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

Les watched the young girl approach and tilted her head a bit, trying to get a read on her. Nothing seemed off so she settled in a bit then shrugged a shoulder at the question. She glanced around them to make sure no one was within hearing before answer. "I'm a witch," she said simply. "The type that can see spirits and those who astral project... and an unfortunate number of other things."

"I imagine you're not used to others being able to see you when you do that?" Which would be understandable. She didn't sense a good amount of others around who were of the supernatural vain.

"Then we'll pick your car up tomorrow, Les," Don said before adding, "if you want to go ahead and pull it into the empty bays. We'll lock it up."

Les catches the set of keys from Don and grins. "Done and done. You know I enjoy driving your car," she quipped before looking at Tyler. "We have some time this week if you want to bring it by. It won't take long." She had heard everything he's said to Don and Ricky and was upset on his behalf but thankful that he was warning other packs about the danger of the Mikaelson.

Don nodded. "Great," he said then turned back to the office door where Ricky stood.

"Winston confirmed everything Tyler said," Ricky said, tucking the phone into his back pocket. It wasn't anything personal and he'd had a feeling that would be the answer but they had to do their due diligence. It'd be irresponsible not to. He glanced at the keys in Les' hand and raised an eyebrow at Don with a smirk. "Oh no, you're trusting her with your car?" It was an old joke but he couldn't help himself.

Don smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, I'd rather it be back home than staying here over night."

"Ah, I see how it is. You're cool with my car being here all night but not yours. I see," Les said with a laugh before looking at Tyler, a bit more serious. "Thank you for coming to warn us and your offer to help." The last thing she wanted was anything to harm her pack. If Don and Ricky were going to place their trust in the very cute werewolf...hybrid, she could too.

Eames knows he is a romantic at heart, even if he doesn't want to let others ever see it. He works hard to hide it but in talks about things like this, he can't hide it. He doesn't even think about trying to hide it.

"Only partially?" He grins at that though when she goes on. "Yeah, I learned those and then I just used them to sell my works throughout the world. Hasn't gone too badly," he say, knowing he's admitting too much about himself, but talking about his art career before dreamsharing was better than even getting into what they do now. Hell, he should get back into forgeries to keep them going.

"Yeah, it meant I could scam rich collectors into thinking I stole works that never went missing."

He glances at her as he says it, even as he shifts. It feels like someone's watching them even as he slows, giving her a nod. "You okay with sitting outside?"

Piper laughed. "I figure why not get paid for something I'm clearly decent at," she asked, looking at him with a grin. If you took into account the supernatural hunting she and Jordan did during those years, it really was some sort of international relations. It just went a bit further than the countries, places and people than was traditional or expected.

She grinned at the mention of selling his work around the world and scamming rich collectors. "You definitely had a much better thing going on than I did," she laughed. Though, they had made a tidy profit during those years.

She wasn't going to say anything out loud, Piper felt the same thing he did. Someone or something watching them. "That's perfect," she said with a nod and entered the patioed section. She chose a clear table and took a seat, setting down her copy of The Count. Piper had half a mind to cast a privacy charm around them but that required for him to know and they weren't exactly there yet.

"I should have introduced myself properly," she said and reached across the table, offering a hand to shake. "My name is Piper, Piper Allison." It was a name she didn't go by as much these days. She preferred to use her alias but this was a contact of Mal's and she owed the memory of Mal that much.

Edited (/facepalm because I needed to fix a couple of errors. Lol.) 2020-11-17 17:46 (UTC)

"Sometimes you gonna go against the grain a little to find out if you're made from sterner stuff, right?" The shop and everything involved with it, that's a big risk in his eyes. He would have been nervous trying to make a leap like that, but one glance aside told him for Les, it was the right choice. She's practically glowing while speaking about it all.

"I mean, I think I'm with Don and Ricky on this one. It's kind of painful to spend twelve bucks on a sandwich. At least it's working out for the best." He does have to wonder though, and decides to go for broke. Les would set him straight either way, he feels, "Being a shifter in the big city working out okay, too?"

Lucas ducks his head a little at her questions, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. There she goes, setting the record straight! He laughs in agreement, "For sure! As boring as the paperwork can be at least it's not normal job boring?"

Tyler isn't the least bit offended that they checked his story. It's why he gave them a name, had talked with them about doing just that. He doesn't want them worrying he's a threat when he's doing the best he can to help.

He smiles though at the comment about trusting her with the pack leaders car.

"Oh now I wonder why leaving my car here is bad," he teases, though it's only soft tones and a softer smile. It's not entirely his place to play along with them, but he can't help himself either.

