royal_musings | doing as the tourists do - drink & go ghost hunting (for Kol)

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doing as the tourists do - drink & go ghost hunting (for Kol)

Piper had been the one to suggest the ghost tour and make sure that Kol would be on his best behavior. Which, when it came down to it, all she asked was he didn't bite any of the guests until after the tour. The day before, she had actually been looking forward to it too. She supposed it was only fitting. She had always enjoyed verbal sparring with others and doubly enjoyed anyone who could keep up with her.

That morning, she had gotten up and gone to the cabin where it had all started. Adonis had met her there, told her a bit of the history he and David had found all those years ago after the fact and talked to the little ghost girl who had remained. She'd seemed disappointed that Jordan wasn't with her and she couldn't bring herself to tell the ghost of all things that Jordan wouldn't be returning. Throughout it, she'd felt fine.

That was, until she'd returned to her hotel to get ready for that evening.

Within an hour or two, she'd started to feel lethargic and felt she needed to blast the AC, it was so warm in her room. Piper knew she needed to get up and at least look human even if she didn't particularly feel very human. She shot off a quick text to Kol (though she wasn't sure why she shared that bit of information with him) before leaving her room with everything she needed - phone, wallet... a knife just in case.

It was still warm and humid out for New Orleans but somehow, Piper felt even hotter. This wasn't a feeling she'd experienced since... well, before they had died. She wasn't going to assume it was that (though there was a very small part of her that was hopeful). She pushed all that aside as she came up on Kol just minutes after the last text and gave him a grin. "So, have I been ditched for a bachelorette party?"

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"It's really the training that takes so much," he admits with a chuckle, enjoying the play between them, the jokes that seem to come so easily having just met her. He suspects it's the witch thing, he's always gotten along well with witches, after all.

"So tell me," he says in a low, teasing drawl. "Did you figure out all of my hints when we met?"

He's curious to know if she knows what she's getting into, and because he still feels there's so much about her that is more than just a witch in New Orleans and despite all of that, he's yet to figure it out himself. There's something he's missing and he hates it.

He watches the tour guide and then whispers to her. "Which one you think he's hooking up with after the tour?"

Piper laughed and rolled her eyes playfully. She wasn't exactly surprised that she got along so well with the vampire. Her first boyfriend and her reluctant best friend were vampires so it didn't come too much of a shock. Still, it was the first time in a while that she'd met someone who didn't already hear of her/know of her and automatically either bite or try to kill her. She'd take those small wins. It was, of course, only a matter of time before he found out or she told him and after that, well anything could happen. Still, she'd take it.

"I did and after I texted you for the confirmation, I rolled my eyes so hard my head hurt," she said with an amused little grin. "Really, an priceless masterpiece?" There was, honestly, the little voice in the back of her mind that told her she was playing with fire when it came to him.

Piper closed her eyes for just a moment, pushing back the heat she felt and exhaled a slow breath. "Only one? You don't think he'll try to do some group thing?" she whispered with a teasing grin. "Though, if I had to choose, probably the blonde. She keeps touching his arm."

Kol certainly couldn't promise that he hasn't snacked on a person or two in New Orleans but they hadn't been the woman at his side so he's hoping she takes that as a win. Not that he's entirely sure he won't be snacking tonight. Just maybe not leaving a corpse. He could eat cleanly... couldn't he? Maybe. He's not sure he's ever tried.

"What else would you call it? I mean, come on. Can not be replaced, replicated, or replaced. One of a very limited collection. As for masterpiece... well..."

He poses a bit as if she can't argue there's nothing more than a masterpiece in what he is and how he looks.

"I don't think he's that good," he says with a snort. "If I wanted them though, I could do it. Like a buffet," he says, smirking because he knows it's the wrong thing to say.

Piper couldn't hold in her laugh at the pose and shook her head, giving him an amused grin. "I mean... I guess?" Her tone was teasing though as she took a moment to look him over. He was attractive, there was absolutely no denying that. Knowing that and recognizing who Kol was in the grander scheme of things both intrigued her and put her cautiously on edge. Still, that didn't keep her from enjoying his company for however long this lasted.

