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“Well you may be in luck soon enough.” Gabriel states passively while quickly moving on to plug his cell phone into a nearby charger, knowing that his intentions to make a move against Marcel weren’t quite pillow talk – Nor would Enzo be too pleased to hear of them. The man had made mistakes, broken rules, but he’d never done anything to purposely provoke conflict. Biting his lip, the wolf gives a deep growl of a chuckle. “I will say that I enjoy your naughty side, I don’t know what I’d do if you were a completely upright do-gooder. It sounds dreadfully boring.” A heavy understatement. Much of what attracted the boy to Enzo was his willingness to live completely by his own terms. “I could’ve, but I’m trying to drink more tea and see what it is that you British folk are so gung-ho about. Besides it’s easier to kiss if our breaths consist of the same stuff.” A playful kiss was placed on the vampire’s jaw. He was trying his best not to let the reality of things sour the conversation, but it was important to be open and not hide from the hard stuff if they had any hope of maintaining this romance. Gabriel lets out a small sigh. “I appreciate the concern and I wish I could tell you that there’s nothing to worry about but, frankly, we both know better. Some things are worth the risk.” By now Enzo knew better than to expect him to throw up a white flag and submit to Marcel, he was much too strong-willed and relentless. “There is a way – at least there will be a way again if I have a say in it. But, I know how hard this is and I am sorry.” Brown eyes were filled with genuine care and remorse as the boy looked to the vampire, their relationship was far from simple and yet Enzo remained patient and loving. “How did I know you’d pick that one? I mean you picked me so I obviously know you’ve got good taste.” He states with a raised brow, conveniently ignoring the detail that it was he, himself, who did most of the courting and pursued the vampire. The wolf begins sipping his tea and looking to choose his pastry in excitement – there were no bakeries in the bayou. In response to Enzo’s gratitude, he merely shrugs it off with a bite of muffin in his mouth. “Don’t worry about it, if your morning is better now then that is all that matters. Even if I the kind gesture was also a bit self-serving” A wink is given. “Telling the truth isn’t being cocky.” Gabriel retorts in jest. “I know you have plenty of admiration about me, if last night is anything to go off of.” With this statement, he ruffles Enzo’s hair. “But in all seriousness, there’s been something on my mind that I want to discuss with you.”

He raised his eyebrows at the answer on the joke he had made. “Do I need to get worried that you’re involved in something that is bound to go wrong?” The answer was probably yes... he knew how Gabriel felt about Marcel, he knew what drove the wolf and he also knew that the situation as it was now couldn’t last forever. Gabriel would do something, sooner or later, and with the situation in town, that would be something dangerous. He just didn’t want to know about it. His neutrality was something he liked and he wasn’t ready to burst that bubble. “It is bloody boring.”, he grinned when he looked at Gabriel. “Lucky for you I have no intention of becoming one. It would be against my very nature, after all.” No one expected him to be good... he didn’t see why he had to prove them wrong. He preferred being this way. He chuckled before taking a sip of the tea. “I still think I should take you to London one day, show you what a real British tea looks like and tastes like. When you can pull yourself away from your cubs long enough.” He chuckled. “Although I absolutely can’t argue with the kiss argument.”, he winked. He sighed... he had read the signs and he had hoped he had read them wrong, but he knew better than that. “Some things are most definitely worth the risk... but I highly doubt that about you...” He raised that one hand he wasn’t holding his cup with. “And before you lunge at my throat... I know how you feel about the whole situation in town, but is it really worth waging war about? That will get people killed. And the way it is now more of you than of them.” It wasn’t going to convince Gabriel. It never had and if Enzo was honest, it was one of the things that attracted him to the wolf. But that didn’t mean it was never frustrating. “Because I always go for those kind of muffins? I’m not that good with change, mate...” He nibbled it, kind of considering finishing them quickly so he would have his hands free again. “I’m pleasantly surprised I’ll have you longer than just the night... I had given up all hope on that when I woke up by myself this morning. And I love you for that surprise...” Not counting on anything did at least bring something good. He did value mornings and days like these more after having to spend so many of them alone. “You still need more proof of my admiration? Because that can be arranged. After finishing breakfast, of course.”, he retorted with a naughty smile that turned serious after what Gabriel said next. “Tell me. You know I want to hear what’s on your mind...”

