royal_musings | [Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

Tyler picked up the drink, working to try and sip at it and not just down it. He's nervous though. Coming to others and talking to them about this, it's not easy and it's stressful. For himself and for others. For those standing before him.

"He's still hoping to kill me, I'm sure," he says in way of agreement. "Especially when he figures out it's me warning the packs."

He's risking his life and he knows it and he's not hiding that either. If it means they trust him and protect themselves, then that's all that matters.

"The biggest thing is that you have to be prepared. He came up on me without me knowing what he was going to do, and next thing I know he's forcing his blood down my throat. He's gone to two of the packs and both of them have called him out the moment he arrived. They live much more withdrawn than your pack seems to though," he says, gesturing around them.

"But I do believe he's coming here next. I'm hoping that I can help you keep him away, protect your people, and prove to him he can't have your pack. Others back home are working to try and cut off his source so that it's not possible but until then, we'll do what we can for your pack. If you'll let me help you."

"Isn't that for sure? They don't get nearly as much love as Paris does, though I suppose I get it," Piper admitted with a little smile. She'd had a great some great pastries the last time she'd been to Moscow.

She nodded in understanding as they walked closer to the historic district. "There's definitely something unique about this place. People don't readily think of Prague as being a major influence in architecture and art but it was at the forefront of it all." She paused before shaking her head. "Sorry, you didn't come here to listen to me ramble about this place." Perhaps it was knowing he had known Mal that made her feel comfortable with him, she wasn't completely sure right then.

As they walked, Piper kept on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Ghosts and spirits were more often found in locations like the one they were heading toward. Truth be told, she had no idea how she was going to handle it if they came across someone or something that needed help.

Piper went straight for the lipstick display with her arms stiff at her sides. She didn't bother walking around the displays either; she went right through. She was a woman on a mission.

Once she got to the display containing her trademark shade, she stopped to look it over. Yes, it was still there. the very last one. So, now all she had to do was wait. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood there impatiently tapping one finger against her forearm.

"God, hurry up you bitch, and show yourself."

man that sounds great! my treat ok?

Tacking on the address for the hotel to his text, Lucas sits on the end of the mattress, glancing at his phone before flopping back against the bed with a heavy sigh. The past few days sure have been a wild ride and a breather is definitely in order.

By the time Les arrives, Lucas is outside in the parking lot with a bag slung over one shoulder and sticking his thumb out like he's trying to hitchhike when he spots her car. When she rolls up, he's all smiles, and maybe there's a flutter or two in chest. Only from excitement, of course...

"Hey, going my way?"

Les took a minute to check out a few different eyeshadow palettes while keeping an eye on the young woman standing near the lipstick display. She truly couldn't help the snort of amusement at the girl's words. "All this work for.. a lipstick," she asked, glancing over at her. Truthfully, she likely wouldn't have made it her business or even commented but she was amused. Les also likely realized that if anyone overheard her, would just think she was talking to herself since she doubted anyone else could see the young woman.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw an older woman with greying hair and a very bright outfit approach the display case. Her face was powdered white and she already wore a very bright shade of fuchsia lipstick. Really, Les had to give it to the older woman - it was bold.

[~~Sorry, I couldn't help myself! LOL~~]

Neither of the man standing there particularly enjoyed the fact that although they tried to keep a low profile that they weren't exactly the most withdrawn of all packs. Don finally nodded in understanding and finished off his second drink before setting the glass down onto the desk. "Ricky, call Winston and tell Les to pack it up," he said, looking at the other man.

Ricky nodded, finishing off what was left of his drink before leaving the office to make the phone call and give the information to Les.

Don turned back to Tyler. It took a lot for him to invite him back with him but he also realized it took a lot for Tyler to put himself in this position time and time again. "Come back to our place. The others will be there and you can help us be ready to call him out when he arrives. He will not have our pack. You'll have the protection of our pack while you're here." So long as you don't betray us was left unsaid. "Do you have a place to stay already?"