Looking to Les, he smiles a bit warmer than, nodding. "Thank you for hearing me out. I know it's not easy when someone invades your territory like I did."

"A witch? Like, for real? With real magic?" That should clue Les in on just how very uneducated Piper is. She's been extremely lucky to make it this far on her own.

"I call it Time Walking. Not astral projecting. My name for it is better," she pouts, crossing her arms over her small chest.

"No. I've never had anyone be able to see me. I assumed it wasn't possible. I don't like being wrong about that."

Eames falls silent a second and then he just can't help but to smile. "Honestly? It's done me well. I've had other jobs..." Documents. Dream sharing. But his art still pays off and pays well. Or just looks good in museums and he loves it.

Settling in, he sets his copy down on top of hers and then he takes her hand.

"Eames. Just Eames. Like Bond but with one name," he says with a smirk. "Not that you'll ever see that name on my works. Unless you're looking at chairs. I did not forge those though," he admits with a tooth grin.

"So, tell me then. How is it a woman gone a while now somehow gave you my information?"

Les grinned then said. "Yeah, with real magic." Not that she was exactly wanting to prove it right then and there but thankfully they didn't have much company right then and there. Not at that moment anyway.

It was interesting though that someone who had an ability like hers didn't know about things like witches (or likely anything else). It also made her extremely lucky that she hadn't caught the attention of anyone who had bad intentions.

She thought about what the girl had told her back at Sephora and the direction she'd walked from before meeting her at the park bench. "So, you can go back through time then? What about forward? Because in that case, time walking is more apt of a name. That's really interesting ability." And damn, would that have been handy to have at some point in her life!

Her mouth quirked up. "Trust me, I get that." Though the other girl had no reason to trust Les at all and she was well aware of that too. "If I can see you, chances are other things can see you too."

"Nothing wrong with multiple streams of income," Piper mused with a smile. "Actually, if there was another thing I learned from my classes, most smart business people do," she continued with a teasing tone. It really didn't bother her one way or the other if they were exactly legal or not. "Mal may have hinted at one of your other specialties actually."

She smiled and nodded. "Of course not. You don't want it traced back to you directly, after all." If their conversation was anything to go by, she could see why Mal was absolutely charmed by him.

Piper fell quiet for a minute as she considered how to explain it. "In a letter, actually," she started just before a young woman with long blonde hair walked over and sat herself down at their table.

"Which one of you can help me," she asked, first staring at Piper then at Eames. "And please tell me you can see me because I am over this being a ghost thing. I thought the unlife and ghost thing would be cool but this is decidedly not."

"Exactly," Les agreed with a grin. "Which, let's be honest, is essentially my life in a nutshell." It hadn't just been her going into the shop, it was Don, Ricky, and Abby - they all brought something to it and made it run. They all believed in it. And in a city like San Francisco when a shop like theirs was a dime a dozen, they all realized it was a huge risk. It had been a struggle but they were working hard to make something of it by whatever they needed to do. There was a group of racers who'd made their shop a favorite so that had certainly helped.

She laughed and nodded. "Isn't that for damn sure," she said as she shook her head. "That part is ridiculous." At the question about being a shifter in the city, she allowed herself a smile. "It hasn't been the easiest but Ricky knows a guy outside the city a bit, a shifter too who has allowed us to go running. There's a ton of trees and places to explore. It's not as convenient as when we were younger but it's better than nothing."

Les glanced over at him and noticed how happy he was talking about it. "Exactly. You have to choose your boring. In this case, boring paperwork is better than a normal job boring any day. So I imagine you travel a ton, don't you? Has that been fun?"

"Yeah, I can go both ways." She shifted her arms across her chest, like she was trying to resist the urge to preen. She was very proud of this ability, and the name, thank you.

"It's interesting, and useful, and it was supposed to just be my thing."

Tempting as it was to keep pouting, Piper's self-preservation instincts were starting to kick in. Because if other things could see her, that would mean more trouble.

"Things like what?"

Don chuckled and gave him a grin, not minding in the least that he was playing along with. In fact, it was good that he did. A sense of humor was always appreciated around their family. "It's a good thing we're not leaving your BMW here. Her car on the other hand..." Not that he was truly all that worried about leaving her car here or any car here for that matter. They had a great security system and they hadn't had any problems before hand. He just felt better having his car close by.

"Hey, I like my car, thank you very little," Les pipped up with a roll of her eyes and a laugh. She had half a mind to warn Tyler that their family liked to pick up strays but she was sure that'd come out sooner or later back home anyway.

"But it could use a bit of TLC," Ricky said as he shook his head.

Les groaned and turned away from the three guys. "I'm not going to stand here listening to you guys talk smack about my car," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to pull my car into an empty bay and lock up so we can go."