“Realistically it’d probably do us some good for you to lecture me, to balance all of the ones I’ve given you for being such a naughty little vampire.” Gabriel retorts with a wicked grin. He honestly couldn’t fault Enzo for he would be much less understanding if he woke up to an empty bed and no clue what the other was up to. By now the wolf had already gotten rid of his clothes s that he was just in his boxers as he lay there beside the man. “I desperately wanted to get a nice cup of coffee since I’m stuck with a cheap machine and instant mix down in the swamp, but I have an englishman in bed who needs to be spoiled a little. So, it’s a bribe from the heart.” He could lay there just staring at Enzo and not mind at all, it was rough not being able to come home to this and speak on his crazy days at the schoolhouse, but still he had to use this time wisely. A pout formed on the wolf’s features as he listens to the man state how he felt, a consoling hand finding its way to his waist as he pulls him closer. “I don’t like it either, I miss you all day and night – snark and all. But please believe me when I say that all of this work I am doing is to make it so that things wouldn’t have to be like this with us.” He’d almost forgotten about the bag he’d brought now that he was comfortable laying with Enzo, carefully grabbing the teas and bringing all of the stuff to the bed to share he explains. “Well  as for the pastries: we have blackberry and apricot muffins, pumpkin wheel, and the classic bagel. Your tea is from the one shop in Tangiers that you love and it’s made just the way you like – black and piping hot like me.”

“I know. Maybe I’m saving my turns until you’ve done something so despicable that I can thoroughly enjoy giving you a verbal lashing. I mean... I did kind of deserve it back then...” He still wasn’t terribly sorry about all the things he had done, he had had his reasons, after all, but it had caused a lot of trouble for the both of us. The consequences hadn’t been worth it. “And admit it... you like me a little naughty.”, he added with a grin he was sure Gabriel could hardly resist. “Well, you could have gotten a cup of coffee for yourself. I’m not completely aversed to it anymore after living here for years now. Although I always will prefer a proper cup of tea.” He rolled to his side, seeking contact with the wolf now they were together. “I hope so. I just don’t want to see you in trouble.” And with the former alignment with Klaus, that was exactly what Enzo was afraid of. “I wish there was some way we didn’t have to live in what feels like two different worlds.” He couldn’t cross to the bayou without creating too much suspicion, Gabriel couldn’t stay here. Romeo and Romeo.... they ended up playing it out anyway. “I’ll take the blackberry muffin, thank you very much...”, he smiled, taking the pastry out without giving Gabriel much of a choice. He hoisted himself up before taking the tea. Spilling it wouldn’t scar him like a human, but it would burn him for now. He had enough of that. “Oh... you went to Tangiers to get it for me... I do appreciate that, I have to admit.”, he winked. “And don’t get cocky now, ok? You don’t need to praise yourself, I’m doing that enough for the both of us.”

The wolf gives a playful eye roll as he listens to Enzo explain that he was worried that he woke up alone, which was understandable given the circumstances. Over the years as Gabriel began to take more of a regular role within the crescent pack, the vampire was left with the short end of the stick – their time together was often fewer and far between than before when they were just messing around. “I know I know, but save your lecture. I’m actually trying to show my appreciation for your patience and understanding – by bringing you your favorite tea as a form of bribery.” Apparently he was not above purchasing affection. “No wolf brats today, just the two of us. Putting up with me alone is enough to ask of you.”  A laugh is given as he hangs up the phone, a few short moments pass before he is walking through the door into the bedroom. The tea and scones are placed down before he plops down on the mattress beside the vampire, his hand lightly caressing his exposed chest. “You know I love you right?”