Won't say no to that!

It was probably thirty-forty minutes later before she pulled into the parking lot of his hotel and grinned when she spotted him. She stopped and hit the unlock button.

"Hmmm, I could be," she teased. "Get in Casper, we're going on an adventure."

Truth be told, she was a little anxious and also a bit excited to reconnect with her old friend. She wasn't really sure where it would lead but at the very least, it'd be nice to be talking again.

"Oh man," Lucas slides easily into the passenger seat, clicking his belt on and leaning back into the seat with an amused laugh. "Casper...it's been a few years since I've heard that."

No one at the Academy gave him a nickname, but maybe that was for the best.

"So how is big city life really treating you?" It sounded as if her job was taking off, which was good to hear!, but their hometown hadn't been nearly as bustling. Not out in the sticks either, but nothing like this.

"Huh?"

That's funny. The woman nearby just said something about lipsticks. Weird. Piper glanced over and realized... the woman was looking right at her. Uh.

What?

Just then, the lipstick thief approached. Piper's attention was split now between these two concerns. Her quarry was here. The woman very clearly was a frequent user of Piper's signature shade. Now Piper was starting to wonder if she wanted to share that dubious honor with this eccentric old hag.

"Ugh, I wear it so much better than she does," Piper said, intending the comment to be just to herself, before remembering that there was just the slightest possibility that someone else here might be hearing this.

Okay, time to put that theory to bed. She stomped over to the eyeshadow section and squared up with the woman there. "Can you see me right now?"

[It's great!]

Truth be told, the older woman was an inspiration. You could be fabulous an eccentric at any age. Even before things went to hell in a hand basket, Les hadn't been a makeup girl. She took care of her skin and maybe wore mascara and lip gloss but that was about it. Still, she had always admired those who did and wore the bright makeup.

Well, if she had questioned it before, Les was doubly sure that this other woman was not a spirit. At the comment about wearing it better than the older woman, Les shrugged a shoulder. "It fits you both," she mused, setting aside the palette she held in her hands.

Les arched an eyebrow at the stomping and the direct approach. She glanced around the shop and was thankful no one was looking at her strangely... yet. "Yes, I can. Are you astral projecting? Because, you're clearly not a spirit..."

"Well, considering I'm one of the only people to call you that...," she trailed off, sending him what she hoped came across as a teasing look. She started to drive again, pulling out of the parking lot of the hotel and hitting the road.

Les glanced over at him. "It's going really well. Don and Ricky's shop is growing in popularity, we've met some great new friends and we're starting to get a name for ourselves in the racing community in town. So it's been really exciting to see it coming together. The city is huge but we're enjoying it. Definitely a huge adjustment."

She focused on the road a bit before glancing at Lucas. "How about you though? The Academy treated you well? And you're happy with what you're doing?"

"Well there is only one left and it should have been mine," Piper answered with a stamp of her foot.

Her annoyed expression gave way to one of frightened shock. "H-how? How could you know that? How can you even see me?"

And shock quickly morphed into anger. All these shifts in emotion happened at breakneck speed.

"Who the fuck are you? What do you want?"

"You know, they have this thing called shipments? They do restock," Les commented and watched as she stomped her foot then arched an eyebrow. Through everything she'd been through since she found out she was a witch, not much truly scared her these days. She'd come up against far scarier and more intimidating people than the woman in front of her.

She took a look around the store before shaking her head. "I'll answer your questions but perhaps we can meet somewhere instead? Otherwise, it looks like I'm talking to myself."

Though, perhaps not fully. She didn't want anything from the woman or owe her anything. Really, she wondered how often the other girl did something like this but that truly wasn't her business. She had about an hour before her meeting so she had a bit of time. Besides, if Les could see her, she could only assume that other beings could likely see her. Though, luckily for her, it didn't seem she ran into this case very often.

