowledge of which had kept him away, at least untill now ) “ come on red, is this not what you WANTED? why be a buzz kill? the three of us ⸺ could actually have fun together now. “ and why not say it? he was happy to enjoy the twisted fate he hadn’t wanted in the first place. death he’d found, definitely had it’s perks, especially when it came to aligning himself with the winning side… or at the very least the one with the REAL unkillable one of a set of three.

“ speaking of looks… “ his voice trailed as he eyed her for a moment. “ back at cha, what is getting your back blown out by… “ he paused as he did his best to remember the girl’s boyfriend’s name. still he decided to not finish that sentence, hey may not have many boundaries now, but even then there were lined he wouldn’t cross, well yet. he kept a tight hold on the girl who’s neck he’d snapped, only to dig his fangs in to the side of her neck without warning. if she wasn’t going to take advantage of an easy meal ⸺ well then why should he let it go to waste? “ i’ve gotta say, you were right the SELF RIGHTEOUS act, falls a little flat, especially from you. “ or her family really, but he did want to pace himself… kind of. “ but hey, kudos on you for not mentioning my mother… can’t say our favorite geriatric did the same. “ it was original, he had to give he that. “ speaking of which… seen him lately? “ that was one way to push the conversation where he wanted it to. “ i’d check in if i were you… he might be short a pain in the ass, if you catch my drift.. “

[devouredxmuses]

it was almost as if just looking at theo hurt. especially this version of him. a physical reminder of how far they have all fallen. ingrid having dragged kaya into unknown depths the second her own hands snapped the neck of her very best friend. kaya tugging theo along with her because that's just how it was with the three of them. and now they stood with the bar between them. a manifestation of the divide that had so clearly been created. " exactly. meaning i'm certainly in a position to judge. " except she wasn't really. too many feelings conflicting inside her for the tribrid to pick one. theo looked stronger, more sure of himself, something she'd be grateful for if it wasn't for the lifeless body in his lap. the carelessness. the lack of his humanity.

her eyes roll at his notion. as if now was the time to be prattling on about a path of destruction the trio should create. " been there, done that. kind of lame to come to the party late. nothing beats a debut. " ingrid couldn't go there again. she knew that if so, the woman may never come back. she wasn't going to let herself become that kind of monster again. no matter how persuasive numbness felt. she would remain whole, as aching as it was. someone had to. it had been theo before, now it was her turn. someone that would do everything in her power to pull her friends back from the brink. whether she would be successful or not.

" don't, " she warns glowering, " you do not want to go there, salvatore. " health was off limits. if she needed to show theo that, she would. the red head hoped he had enough sense in this moment to keep the topic dropped. she grimaces at the scent of fresh blood as theo digs his teeth into his victim. the sight was awkward, felt wrong. ingrid pulls another swig to down the rest of the whiskey in her glass tamping down her own hunger. there wasn't an ounce of herself that wanted to feed into his theatrics. " well, since you've decided to drop the act yourself, figured someone should give it a go. i like it so far. " at the mention of laurie, her eyes narrow. then his last comment hits and her fingers tighten around the bar, splintering the wood. " what the fuck are you talking about ? " he might be short a pain in the ass.... ingrid knew that meant hope, but what explicitly.

[devouredxmuses]

where: klaus & caroline's place. ft: caroline & rebekah (@tricrsed )

bottle neck clasped firmly in her left hand, brought to her lips, caroline takes a rather hefty sip. what it actually was didn't even register. all she knew was it was expensive and old. something from klaus' collection that she hadn't drained already. the burn of alcohol was welcomed, an attempt to numb the grief that had lived in her bones since his death. the feeling that had only intensified since hope's slumber. her biggest reminder and the spitting image of the man she loved so dearly, reduced to an unconscious body. but she wasn't just that. hope was her child, in all the ways that mattered. one of her children was completely unreachable. suspended in some state that caroline couldn't help her rouse from.

so there she sat, in that cold and lonely house. alone she was not, thankfully. rebekah's presence brought an odd sense of life to the decaying place. " do you think we should sedate him ? " she pauses to take another sip. " laurie i mean. just until she wakes up. i wish someone would have done that for me. " sedation, better than a humanity switch. except klaus didn't wake up. but hope would. his sacrifice wasn't in vain, caroline would make sure of it. hope would wake up. have time to live the life she deserves. her future. caroline would keep her head up, as she always did. trudge along and force the pieces to fall into place, wherever the blonde wanted them.

caroline outstretches a hand to offer the bottle to the other. " he's a good kid. i don't wish this pain on anyone. seems like a way to save him some. " of course that wasn't exactly true, and she didn't even really mean it. though she did wish she could shield him from it. even a fraction of it. " i'm open to other options of course. "