“I was actually holding my lecture until you had explained yourself... or you would have heard a lot more by now, mate...” He knew they couldn’t be together like a regular couple, as much as he might have wanted that, but that didn’t mean he’d forgive Gabriel easily for skipping over basic decency like saying goodbye before he left. “But I can be persuaded by totally skipping it with the right bribe. Tea sounds like a step in the right direction.”, he grinned. He was curious what Gabriel was coming home with. “No wolf brats sounds like a plan. I’ve shared you enough with them.” He put away his phone and leaned back into the pillows when he heard the door opening and Gabriel came in. He nodded when Gabriel sat down next to him. “I do. I just don’t like being away from you for so long...” He looked at the paper bag that was placed right outside of his reach. “Let’s see if you’ve managed to make it up to me.”

“the only thing you’ve seen is what I’ve allowed you to see, my dear. I’m much too over-competitive to always reveal my best strategies and tactics – though I admit the confidence is sexy.” He speaks with a raised brow as the two sparred verbally, a common practice after a significant time apart – they were both stubborn individuals with strong personalities after all. Gabriel was much too prideful to admit he’d lost to his lover in fair game a few times, he’d rather pretend he was letting him win. “Well I couldn’t give you the honest answer to that question right now even if you did really want to know, which I highly doubt.” The wolf replies noncommittally, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible despite his questionable intentions. He didn’t want that argue right now anyway, Enzo was a firm believer in remaining neutral amidst the supernatural quarrels of the city but Gabriel was inherently on one side of the battle line. Upon Enzo’s compliment, the wolf bows down playfully before pulling on the man’s shirt to bring him closer. “What’s the matter is I have spent too long apart from my charming and stubborn lover and I would like to spend some time alone with him.” He then put his hands up in defense. “Alright alright. We can reconnect and then afterwards we can sit under the stars and talk for as long as you want. Deal?”

“O, come on... we’ve been at this for years. No one ever taught you you need to quit tactics like those after a certain time to make them believable?” He was teasing Gabriel. He liked to do that, try to get him out of his balance, which he even managed to do from time to time. And he just needed this, needed to spar with Gabriel. They didn’t see each other often enough, which meant there was too much pent up energy in both of them. “So there is something about to happen then?” This was what he hated about being with Gabriel. This was why they couldn’t be really together. Too much secrecy, too much he couldn’t know about, just because he was a vampire. “I want to know what’s going on with you. Everything else...” He gestured outside the two of them. “... can be damned.” So the wolves were up to something. Which was something he didn’t like, because it could disturb the way of living he had built up. “Fine... then we forget about the game and go somewhere more private.” He could do without this whole foreplay as well, he was just frustrated that Gabriel didn’t want to talk. They were more than just lovers... at least, that was what Enzo hoped they were. “Let’s ‘reconnect’, as you want to call it. I just don’t want you leaving for that swamp immediately after. I missed you. In more than one way.”

“That’s what I’m saying, Gabriel proved he knew his shit and got an in with the most exclusive little club,” to his knowledge, Klaus’s most trusted included Kendra, Evelyn, Gabriel and Slade. Though trusted should be used lightly, it had a different meaning when it came to Klaus. “Awe,” he smirked at Enzo’s sentiment, “I see that star crossed lover’s flame is still very much alive.” Ivan gave a small scoff. He didn’t even introduce Runa to the rest of his family. She wasn’t just an outsider, she was his arranged wife to be. Just one of those things he didn’t feel like dealing with yet, especially after Sasha’s reaction. “Probably not very long. My coven doesn’t send me for diplomacy,” he admitted, giving a small shrug. It wasn’t like Marcel didn’t already know he was here to fuck up his shit. “It’s Nordic, she’s not from my coven. And she is lovely, she’s very driven, kind of mirrors my willingness to do anything for our people. My brother thinks he has a say in what I’m doing. He doesn’t think this marriage is a good idea.”