Tyler waits, silent. He's not pushing them, he's not forcing his help on him. He's done what he feels has to. The rest is up to them. He is just to be there to help them as much as he can.

He listens as they set things in motion, and he watches them as he downs the rest of his drink. Not that he's feeling it but he kind of wishes that he still could. Instead he worries about what is going to happen when Klaus ends up here.

He nods at that, glancing between them as he laughs softly. "I've been living out of my car for weeks. It's no big deal. I might ask to borrow a shower though."

"Paris is the worst spot I've ever visited," he says, nose wrinkling and making a face. "I like parts of France." If only because of Mal. "But not Paris. Overrated. Don't get me started on the supposed romance of that damn tower," he says, though he's smirking. Maybe he's playing with her. Or maybe he's just comfortable enough to be honest about it.

"Actually I came here to listen to you ramble, just not about that so I don't mind. As for this country, there's so much people overlook about this part of the country."

He gives her a look though. "You a history major or architecture?"

Piper laughed at the comment about Paris and shot him an amused look. "For shame," she said, attempting to sound scandalized. "Paris in of itself is highly overrated, I agree. There are beautiful parts of France and I don't regret the time I spent there but in general," she said with a shrug. She felt comfortable enough with him that she could be honest in that regard.

"Well, yes, you did but not about my thoughts on Prague," she mused with a little smile. "International Relations with a minor in languages, actually. I've always been fascinated by cultures and art."

As they walked, Piper fell silent. She wanted to ask how much he knew about Mal but knew that likely out of both of them, he'd known the woman more than she did. He simply may not know about her magical side.

"You don't have to ask. You can use the shower and anything else you may need. Can you eat? Do you like burgers and/or steak?" There's a lot to say about Don and their family but if someone, a complete stranger, is willing to help them? That meant a lot to Don and he wasn't going to disrespect that. He wasn't sure, considering Tyler was a vampire as well, if he ate at all but he'd at least offer it.

There was a knock at the door before the door opened and Les stepped through. "Think quick," she said, tossing Tyler his keys. "Your car is fine over all." Though she had known it was a front so they could gather information that he had conveniently left out. "I would recommend getting your tires and brakes changed before you head back to the east coast. It'll help your gas mileage."

Don watched and allowed himself a tiny smile at her assessment. He knew any other alpha may be a bit irked or pissed at the interruption but their family operated a little differently. Besides, they were done with their conversation. He dug into his back pocket and pulled out his keys before tossing them to her. "You can take my car back, Les. I'll ride with Tyler, if that's fine with you," he asked, looking at the other man.

"Heh, that's true." It brought back some fond memories, making their time in high school more bearable to say the least. It wasn't always easy, but they muddled through those years as well as they could.

"Big city life everything it's cracked up to be? I mean, it's good that it's going well, though. I know it takes a lot of work and crazy hours to get something like that up and running," He met her gaze with a big grin, eager to hear how things were working out. He wanted to ask something a bit more personal about it, but held off. It was better to reconnect first than dig at something potentially painful.

"I'm doing pretty good. Academy was...it was rough but in a good way. Like boot camp for weirdos." He laughed breathily, "The work's good but the hours can be long. I mean, we both knew I wasn't gonna stick to a regular job anyways so why not jump into this with both feet?"

"Why wait when I can do something about it?" Piper pouted. Clearly, she wasn't one for patience.

She frowned as she watched the old woman walking away with the lipstick to go make her purchase. She was losing her chance! But... Piper was really curious who this new woman was and how she could see her. This was more important than lipstick.

"Fine. Fine. Go to the park nearby and wait six minutes. Then go sit down on a bench. I'll find you. Don't try to follow me before then. Got it?"

The other woman's response reminded Les a bit of herself when she was younger and far more impatient than she's had to be. It made her smile a little bit. She watched the older woman walk to the cash register then looked at woman in front of her, nodding.