[tricrsed]

the first place he should have run to was HOME, more specifically into his mother's ' protective arms ' but the mood for a lecture was non existent and despite his new found lack of regard for OTHERS, a lecture about humanity from the one person who'd he couldn't turn down was not in his plans ⸺ yet. besides there was as his girlfriend had put it ' too much fun ' to be had and what better way than by settling a few old scores? the first name on his list? ' lawerence ' there absolutely was a neck snap in the old man's future, he could put up a fight now. having caught up on all the blood he'd missed felt GOOD, he felt strong and complete in a way that numbed. everything he'd felt before felt distant now, as if he were watching that PATHETIC version of himself from outside his own body. and he wanted to keep it that way, so he'd strolled on in, without so much of an announcement or warning before hand. only to smirk as he took notice of the red head by the bar. zooming over, he took a seat in front of her. " as far as CONSOLATION prices go... you'll do. " he declared with a roll of his shoulders, hazel eyes empty as he met the crystal blue of his best friend's own. " at least until i get the urge to interrupt retirement bingo. " now that was a thought. " hey red, missed me? " he questioned with a wiggle of his brows, before he gestured towards the bottles of whiskey behind her. you'd think the desire for booze would have subsided by now, but somehow the substance still helped. " hop over... " he turned to the person who occupied the seat next to him, locking eyes with them directly before uttering the words ' leave ' to then turn to his best friend once again. " space just opened up. " and again there was a dash towards the girl he'd just sent away. moving towards her, without care of being subtle, he grabbed her arm, twirling her slightly, to end up using one hand to snap her neck sideways until he heard a crack ⸺ feeling her go limp, he brought her back over to where he'd been sitting previously. " actually, we can multi task. " efficiency, sure that's what this was about... well for this minute at least.

location .... rousseau's bar , featuring .... ingrid mikaelson !! ( @devouredxmuses )

[devouredxmuses]

the interaction with kaya had the burn of thirst flaming in her throat. it ached for blood, but ingrid didn't entirely trust herself at one hundred percent capacity. what was the solution then ? liquor. any and all of it. wouldn't numb anything of course, just knock down a touch of the intensity. plus, her head was so damn clouded with guilt and an impending sense of helplessness that the red head needed a moment to orient herself. to sort through what she knew and didn't, what she could do and couldn't. letting kaya walk around with her head screwed loose ( ingrid's own fault, which was not lost on her ) was not an option. not long term. then she'd have to find that other best friend of hers. problems were piling up and ingrid couldn't avoid them much longer. yet, no solution seemed to present itself.

in a flash, one of those possible problems was sat before her. the grip she had on the glass before her tightened, a fracture in the structure splintered. the words leaving his mouth didn't make her feel any more confident in his state of mind. " looks like you're still a little gone. guess i'll keep missing you. " the remark came with an irritated edge. his next action of sending away his neighbor only solidified that statement of hers. as theo himself got up, a spike of anxiety straightened her spine. then he was gone again and the neck snapped. the sound reverberated in her skull. death has been such a constant in her life, of those she loved and strangers. unlucky people whose worst crime was shitty timing. this woman was now one of those not so few.

back he was before her, his companion lifeless in his arms. now she was angry. without wasting another second her hand flicks forward to slam the man's head down forcefully on the bar. instincts were a bitch. or at least, she had reached her limit. " did all of your brain leak from your skull ? " she bites out. pulling another swig from the glass to ease the throb. " whatever this is, not a good look on you. "

[tricrsed]

setting foot in her childhood home, felt strange call it the DESIRE to see the face of a particular someone in the parlor waiting for her or the sound of her parents bickering, over something she’d done, that her FATHER sought to reward and that her MOTHER insisted needed anything but that. the simplicity of a lifetime left behind haunted her every time she set foot inside what would once deem a SAFE haven from the outside world.

instead all she found attached to it now was pain, maybe that’s why she avoided her remaining family too. the idea of facing people who’d suffered the loss because of her ⸺ despite their constant reassurance that it was ‘ okay ‘ that they had ACCEPTED what her father had done, what elijah helped him do ‘ you’ve accomplished in twenty eight years, what i couldn’t in thousands. ‘ words that now rang hollow as she stood in her old bedroom and the scene of words exchanged floated into her head ‘ i’m going to do right by our name ‘ a promise made in vein ⸺ she had been the WRONG one to save that much still rung true.

the very feeling engrained itself in her magic, the very same that she needed to get out, and so the thought had floated into her head easily. she needed an outlet, something to pour DARK magic into, that would allow her to not worry her husband, to stop being a constant WEIGHT on his shoulders. it had been then that the memory of an old spell had popped into her head. it was a fairly simple one, and she’d asked the ONE person she knew she could trust to help. her cousin, who’s footsteps made her jump slightly as the tribrid had found herself staring at the family picture on her dresser. “ weird huh? “ she mumbled, turning to look at them. “ it feels like it’s been thousands of years ⸺ and one hasn’t even gone by. “ stupid commentary but greeting someone with a ‘ hey i want i want to drain my magic out of me ‘ didn’t make for a strong opening line, it was more so a better if ‘ eased ‘ into it sort of moment. “ i think, i miss the sleepovers in this room.. well sort of. “

location .... mikaelson family home , featuring .... sol gerard !! ( @devouredxmuses )