She did appreciate the fact that he hadn't snacked on her or attempted to snack on her. It was something, she wouldn't quite admit to anyone, that she sort of missed about David. Course, there had been years of history, trust and a relationship before he'd died. Which was to say that if this thing with Kol went somewhere and she was open about who (and what) she was... then she'd potentially be willing to be a snack at some point sooner or later. But they were a little way off from that and she had to get over whatever was happening with her body tonight.

"Well, I don't think he'd succeed but I wouldn't put it past him to at least try," she said with an amused smirk. "Well naturally you could but he doesn't necessarily have your skillset. And I don't mean just your charming personality and killer smile."

Literally.

"Alright, everyone! We're ready to go. So please make your way over to the bus, find yourselves a seat and get ready to take a trip through history!"

He knew that night he looked like anyone else in New Orleans. Certainly his clothes were expensive and he carries himself with a confidence most can't even manage but in the end, he's as casual as he gets.

And yet he is the oldest being in the city, in the country, and he's deadlier than anything he's run across. More so than most of his siblings even.

Yet here he is, going on this trip. Happy, laughing with a witch, and it feels odd and perfect at the same time. It's something he's needed for longer than he can even manage to find words for and he's not going to put it in words now. Not when any moment the darkness that is Klaus' jealousy could swoop down and ruin it all.

He gasps though, eyes wide. "Are you insinuating I would cheat with compulsion?" He asks in a low voice. "Wow, you know me well already," he teases, winking at her.

He looks up and gestures to her. "After you, my dear."

Piper truly had to wonder if the people on their tour had any sort of inkling of who they'd be sharing a bus with tonight. An Original vampire who probably made her own past life look like an innocent child in comparison and herself who, while not nearly as bad as Kol had done her fair share of shit. To be honest, it kind of amused her.

Being with him tonight like this, laughing and teasing each other like they'd known each other for far more than a few days, was nice. It was far more than she had expected during her return trip to New Orleans. It was fun and he made her laugh, something she hadn't felt in a while.

Piper watched his expression with that same amused smirk. "You just think you're so sneaky," she teased him before she laughed again. She turned and made her way over to the bus, got in, and found a seat near the back. The moment she sat down, she felt her body sink into the chair. Standing and walking had been good, she had something else to focus on. Sitting just made her realize just how tired her body was.

They were a dangerous pair and it's part of what he's liking about this evening. That they are dangerous and deadly and could be wicked, and he's picked some of this up from her as well. He loves how it feels being out there, pretending to be one of the normal children, to be mortal and let them smile and laugh and know they could kill them all.

Or perhaps he's the only one thinking that.

"Oh Piper, one day you will learn how not sneaky I am. I leave that to my eldest brother," he says, thinking about how Elijah would never do something like this, wouldn't find the fun in casual and lighthearted and fun. "But tonight I can try and be nice. If you ask nicely," he teases, sinking into the seat beside her.

He glances over, frowning slightly.

"Are you going to die on me? I'm going to be upset to be abandoned."

Although she wasn't sure where this would lead, the two of them, she was simply going to enjoy it for the time being. It had been a long time since she'd been around someone that she felt a bit more at ease with than she did most people. Even if he didn't completely know everything about her yet. She was sure that he picked up on enough to know she wasn't exactly who she said she was. Even if she hadn't said much about it in the first place.

She laughed and tossed him a look. "Oh darling, I picked up on that at that bar. You're not very subtle," she said. All that said though, she had no doubt that if push came to shove and Kol needed to be sneaky, he could be. "Though that's not exactly a bad thing. Hey, I haven't said anything about being nice. Just not eating people until afterward."

There was already a part of her that missed his arm around her, offsetting the heat just a bit. At the question about death and being abandoned, Piper snorted. "No, death isn't quite in the plans for a very long time." Which was the truth of it and perhaps said something more about her power and who she was if he picked up on it.

Kol sits back, his leg sprawling into the aisle. Taking up space and looking as comfortable as if he was sitting at home, comfortable on his own couch. Watching the others settle in, considering where they're going to be going around New Orleans and how good this is going to get.

Especially that last part. And what he's going to do.

"Right. Not until after," he teases, pursing his lips and considering. His arm slides along the back of the seat, leaning in close to her so he can whisper into her ear. "And what if it's just you I'm thinking about biting? When can I do that?"