“Doesn’t do him any good now though.”, he shrugged. “Very much alive? Not so sure about that. With him in the bayou and me here and me being well... a vampire, it’s kind of hard. I’m not so sure if we ever truly came over that break up. It’s complicated, you know.” But somehow Ivan was right. They were still together, more or less, even when Enzo didn’t know what name to put on it. He still loved Gabriel. So he just took what he could get at this point. “I hadn’t thought you’d come here for a good talk, to be honest...” He would prefer just a talk... he liked the life he was living, in general, and he didn’t need it shaken up by bringing up old griefs. Then again... if they could do that without involving him or anyone near him, they could do whatever they wanted. “If you want to marry her, it should be your decision. You need to live with it, not him, after all.” Then he smiled. “It is good to see I’m not the only one lighting up when I talk about someone.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows, but he curled his lips up into a smile. “That sounds cliche too. I was actually planning on enjoying my freedom for a while. I missed out on a couple of years, so I have to make up for that.” He grinned. He couldn’t imagine himself bound to a girl, not yet. Maybe one day he would meet the right person, maybe one day he’d turn into a Jackson, with hearts in his eyes and always putting her first, even though there are other people who need him too. But not now. Or she should be really really special. “Well, I haven’t met her yet and until then, I’m not going to limit myself to one person.” He chuckled and he shook his head. “And lovestories like yours don’t make me want to dive into one headfirst either.” He wondered who the wolf was. He had a few questions, especially since Enzo still seemed to talk about him as if his love was far from gone. “How are things between you now? We’re not exactly in a position of power anymore.” He raised his eyebrows a little and he crossed his arm over his chest. He didn’t want to let the bitterness show, but somehow that was easier thought that done. “It’s a start. I know what I want. I know what I have to do to get it. I’ll just have to find a way to do it. I’m working on that one.” He nodded and he cocked his head before he smiled again. “No one ever gets anywhere without taking a leap of faith once in a while.” He took his phone back and looked around. “You’ll hear from me soon." 

“I know, I know. It’s bloody sappy and absolutely wasn’t planned. I was actually the same as you when it happened. Enjoying my freedom after a long time of being locked up... we’re talking decades there. And still it happened...” He didn’t blame Oliver for enjoying his freedom though. He had done the same, in that short period between his escape and when Gabriel and him were actually in a relationship. “But you’re right. Enjoy life while you can.” He laughed. “It wasn’t exactly what we had planned either. Then again, nothing of what happened was planned. Nothing at all.” He shrugged. “They’re... ok. We see each other, now and then. And you’ve never been in a position of power, not when we started, not now either. The problem wasn’t his position in this town. The problem was the position within his pack. I was the enemy, and still am... It’s not just vampires who don’t want anything to do with the other side.” No matter his personal opinions, he would always be one of them for the ones following Gabriel. “I’m curious about how it’ll work out. Keep me posted, will you?”

Oliver curled his lips up into a smile. “I don’t know if I want a romance story.” He liked women, probably a little more than he should, but he wasn’t really looking forward to another commitment, to someone else he had to be loyal to. He already had a pack. He already had an alpha. He wanted his women to be distractions, to be pleasure. “I think the fun part is the only part I want. Or maybe I just haven’t met the right one yet.” He knew how that went in movies. He’d seen a few of them and they were all the same. And they all ended with a happily ever after even if at least one of the two main characters didn’t think that would ever happen. “And I’m definitely not going for Romeo and Juliet. I’ll leave that to others.” He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head. “But a vampire and a werewolf. It sounds like a bestselling classic.” He grinned once more. He might have to find that werewolf. He could at least thank them for the friend he had gathered now. “I don’t give up hope. I’m mostly losing patience.” He cocked his head. “We’ll see what happens. I start to get that my alpha is not going to change things, so I’ll have to make him. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll figure something out.” He curled his lips up into a smile once more. “And I like this moment. I think it’s the happiest one in weeks. So, thanks for that.” He stared at the pool table in front of him again. It could be fun to do this more often, either against each other or against some hopeless humans to get some money. “So, yeah, here it is.” He gave the vampire his phone and waited patiently until he had given in his number. “I’ll for sure call you soon." 