"Perfect. See you soon. I have to pay for this anyway," she said before walking around her to walk toward the cash register. Walking through her seemed a little too weird, even for her.

It was around six minutes later that Les found herself in the nearby park, sitting at a park bench. This was certainly not how she expected this to go but it did make things a little more interesting.

"Hey, but it's not calling the Taj Mahal romantic," he points out, because that's the worst in his book and he hears it all the time.

He finds himself smiling though, more at ease than he thought he might be around her. He was expecting a trap and now he's not sure that's what this is. He's not really sure what it actually is, but least it's not likely to end in his death. He hopes.

"So you went to college to study how to write off traveling as a business venture? Fair enough. More than you can do with an art degree." Unless, of course, you're a forger and you're a brilliant student of both art and art history. "But it's done me well enough."

Les smiled as she thought back on those days. Although life was a bit of a challenge, she'd was thankful that she'd had her family and had made a great friend in Lucas. It helped that they both knew the other wasn't exactly as human as everyone else.

"It has its own set of problems but honestly? We've all taken it like a duck to water. There's always something to do, things to see... the water is nearby which I definitely love. The cost of living is ridiculous and stupid but all in all? We really like it." She paused for a moment, considering. "You know, I think Don and Ricky regret not moving down sooner but because of the said cost of living, it's a really good thing we didn't." She grinned. It had been a challenge but they'd always thrived on challenges when it came down to it.

Les glanced over at him. "I can imagine it was but I'm really glad you went. You deserve to have something that you really enjoy - long hours and all. Normal jobs are vastly overrated if you ask me." And even if no one asked her, if she felt comfortable with you, she gave you her opinion anyway!

"True, very true. I've heard that too," she said with a laugh, shaking her head. "I can't even begin to understand why."

Piper smiled at the question. "That might've been only partially the motive," she admitted with a grin. "At the time, I really enjoyed traveling and talking and connecting people. I was also learning Spanish and French and figured, why not put that to use." Looking back on it, she had a few regrets - namely how much pressure she'd put on herself to excel and get done without simply enjoying the process. "I can't knock an art degree though, I'm sure it has it's own uses. Especially if you study art history."

"Is this our café," she asked, as they came up to one on the right. These days, Piper truly tried to tune out a lot of her senses but even she couldn't ignore the way she felt in this part of town. She only hoped it was on the spectral sort and not the sort that could actually cause a ton of damage.

He doesn't realize how much his shoulders ease then, how much he slumps slightly at that. It's the first moment he felt this wasn't going to turn on him. Not in the least. He nods. "I do. Love both. As for other needs, your packmate out there with my car could open the cooler in the back under the tire. I bring my own with me. I don't risk endangering others while I'm on their lands."

And he wants them to know he's doing the best he can for them.

Smirking as he turns to catch his keys. "Or she's probably already found it," he says with a nod to her as he catches them. "And I'll do that. Likely will be heading west after here if he finds another pack to try so could definitely help."

He's liking the way things feel between them, feeling a twinge he's been only ever getting during these trips. He has no pack and never will. There is no pack for him, not unless it's in Klaus' army. A part of him aches for it.

"Of course. I welcome your company," he says, as accommodating as she can be.

Piper had rudely walked right through people before but none of them could see her. She did at least subconsciously appreciate the woman not doing it to her this time. Being aware of it would be weird.

While Les went to pay, Piper walked out of the store and the short distance back to the spot where her body would be. With a thought and a push of will, she returned to the present, waking to the roughness of the tree bark on her back. She scanned the park benches until she saw the one Les sat on.

There was a nervous flutter in Piper's chest as she approached. It was one thing to confront a person while she was immaterial, another to do it in flesh and blood. But for the sake of appearances, she put on a confident smirk.

"Okay," she planted her hands on her hips, and pointedly did not sit down to join the woman. "Tell me how the hell you were able to see me."

[Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

no subject

no subject

no subject

Yay discovering places!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject