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

"Hah, you sure do!" She'd better hunt him down. In fact, he's be disappointed if she didn't, honestly.

His gaze continues to hold on that one particular spot even as his smile brightens, eyebrows shooting up. He'll just ignore the flutter in his chest, for now.

"Yeah, that's true...I guess this is the part where I ask for your number?" He's putting on his most ridiculous Smolder(tm) look, intentionally hamming it up as he looks back to Les. Besides, he already has her number...

Edited 2021-03-07 05:26 (UTC)

Les snorted and shook her head. "I would have done the same thing," she admitted because there wasn't a single doubt in her mind that she would have done everything she could to not be a puppet. She nodded in understanding. "You're making a name for yourself across the country, that can be handy." Since she could remember, who they knew and who they formed alliances with had always been important. Not so important where there were things like betrothals (because "we're not monsters, Les") like in the ye olden days but it had always helped in their line of business.

Her mouth curled up into a smirk when he spoke about how he imagined his future. "That's fair, it's not like you were asking for much," she teased before laughing. "Just some small things. Well, I hope you don't die before you're thirty either. After that, I suppose it's free reign but thirty is a nice goal." Her tone was teasing though as she spoke.

"Hell, I'd say that goes for all of us here. It'll be a small miracle when and if any of us make it to thirty." There would be undoubtedly a big party for each birthday.

"Do you want anything to drink," she asked, standing from her spot on the couch and picking up her glass to get a refill.

Les laughed and sat back in her chair as she watched him.

When he asked if this was the part where he asked for her number she rolled her eyes. "You know, I considered it but nah, I don't think so," she said with a little grin. "So if you could just, you know, remove it..."

There was a teasing glint in her eye though as she brought her cup up to her mouth for a drink. "Weirdo."

Lucas snorts at Les’s response, that teasing look in her gaze is just too precious. “I’m too lazy to delete it, so I guess you’re just stuck with me texting you again.”

Oh the horror.

“So what do you want to do after this? I’m almost to the bottom of my cup here,” Plus having the rest of his day free really isn’t such a bad problem to have.

Piper was in clothes that looked appropriate for a yoga session: leggings and fitted tank top. Most days, she’d be proud of how these purple stretch pants made her butt look. Today, she was preoccupied with more important matters.

“No, I really didn’t. I um- On the way home... I think something was going to attack me. Actually, I know it was.”

A shiver visibly rocked her; she wrapped her bare arms around herself even in this summer heat.

“It was some terrible monster. It followed me home from the park. If I hadn’t used my gift to look ahead and see...” she couldn’t bring herself to say what it was she saw.

“I called a cab to take me the rest of the way. But, that thing is still out there. I need your lessons more than I ever realized.”

Les snorted and rolled her eyes. "Figures," she forced a sigh just before she laughed and shook her head. "Some things just never change."

She considered their options. "It's up to you. I can take you by the shop and you can see where we work or we can take a drive out to see the Redwoods. There's some right in the Bay Area or a grove of them about an hour from here. If neither of those sound good, there's no shortage of things to do in the city, it's a matter of what are you in the mood to do?"

There were the touristy things to do and see, and of course, plenty of places to eat and neighborhoods to explore.

"Yeah, I'm making something," he admits, but he smiles at that. "I'm glad. I want the packs to know that there's others on their side. Not just me either. There's other vampires that are on their sides as well. But until the Mikaelsons are gone, it's a threat."

And he's not even sure about the rest of them, but definitely Klaus.

"Oh, I forgot to mention the car and the mansion. I was thinking eight figures for my first five years," he says with a grin. It's easy to talk about things like this and not focus on how bad things really are.

He glances at her. "You guys have it good here though, and I just want to keep it that way so you can make it to at least fifty," he says, yet he knows how few of them live that long.

That gets a smile and a nod. "Yeah, I'd like that. Whatever's easy. I'm not picky." There's a time when he had been but through the year he's been on the road, he's learned to be happy with what he has. "Though you know I can get up and get my own. You don't have to do it for me."

As soon as she asked it, Les got the feeling she knew the answer to her own question. It wouldn't surprise her if Piper had said something to the effect of just finding out about the supernatural kept her awake. But to find that she'd nearly gotten attacked, Les blinked and moved over to her. "Crap, Piper - are you okay?"

It was a shit question, she realized that because clearly Piper wasn't okay but it seemed the thing to ask.

"I know it's likely not something you want to think back on but can you describe what it looked like?" Even if it may not do Piper any good currently, it would help Les. She could go out looking for it tonight and deal with it. "Even if it doesn't mean much to you right now, in the future you will start to distinguish one being from another and what you can do to kill it."