[devouredxmuses]

the past year had dragged by more painfully than soledad could express. since the day marcel took them home to rebekah, the mikaelsons had become the center of her world. over the years sol managed to integrate into the family rather seamlessly. while there were times they felt like an outsider, it more came from her abilities rather than how anyone treated them. it was easier for soledad to attach to a family that she knew wasn't going to go anywhere. original vampires, hybrids, tribrids, they were supposed to be more permanent than her. the loss of hayley, klaus, and elijah affected sol deeply. and not just them, hope and ingrid had disappeared just as quickly. the entire year she ached for their return.

as tempting as ingrid's offer to skip town had been, they couldn't leave their parents. marcel had lost a father, rebekah, two brothers, both a sister, and their nieces were pulling away. soledad refused to separate from the two most important people in her life when everyone was grieving so much. they didn't judge their cousins' choices, understood them while still wishing they'd made different ones. sol promised herself that she'd be here for their return, would try to be a stabilizing force for them as they had been for her. it had been lonely though. aside from the older generation of the family, hope and ingrid were her closest friends. by choice of course. death came for everyone eventually, but the tribrids were certainly the last on the list.

soledad would do anything for their cousin so when hope reached out, the banshee made their way to the mikaelson home. hope had been rather vague about what she needed, but that hadn't slowed sol down any. in fact, they'd been turning over the vision of laurie's death in their mind. wondering how he was handling the knowledge, how hope was. they weren't going to bring it up unless she did, it wasn't exactly soledad's business. a soft, sad smile tugged at her lips as hope spoke. " time's a cruel mistress, " they reply glancing at the photo. " that what i'm here for ? i didn't pack my pjs or my sleeping bag, but i'm sure we could figure something out. "

[hellonexrth]

There had been no time at all to get her mind back together. At the time of her death, everything in her brain had scattered to the winds, leaving her feeling hopeless and drained. Coming back to had her putting the pieces back together slowly as she tried to remember how to be a human being once more. How had she ever done this in the first place? Walked around the city with her secrets? These days, everyone seemed to look in her direction. Did they know what she'd done? Who she'd killed? Who she'd harmed? That she'd died and come back to life for reasons she still didn't really understand?

All of it was tiring and all she wanted to do, after a long and emotional conversation with Rory, was collapse in her own bed, stare at the ceiling for several hours, and eventually pass out contemplating a good ninety percent of her life choices. Of course, that would have been too easy, and nothing in her life was easy those days. Everything came with a bit of extra effort, a difficult decision, or a cost she didn't understand yet. That's how it felt, anyways. Like every decision she made was waiting around the corner to sock her in the face. Like deciding whether or not to have coffee or tea three weeks ago would eventually catch up with her at some point. Everything had her walking on a tight rope, looking over the edges, careful.

She tried not to think about the Collective or about how she would even go about leaving. She had a feeling that leaving and joining differed in difficulty. As she stepped into her home, faced with her coworker, all of those thoughts flooded back in. His calm nature frustrated her endlessly, especially in her desire for answers to the many questions plaguing her day in and day out. Something snapped back in the depths of her mind, like a bucket overflowing, overwhelm turned to anger and she snapped, too. "What are you doing in my house?" she asked, tone sharp, arms crossed over her chest. "I do everything for you, for that stupid group—I don't have anything left for you to take."

[devouredxmuses]

he had anticipated this sort of reaction. the collective had eyes everywhere and they had just so happened to capture the scene of her death. well, her first death. the organization was deeply invested in the survival of their members, death was too permanent so it wasn't an option. not everyone was privy to that knowledge, it's a touchy subject of course. why stress the little foot soldiers out unnecessarily ? now the seer knew the truth and here they were. tariq wasn't the welcome back party, he hadn't come to debrief the girl or do anything that was remotely helpful to her. he was here for himself. the vampire didn't move from his spot, still sitting rather comfortably at the table, one leg crossed over the other.

while her expression was one of anger, his own was calm. a smile even present on his lips. " hm, " he starts as a hand reaches up to tap his chin for a moment, " that isn't exactly true now is it ? " the man didn't particularly give a shit about what piper did or didn't do for the collective, it was what she hadn't done for him. the possessiveness over his missing son had only heightened in his vampirism, though his ability to search for him had been limited at the same time. relying on weaker vampires or this child before him to do so only brought a deep sense of irritation. she'd seemed truthful when he'd questioned her before, but the photographs he'd gotten hold of proved her dishonesty.

the closeness between the pair was palpable in the images and tariq had to reign in the fury that was threatening burst free. " you have something of mine. " his features morphed into something more cutting. he pushes the folder forward on the table, an invitation for her to sift through its contents. " back in the day they used to cut liars' tongues out, you know, and i am pretty old school. but i'm feeling rather forgiving at the moment, it must me your lucky day. "