Don shook his head with an amused grin. "And that's Les," he said with a smile at Tyler.

Les considered her for a moment with a little tilt of her head. "So, if no one else can see you as far as ordinary humans are concerned, what are you able to do with it? If I wasn't there at Sephora, what would you have done to that majestic old woman who took the lipstick?" She wasn't really judging. She was genuinely curious about what she was able to do within the time walking/astral projection.

She noticed something change in the other girl's demeanor. "Well, other witches would likely be able to see you - not all of them good. Depending on their age and strength, some vampires and certain demons would be able to see you as well."

"That's true," He conceded with a laugh. Between the two of them Lucas always thought Les was the stronger one. The admiration he had carried when they were younger came flooding back to the forefront of his mind, watching her while she spoke about life in the big city. It suited her, in a way, carving out a path that was uniquely her own. By her own merits.

"Not something they taught us in school, is it?" He waved his arms, making big grand gestures while he spoke, "Shoot for the moon and explode into stars! Wait...no, that's not it."

He doesn't bother stifling a laugh at that before settling back to a simple smile, "Traveling a bit now that I'm not so green behind the ears, and it's been fun. I think you'd like part of it, meeting people from all over. Some of them have some interesting stories, you know?"

"Majestic?" Piper scoffed. "I think you mean tacky. And I wasn't going to do anything to her. I was just going to pickpocket the lipstick, that's all."

Piper figured a witch wasn't going to be that fussed about petty crime. Or, she hoped so. Shit like that abruptly stopped mattering when Les started talking about Demons and vampires.

"Wait. Wait. Vampires? Like, for real? Are you shitting me?"

Eames laughs at that, liking how she takes it in stride. She was definitely someone he could see keeping up with Mal and her mindset. He arches a brow as the lady herself came up in their conversation.

"Oh? Which one? I could name about five she might have mentioned."

Okay so he's thinking two. Documents, and dreamshare, but he's not sure which of those she brought up to this woman.

But then that all dies as that woman sits down across from him.

Eames goes still, staring at her and just staring. He should say something but for a long time he can't help but stare. The worst part is that he's pretty sure he can help her. He just doesn't know he's not the only one.

He glances at Piper but is speaking to the girl, watching to see if Piper sees her.

"Depends on what kind of help you're looking for."

Finding this thing that she did well and that she enjoyed was a long hard road to come to. Over the years, she's considered everything from being a vet (hard no, she'd cry) to pursue being an actress (she'd even tried out for a play in high school) but ultimately, she always returned to spending all her free time in Don and Ricky's garage. She'd realized this was her thing and she loved it. She also could readily admit that she loved the feeling it gave her when she knew a little more about cars than most guys who just thought they knew cars.

She laughed at the analogy before shooting him an amused grin. "Especially not in our school. I think they were just hoping our classes wouldn't have the highest drop out rate," she said, her tone teasing.

"Oh, that part - the traveling and listening to people's stories? I know I would love," she agreed. "And the investigating haunted places part is especially intriguing." Les enjoyed listening to him talk about his job and she could tell just how much he enjoyed it. She'd been so proud of him that he went for it. That took a lot of guts and that he's been successful at it so far said a lot.

Les' mouth curled up into an amused smirk. "Same difference. There is a very thin line between tacky and glamourous," she acknowledged. But really, she only hoped she was that fabulous when and if she ever got that old. Course. She didn't do it now when she was relatively young so, perhaps she missed the boat there. She tilted her head and considered that. "So, whatever you pick up when you time walk, will come with you when you return to your body? Interesting," she mused. She did find it interesting - it was a power she hadn't come across in other witches.

To be frank, lipstick was the least of her worries. If the girl wanted to swipe a lipstick, that was on her.

"I'm being for real," she said, seriously. "There are beings out there who aren't the most upstanding of citizens. Though, in the short amount of time I've been here, I haven't really sensed much so you've been lucky there. Not all places are like this, I've found."

Les reached out a hand. "My name is Alessandra but you can call me Les. What's yours?" She figured if they were going to talk about magic, she might as well introduce herself. Alessandra or Les wasn't her true name but it was the one she was going by for the foreseeable future at least.

Anything that Piper might've said was thrown right around the window when the woman sat down at their table. She didn't say anything for a moment, simply watching what Eames would do or say, if anything, after the other woman spoke. Her eyebrows shot up when he acknowledged her and nodded just enough to convey that she too saw her.

Now that was just interesting. She still didn't sense anything out of the ordinary from him, other than the very real potential of manifesting something at some point in his life. However, he could see the spirit of the woman and even acknowledged that he could help.