Teasing and playful. It's not that he doesn't want to do it, but not that he has plans to do it now on this trip. Not unless she says so.

Piper watched him get comfortable and grinned. She then watched as everyone else settled into their seats, talking with each other about how excited they were for the tour. No one, apart from them, was magically inclined but she wasn't surprised by that.

She turned back to him with a raised eyebrow at the question. Of all the vampires in the world, she really shouldn't find him so damn attractive but she does. Not that she was exactly willing to say that out loud just yet. "Subtle," she said just a tad dryly but also amused. "My rule is, I don't become a snack until at least our one year anniversary," she responded with an amused smirk.

He knows he's playing hard games but he's got the feeling she can take it. He definitely thinks she's strong enough to handle the games he plays and take it on without him pulling punches.

"You love it when I'm honest," he points out, as if he's being outwardly honest. Except in the wanting to bite her. He definitely wanted to do that but it didn't have to be yet. He suspects there's going to be more times between them.

"One year? Okay. I can live with that. I'm counting from ten months ago when I said hi to you on the street though."

Because that never happened but it still makes him smile.

"Is that what we're calling this," Piper mused with a grin. "Because I think we're both operating on just this side of actual honesty," she said holding up her fingers spread just a little apart. Truth be told, she didn't expect anything different considering who they both were. They've only really known each other for a few days. She had no doubt that he wanted to bite her and that there were elements of true honesty that have happened so far between them but neither of them had gotten this far in life (or unlife) by simply trusting everyone that came into their lives.

Piper laughed and arched an eyebrow. "Is that right," she said. "It's funny because I'm definitely counting since you offered to pay for my drink and I turned it down at the bar three nights ago."

And although she was certainly being the smartass here, she found his play on words and elaborateness amusing - causing her to smile. She was enjoying his company and it was a nice distraction from how she was feeling otherwise. Piper leaned into him just a little, seeking out that coolness.

"Welcome, everyone to our Haunted New Orleans trolley and walking tour. There will be a few places where we will all get off the trolley and take a stroll along the most haunted places and streets we have available. So, I hope you have your walking shoes on! Our first location that we are heading toward is Royal Street."

"I think you know honesty from me more than anyone else has in a long time." Which in his mind is the truth. He's hidden his true nature from so many people and he's been open with her.

Yet he knows there's a lot she won't ever know about, things he likely won't ever take a risk in her knowing. Maybe it comes back that originals have done some of the killings they have, but not which one. He's glad to hide behind that anonymity.

"Wow, you're shooting me down from ten months ago? It's not my fault so many handsome men say hi to you," he notes with a smirk. "But come on. Fine. You know, I'll split it with you. Six months ago," he says, trying so hard to look innocent. As if he's truly offering her something.

His arm wraps more snugly around her, frowning at that heat as he rubs his hand along her arm.

"Ooooh, dark shadows," he whispers to her, leaning in until his lips nearly brush her ear. "Snack spots."

She smiled at the admission from him. "If it helps, other than a couple of others, I've been more honest with you than anyone else in recent years." And although he didn't know the truth about her yet, she'd been the more authentic Piper Allison with him than she has with anyone in nearly a decade. Adonis didn't count, they'd known each other for decades and he always saw behind the masks she'd worn. Eames and Arthur, well they were a different matter all together.

Piper laughed and sent him an amused grin. "Mm, how about half of that and go... three?", she teased him, watching his reactions. She exhaled a soft breath at his cooler hand sliding down her arm, leaning into him.

"You really should have eaten before you came," she said, her tone taking on a playful note. She glanced at him out of her corner of her eye with a laugh. "I'm sure bridesmaid #2 will be willing. She's the one that invited you to the wedding, right?" Piper had to admit, mostly to herself, that she enjoyed the way this felt with him.

They're both taking chances and he knows it. Truths, seeing one another again, and doing so in the middle of New Orleans of all places, it was taking chances but he's enjoying it. Just like he's enjoying having her in his arms.

"Oooh, three works for me. In three months I can taste you... at least your blood." Maybe he's hoping for the rest much sooner given the way he says it.

"I did eat, but she's throwing off so much desire..." He glances up, seeing her staring. He's about to make another comment when the guide starts talking again.

"If you look to the peak of the building to your right, you'll see a stylized letter M. They're all over the city, built into the stones and permanent parts of the city," he says.