"Hmmm," Lucas leaned back in his seat, thoughtfully considering his options. Honestly any of them sounded fun as long as they got to hang out, but hearing about the shop had him curious.

"Well, I would like to see where you work," He said finally, "But you know a good hike wouldn't go amiss either."

There were plenty of days back home that they roamed the forests nearby, why not explore a new venue here while he had the chance. The thought was exciting, even if they didn't get to it right away. There was a ghost house to explore too before all is said and done.

"I mean, what better way to burn off this coffee, right?" He added with a grin.

Les' mouth curled up in amusement, watching him. When he noted that there were other vampires that were on their side, her eyebrows rose. "Vampires are on the pack's side? As some sort of, the Mikaelson's are that batshit crazy and the vampires don't want any part of it?" Because if that was the case, that was interesting and not something she'd have ever thought, if she were honest.

She laughed when he mentioned the car and the mansion. "Ah, so easy money then, got it," she said with a grin. It was much easier to joke about things like that instead of focusing on how very real that threat is looming over them and especially over him.

"Fifty would be nice," Les agreed with a nod. "Really though, it's appreciated. Which... I know we've all said at least three times or more."

Les nodded. "I know but I'm heading in that direction. But, if you want to come with, I can show you around the house and the garage." She knew Don and Ricky were still tinkering but it wasn't just their projects hanging out in that garage, she and Abby had a couple going on too.

Piper let out an anxious laugh at that question. No, obviously she was not okay. Really not fucking okay. Yesterday her biggest worry was running out of her favorite lipstick color. Now.

"It was dark... but it was like this really pale man except he had awful teeth and cold dead eyes. And he was so strong he could lift me off the ground with just one hand." Even recounting that much had her breath coming in panicked gasps.

"How the fuck am I supposed to be able to defend myself against something like that? The thing moved like it was made of shadows."

Les nodded and thought that could be just about any dark creature that roamed the night. "Sounds like some vampires I've come across and well, other... nasty creatures that unfortunately are part of our world," she said and reached out to rest her hand on Piper's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, it's going to be okay, alright? I know it's a lot you're dealing with, especially within 24 hours but we will work on that. It will take time though."

"So, first, your gift will come in handy. You'll find that it's not only good for things like finding out who took your last lipstick," she started, sending the girl a teasing smile before she continued. "But, it's especially good for situations like this. If you are aware of who or what it is that's lurking in the shadows like that, then you can be one step ahead of them and you can be prepared for them. Or be prepared to run. There is nothing wrong with running."

Les paused and picked up her water bottle, taking a drink from it. "What are your strengths? When you were younger, did you take any classes like gymnastics, play sports... anything like that?"

When asked because when she was younger, she had taken a few gymnastics classes as a kid and it was those skills that she built on when her vampire friends started to train her and her friend. Everyone started somewhere.

She grinned. "Great, I know of the perfect place. The first time we went to it, I thought of you," she said and finished off her drink. "Another time you can come by the shop and I'll give you the grand tour."

Every time she went hiking, she'd always thought back to the hikes they'd gone on together as kids and teenagers. Being out in the woods had felt as free as she'd ever felt other than driving fast, which wasn't very surprising considering she was a wolf shifter.

"Exactly," she agreed with a laugh and stood from the table so she could throw away her cup and plate. "Are you ready then?"

"They're on the side of everyone getting to live their own life without answering to the Mikaelsons," he admits. "Some were turned because of them and have dealt with Hell, some have loved the people they loved. When you're the all powerful supreme vampire, you live like it. That makes a lot of enemies. Even without a hybrid psycho brother."

There would be others already out there against them without Klaus and he knows it. Like what happened to Caroline and how they treated her, but then that was Klaus too a lot.

He shrugs. "I came from money so I was expected to live in it. My dad was mayor and my mom after him," he says, knowing he's venturing into deep territory now but he feels close to her already, enough to share. "Some tried to kill all the vampires in town. They knew my dad wasn't only human and so they tried to kill him but it didn't do anything. Turned out he was never activated, somehow. He was killed by a vampire, I never knew who. Unlike my mom."

He pauses, not having used this for pity earlier but they were letting him help so someone should know. "Klaus killed her to pay me back for the things I'm doing."

He can mange it in a flat voice, not letting it crack, but it doesn't hurt any less.

"It's why I have to do this for you all. I know what he can do."

And he wants to do what he can for them.

He nods though, moving close rto her. "Sure. Lead on. I'd love to see the place."