"We can help, yes. I assume since you're ready to not be a ghost any longer that you're ready to move on," Piper said, keeping her gaze on Eames so it wouldn't appear that she was talking to thin air.

"Oh thank God, you can't imagine how many people I've gone up to and tried to talk to! But no one has been able to see or hear me," the woman exclaimed, feeling almost giddy at finding these two. "Yes, I am definitely ready to move on to... well, wherever! I want to talk to people again and have them listen!" At least she assumed that's what would happen when she went to wherever it was she'd go to.

"If anyone comes for my car, they're coming for me so likely the car would be okay." But it's another reason he wants to keep it with him, besides all of his stuff is in that car. He wants to be able to run and lead others off if he needs to."

Tyler leans over to Les, whispering loudly to her. "I take responsibility for pulling you away from working on it." As if that had been what she was doing or what had pulled her away from working on it.

Laughing as she goes, giving Don a look. "I can tell you guys have a good relationship here for your pack. I plan to do whatever I can to ensure you keep that."

He doesn't want to think about them losing it, that they could be hurt in the ways Klaus wants them to hurt.

"God, right? Or end up with half the class in jail or something. It's honestly a wonder we made it out of there." But it did have a part in who they are now, like it or not. Some of it he even misses

"Man I hope I can drag you along, you might change your tune." He snickers. "It can be tedious, but when it gets exciting, it gets really exciting."

And he'd keep on yapping if it wasn't for his stomach giving a loud, unhappy gurgle from not being fed. Lucas pats his midsection, trying to stifle the heat of embarrassment in his cheeks. He tends to skip meals while working...

Ricky watched the interaction between Tyler and Les and allowed himself a little smile. The guy seemed to have been through a lot, especially in becoming a reluctant hybrid. It was something, though not quite the same thing, that they all could relate to on some level. Not having it easy. He chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no, don't give her an excuse," he said, his tone teasing though as he watched her go, her flipping him off as she did.

Don shook his head with an amused grin and looked at Tyler with a nod. "We do and we appreciate those who warn other packs about things like this - common dangers. You're welcome with us for as long as you need," he said, seriously. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grabbing his jacket and allowing Ricky and Tyler to walk out ahead of him.

It was sometime later, much later after they returned home, made the necessary introductions, they ate, and discussed an initial plan that Tyler and Les found themselves alone again. Les had noticed the very pointed look from Abby before she headed upstairs with Jason and rolled her eyes. She wasn't exactly subtle.

"I can't even begin to imagine all of the people and the packs that you've met since leaving the east coast," she said, shaking her head with a smile. "I say that because we like to think our pack is a little abnormal but I'm sure a lot of packs are made up of a found family." It was an easy subject right now instead of thinking of everything they'd discussed. Even now, Don and Ricky were calling up some people they knew in the area who could keep an eye and ear out for them.

He's making an admission he doesn't know how to handle but he also knows he can't ignore a ghost looking for help. Maybe some could but he couldn't imagine being that desperate for someone to listen and finally finding someone and to ignore them? No, he couldn't be that guy. He just couldn't do that to her.

"We assume so," he says, smiling. "We just don't know but it's a chance," he says wishing they had better answers. "But it'll be better. I believe that. Those that gone have asked for that and felt they could handle it. If you're ready..."

He considers her with a pained look. "Why haven't you gone? The last person we had wanted their mother's wedding ring because it had been stolen by a rival. Is there something keeping you?"

Sabrina, the woman who was now slouching in her chair at their table exhaled. "I am definitely ready," she said and looked at the man then the woman. "I chose to stay. I really thought it would be the best time until... well, it's much harder to haunt a place than you would expect." At least, she didn't think there was a reason she was still here other than her own sheer stubborness.

Piper couldn't help herself and allowed herself a laugh. "Sorry," she said, glancing at the woman before she cleared her throat. "I remember a time when I told a friend that I would do the very exact same thing." She was not going to think of that right now.

"Right? I mean, from the tv shows and stories you hear, being a ghost sounds awesome. It's... not, at least, not here," she said with a little huff, looking around the cafe. "I mean, you do learn a ton about the people that you see frequently. Like, the barista inside? He's absolutely in love with the man who runs the rival pastry shop down the way and vice versa. I really wish they would just own up to it already. He'd be much suited there anyway. Don't get me wrong, this place is great but... they're kind of adorable."

"Well," Piper started out and tilted her head in consideration. "If there is nothing holding you here, you should be able to see a light but if you don't right now... maybe you've made it your mission to see them together." Which was, as things go, the most surprising but cute.

Ghosts and moving ghosts onto the after life was something she and Jordan had been able to do and did as needed. But they'd always left it to others who that was their true gift.

[Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

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