Kol shifts, sitting up a bit straighter and listening attentively now.

"Many believe it's the initial of a powerful family that once lived in the city. They were known to run secret parties that were weekends of debauchery. Sex. Drugs. Even deaths."

"There were no drugs," Kol muttered softly.

"And if you ask the right people, these parties are still going on to this day."

That makes Kol frown though, tensing.

"If you know the right people, maybe you can even get an invite, but be careful. Many believe this is why so many disappear in this city."

"None of them are in this city and haven't been for over a century," he hisses, mostly because he's confused, kind of because he wants her to know why he's bothered.

Piper raised an eyebrow before laughing. "Hm, I don't know, I'm still leaning toward the one year anniversary for the blood part," she teased him. Though she said it, she was also well aware that things could change. It would have to happen after she told him who she was and that was the part she wasn't sure when to bring it up. Which, honestly, was more of a surprise than anything else. It wasn't even a matter of if she'd bring it up anymore. It was simply a matter of when.

As the tour guide started to speak, she noticed the change in Kol's demeanor. She listened to what the young man was saying and glanced at Kol. No, vampires would have no use for drugs - not the sort humans were into anyway.

She nodded in agreement with his muttering words and frowned when the guide mentioned continued parties to this day. "Didn't you warn me about a Marcel? Do you think that he's using you and your family's name/reputation?" Her voice remained low so they wouldn't be overheard.

Piper snorted when she heard a female voice, likely one of his groupies, pipe up and ask if he'd ever been invited to such a party. None of these people had any idea of what they were dealing with.

The teasing and talk of feeding is gone. At least for the time being. He's definitely sharply focused on something else entirely, and he wants to know just what has been going on in this town. Marcel might have been Klaus' favored child but he was not a Mikaelson and he never would be. No matter how their brother had treated him.

"It has to be him," he mutters. "My brother's favored, and yet he lets him run wild like this and kept me in a box. Well then. Maybe we should visit him. I can guess where he is."

The compound. It has to be. That massive house they abandoned when their father found them.

Kol straightens suddenly, gesturing the guide closer. He smiles sweetly, staring into his eyes, compelling him.

"Yes, just where are these parties held?"

The guide stares at Kol, his expression empty. "There's a place in the French Quarter," he says, wide eyed. "They call it..."

"The Abattoir."

"Yeah. You know it?" The guide smiles then, nodding.

"We should go by there, don't you think?"

The wedding party cheers at that, encouraging the change of plans."

While Piper wasn't feeling at top strength, she was becoming well aware of where this was going. Truth be told, she didn't blame Kol because if someone was using her family to their advantage? You can bet your ass she'd be there.

She nodded and pushed the heat and everything down as far as she could so she could focus on this. Piper watched attentively as Kol compelled the tour guide. It was fascinating the skills and abilities different vampires had at their disposal and this one was surely handy.

When the wedding party cheered, Piper glanced at the others on the tour who seemed intrigued but curious at the change in plans. "Well, this night is looking more interesting by the minute," she said then turned in her seat to look at Kol more firmly. "What is your plan?" She didn't give one shit if he decided to take every single one of them out but she needed to know how much she should share until they got there.

Dropping back in his seat as the guide gave the change of directions, he leans into Piper trying to calm himself down. He's angry and he's seeing red and he has no idea what to do but he knows he's positively certain that if his brother was here, he'd find himself in a box again.

Good thing he'd run away from that.

"Plan? You think I have a plan?"

He makes a face, considering that.

"Actually, I'm just going to check things out. The truth? Sadly? Marcel wouldn't know me. I was locked in a coffin for most of that time and only released in time to be locked back up so we could run. When my brother took Marcel in, and the bloody upstart thought he had rights he didn't, I was staked for saying so."

Which isn't the only thing he'd done but enough of the truth that it wasn't lying to her. Not outright.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Piper grabbed his hand as he leaned against her and gave it a squeeze. She was just going to comment about coming up with a plan if he didn't have one already but then he said he was just going to check things out. She nodded slowly. "It's a good Plan A at least," she said and tilted her head. "What if he does know you," she asked.

She figured there was likely more to his story but she wasn't going to call him out on it. Instead, she nodded at his question.