Piper subconsciously leaned into that squeeze; the physical comfort was powerful for her in her current mental state.

"Okay. Yeah." She swallowed hard and steeled herself. Would it really be okay? Fuck if she knew right now but she wanted to believe.

That crack about the lipstick almost made her smile. Her lips twitched with a weak expression of mirth.

"I took ballet for a while at the community center. And I did track and field in school. I can run long distance and I can sprint. I still run every day." Because her power required her to cover long distances on foot, she'd kept up with that athleticism. Morning runs were a staple of her routine.

"I'm in pretty good shape, cardio-wise." Strength, not so much.

Another time to see the shop. Lucas did his best to ignore how the thought made his heart flutter wild in his chest. Although his schedule could be crazy, he’d find the time to come back, to text and call. Their friendship had slipped away once due to time and distance, life just had a funny way of getting away from both of them, but he vowed to do right this time around.

“More like are you ready to keep up!” Standing with a bounce in his step Lucas knew full well he’d be eating those words later. It’d be worth it though. Running free in the woods was exactly where he wanted to be right now.

“I’ll have you know I still took top spot in the track and field team in the Academy,” He had been their high school’s top cross country runner, picking his way through with a steady, unrelenting pace like a wolf might.

Then again, he did learn from the best.

“At least I did until they tried to switch me over to the short prints and man, I’m just not wired for that. Either way, I hope you keep up otherwise you’re totally going to eat my dust.” The grin brightens into a full fledged smirk. “Let’s go!”

"That's fair," she said after a moment of consideration. "It would take a lot for vampires to be on the side of werewolves but in this case, it's a good reason." From what she could tell, she wasn't sure she'd ever want to meet these Mikaelson's. "Like... a common enemy."

Les watched as he spoke about his family and took a moment to just listen. When he spoke about his father being killed and then his mother being killed by Klaus as a means of payback, her mouth opened. "Fuck," she said, unable to help herself. "I'm really sorry, Tyler. It's... well, it was already great what you were doing for the other packs but it's also badass. That you're not letting him deter you." It took a lot of strength to push forward in the face of something like that.

"Great, let's start outside in the garage then," she said and led him through the back of the house toward the door that leads out into the large garage. She paused a moment to listen and made sure she wouldn't be interrupting any sort of 'top secret' conversation before she opened the door. The space was large enough to comfortably fit three cars and two motorcycles that were in progress.

"Hey Don, Rick," she said before looking at Tyler. "As you can tell, most of us are gearheads... a few are artists but we all bonded over cars. Abby and I are working on a couple of motorcycles over in the corner there," Les explained, stepping into the garage and motioned toward them.

"I won't lie to you, this world we live in kind of sucks on multiple levels," Les admitted, looking at her. "But, I guess the powers sort of makeup for it? A little bit," she said with a little smile, holding two fingers up with a little space between them. Sure, there was a lot more to it and maybe one day, she'll wonder if it was all worth it but that day was not today.

When Piper described her routine, Les nodded. "That's excellent, the cardio will help in the long run. Do you run up steps often? I ask because I know money doesn't grow on trees and gym memberships are annoyingly expensive. Luckily, there are things you can do to build strength that doesn't require you to go into a gym. That's where we'll start this morning and as we go, I will explain some of the more common creatures that you will come up against and the best way to fight them. Sound good?"

She wasn't expected to be anywhere until early next week so she could afford to extend her stay for a little longer. If only to make sure Piper had enough knowledge under her belt to have a fighting chance.

The fact that he'd reached out in the first place after so many years said a lot to Les. She wasn't always the easiest person to get to know, let alone be close with but she was loyal to those she chose as her own. She would do what she could to make sure they didn't lose sight of that friendship.

Les snorted and rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, sure if that's what you think," she quipped back as she headed toward her car.

"I think I'd be more disappointed if you didn't. After all, you did learn from the best," she shot him a teasing grin.

There had never been a single doubt in her mind where she would end up while she was in school. She'd taken to working on cars and painting like a duck to water. For Lucas, she was glad to hear and see how far he'd come since high school and leaving their small hometown behind. It wasn't doing any of them any good and wouldn't have if they had stuck around.

"One of us knows the woods and one doesn't, we'll see who eats who's dust soon enough!"

It was roughly forty minutes later (due to the ever annoying San Francisco traffic) when they arrived at the spot she'd usually favored at this particular location. It was quieter and a little off the beaten path but still laid down well enough. "Here we are, hope you're ready to eat those words of yours," she said tossing him an amused smirk.

"Powers kind of make this shit worth dealing with," Piper said, of her own life. Without her Time Walking, what would she be? Just some nobody with nothing going on.