"I'll be fine. For now." She looked around them, watching the other attendees talk amongst themselves before she murmured a soft spell that would keep people from overhearing their conversation. "How much do you know about the prophecy of The Enchanted," she asked.

It was a sudden question and one that she hadn't planned on revealing just yet but if they were going to walk into a potential shit show, she thought she should at least be upfront with him. Because it ultimately led into the other, more recent part of her life. Namely where she's been the last decade and what she's done.

"Then I'm going to rip out his bloody pathetic throat and remind this city what that initial stands for," he says, squeezing her hand back. She knows who he is and what he can do. He hasn't hidden the monster he is from her and he sees no reason to start now.

He felt that magic close around them, frowning that she felt the need for that protection. Shifting in his seat, turning to face her more fully as he considers her.

"About maybe as much as you likely know about Original vampires. What does that have to do with your illness?"

He's getting an inkling but he wants the answer from her and suspects it may well change his plans should he be recognized later.

Piper nodded. She could hardly blame him, honestly. She'd exacted her own revenge over the last decade and she didn't feel much (if any) remorse. Everyone who was killed by her hand or Adonis' was because of their involvement in Jordan and David's deaths.

She watched him turn toward her and watched his face closely then nodded. "I'm one half of the Enchanted," she said, though she suspected that he was starting to realize that. "Over a decade ago, my cousin (the other half of The Enchanted) and my boyfriend were killed in an ambush. For the last decade, her boyfriend (another vampire) and I took down every single demon and vampire involved." Her voice was matter of fact, not letting herself get upset by it, or at least forcing herself not to. She knew she was speaking to a vampire and her killing other vampires and demons were probably tacky, she wanted him to be aware.

"As for what it has to do with this illness, the only times I've ever felt this way (and it's been a long time) is when I've been getting a new power." And she was trying really hard to not feel hopeful about that. When Jordan died, she was sure that was it and what she had was be all she would have. Which was still more than the average witch.

He's hyper, and that is how anger translates. If he's not careful everyone on the bus but Piper might not survive this night. Hell, he may just do that for his own comfort to let out the anger he is feeling.

Yet he's listening to her, catching what she's saying, the stories he's heard of over the years about Enchanteds. Some think they're as mythical as Originals. And yet here he is. With her.

A brow arches though when she says it would be a new power, and he can't help but be curious. Both about that and something else.

"You talk about your revenge and powers. I have to wonder then. Maybe it's for this, for what I'm about to do. Want to help me?"

He's not had anyone but family before to help him, and they had rarely actually helped him. Now he might actually have a partner in things, and not just a witch he's using.

Piper watched him closely, unsure of how he would react. She knew of course how certain parts of the community viewed the Enchanted and saw them as just a mythical entity, someone or something that wouldn't happen. But they had and she still was rather angry at times to know that Jordan was killed because of who they were. She pushed that anger away for the time being and nodded a little at the eyebrow arch.

Then he said that and she hummed, considering it. "I blame the ghost girl at the house I visited earlier," she muttered, though her tone teasing. Still, he did raise a good question. "Even if it's not because of this, I will help you. I do know a little bit about revenge these days. If someone was using my family or my families name for their own means, I'd be doing the exact same thing."

She only hoped she lasted until the end of the night before passing out. "Just promise me that at the end of the night, you'll make sure I get back to my hotel." Piper wasn't one to trust or rely on others very much, if she could help it so it said a lot that she was asking him this favor.

Perhaps it's that he is a mythical entity. Despite his brothers being monsters throughout the years, and Kol throughout the times he was free, they still weren't entirely known as beings that truly existed. Even those turned by them didn't always know who they were.

Kol had heard about the Enchanted and, unlike many, he had truly found reasons to believe in them. Because as a former witch that misses what he lost, he aches for the reality of a power like that.

A power like that of the woman sitting in front of him.

"Oh don't blame innocent ghost girls. I suspect this is on me," he says, but there's a tiny bit of a smile then. He knows it's not likely because of him, but he will gladly take advantage of it all.

Which means he lights up in that moment when she agrees to help him with it.

"I promise," he says, going solemn as he says it. "And... and I promise not to start a fight tonight either. I will finish it if one starts, but I won't start one." And he means it. If she can sense such things, she'll know he's not lying.

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