"Hm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I run uphill, but haven't really done steps. Now that you mention it, the library has some I could go up and down." To her credit, Piper was putting all her attention into this. Her life depended on it.

"Sometimes I use cans of soup as weights, too. They are pretty close to, like, a one-pound dumbbell." She uses gallons of milk like kettlebells sometimes too, to work her arms.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Damn, I should have brought a notebook to write this stuff down. I guess I can always come back to review it again later." Thanks, Time Walking.

"Doesn't hurt most of us have known one another our whole lives," he says softly. "Elena and Caroline were turned. I was activated as was my uncle who was killed by them. Everyone but Matt was either turned or killed," he says, thinking about how many he'd lost, how hard it is to face going home. Maybe he just never will, but so long as he's on the run, it doesn't matter.

He glances at her and shrugs, though he can't help but smile. "Thanks. It doesn't feel bad ass. He's going to kill me one way or another, so might as well warn as many as I can before he does."

He smiles when she pauses, whispering to her. "I can hear them too," he teases, letting on about one of his abilities they may or may not have known but not feeling the need to hide it from her, or them.

He steps in, looking around. It's a great space, one that is protected and that could be used if needed. He kind of hates so much of his life is knowing how to barricade anywhere and protect anyone.

He nods at the others, looking to the bikes. "I've learned some basics, but mostly because every stop if contact and I try and minimize that." So when his car has troubles, he tries and fix it on his own the best he can.

"Well, if you ask me, anything that sticks it to The Man or in this case, a crazy-ass vampire is badass. No matter how it may turn out in the long run," Les said with a little smile.

She snorted when he mentioned he could hear them too. "Well, I figured you could but it was only nice that I make sure they weren't in the middle of some sort of conversation before we just barged on through." After all, if werewolves had heightened hearing, she was doubly sure that he would have it from both sides.

Don turns to look at them as they walked in and watched (and listened) as Les explained a bit of what they did and who they were. They may still have some reservations in the long run but in the meantime, they were placing a ton of trust in the boy. Trust they didn't exactly take lightly but were told by other packs, that it would be in bad hands.

Les grinned. "All things considered, that's fair. It only makes sense it wouldn't be high on the list. It's a good thing you walked into the garage - we can make sure your car is in top shape before you're on the road again."

"You're not wrong," Les agreed with a little smile. At the end of the day, if she was truly confronted with the choice, she'd take having powers and dealing with this shit any day of the week. She wasn't sure if 'normal' ever was a choice for her life.

She was glad that Piper was taking this seriously. She'd be lying if she said she'd doubted it but she was sure it had to do with last night. Experiences like that would do it to you. "It wasn't my favorite thing but it can help. Using cans of soup and gallon jugs to add weight was the next thing I was going to suggest."

For the next hour to an hour and a half, Les put through Piper through strength exercises and cardio to get their blood pumping. Through it all, she started to explain some of the most common creatures she'd likely come across and the best methods to fight them. "At the end of the day, push come to shove, if they're coming after you, use everything you have to your advantage because you can believe they will," Les said as they took a moment to rest, walking over to her bag and pulling out two bottles of water and tossing one to Piper.

Next, or once Piper was ready, they'd move onto some basic self-defense.

Piper couldn't remember the last time she'd sweated so much. Jogging had gotten too easy for her, but this was kicking her ass. In a good way.

Through most of the lesson, she stayed quiet and just listened. Mostly because talking would reveal just how out of breath she was. But, she was also paying absolute attention to everything said, trying her best to fix it in her mind. She had no illusions now that this information could save her life.

"I'm getting the sense," she said after a long drink from the water bottle Les tossed her, "that there's no such thing as fighting honorably with these monsters. Is that true?"

"Fine fine," he says, grinning though there's still a tightness of nerves around his eyes. "I'm a badass. Who am I to argue with the beautiful lady?"

Because teasing and flirting and playing is easier than coping with the pain of loss, and the history of all he and the others have been through. It's much easier to focus on here and now and helping the next group of people, the next pack that he can.

He watches Don for a minute, giving him a nod. He can't blame them for not trusting him, and honestly, they shouldn't. They shouldn't trust just anyone. He'd still take the chance to help them.

"Life being fortuitous. Lucky for me." And he means it. Because he knows he could use the help and the work. He also knows because there's something about the woman beside him that he truly did want to know more about. He couldn't help himself to want to know more. "Maybe I can learn a thing or three from you guys. And not just for my car."

Edited 2021-10-08 01:53 (UTC)

[Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

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<3

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