Enzo chuckled. “You don’t necessarily need to want a romance story, mate. Sometimes it just happens.” Like with him and Gabriel. He wasn’t looking for anything. Yes, he was looking for Maggie, but that didn’t have anything to do with romance. And still... one dare, one kiss and he still didn’t completely understand how they ended up where they were, eventually. “The fun part is most definitely worth going for. Until you meet someone where just the fun part isn’t enough anymore.” He laughed. “You think I was aiming for the whole Romeo and Juliet, or rather Romeo and Julio thing? That’s what you bloody well get when you put a werewolf and a vampire together in a city like this one, mate.” He shrugged. “There’s just one tiny obstacle for a bestselling romance. We weren’t supposed to be together. So when he got a position of power and I did a few things that weren’t... well... received that well, to say it that way, we had to end it.” At least for the public eye. They were still seeing each other now and then, but it was all informal. It could never be what they both had wanted one day. And somehow that still stung a bit. “Well, at least you got your thoughts sorted out... that doesn’t mean you achieved something, but it might help. I hope you’ll get what you want, ok? You seem like a nice guy.” He meant it. The afternoon had been fun and if it could help Oliver get what he wanted... why not? Everyone had a right on some happiness. “You’re welcome. And hey... you did that yourself as well. You took the leap and did play with a total stranger. And a vampire on top of that.”, he added with a wink. He put his number in Oliver’s phone and returned it. “Do that. I didn’t put it in there for nothing.”

“You’re lucky, not just that Gabriel cared but that Klaus cared about Gabriel,” Ivan pointed out what was probably obvious, “You both could’ve ended up very much dead. I don’t think he ever realized just how much power he had, Gabriel I mean. Klaus respected him, listened to his opinions, trusted him even. You are a very, very lucky man, Enzo. It takes more than charming smile and nice ass to win Klaus over, making Gabriel pretty fucking impressive.” Ivan laughed a little, a short chuckle of sorts when Enzo questioned his decision to bring Runa here. If he knew just how they got engaged, it would only seem more bizarre. “Well… it’s a long story but I trust that Runa would prefer to be in this war zone than around my brother right now,” he gave a half smirk, “He wasn’t thrilled about this to say the least.”

“I think that’s something Gabriel earned...” Klaus hadn’t picked Gabriel as representative for the wolves for no reason and apparently when he had been there, Gabriel had come true on the promise the hybrid had seen in him. “I was bloody well on my way to ending up dead... trust me, I know. Even when that day is kind of a haze.” He did remember the hallucinations though. He did remember how sick he had felt. “And I know he’s impressive...”, Enzo smiled. “I’ve known for a few years already.” Maybe for a different reason than Klaus, but there was a reason he had stood by Gabriel’s side if the wolf needed that. “Ah... family problems back home... and hey... the war zone isn’t as bad as it was years ago. I just don’t know how long that’s going to last.” He didn’t want any part of it, but that didn’t mean he was unable to read the signs about what was going on. “Runa... lovely name, I have to say. Your brother thinks he has a say in what she is doing?”

“And still you think you can beat me. I’d say you’ve still got a few lessons to learn.” Gabriel chuckles, leaning over to line up his shot as the vampire came behind him. As he moves his body against Enzo’s waist tauntingly, he speaks in a low seductive tone. “Oh, you’ll see soon enough.” With this, he takes his shot. The white ball is launched forward, colliding with a group and sending three balls to their respective pockets. Just because they were flirting didn’t mean he was done trying to win. “I don’t see the need for civil conversation, but that sounds like a good plan to me. Maybe I’ll consider taking more trips this direction more often.”

“Of course I think I can beat you. I know I can beat you. You’re forgetting I’ve watched you play quite a lot over the past few years.” And yeah, Gabriel was good. Better than most wolves, due to the whole alpha senses he had, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t beat the wolf. He could. And he had, several times. “I’ll see soon enough? What the bloody hell are you planning?” He knew Gabriel had ideas, he just didn’t want to be involved. First it had started because he couldn’t get involved because he was a vampire. Now he had gotten used to that attitude, one that actually pleased him. “Good shot, love...” He wasn’t above complimenting the other. “You’d prefer to keep me chained to a bed? I thought we were more than that, Gabriel... What is the matter? Or do you need to get laid before we can talk about that?”

“I think everything seems more romantic in movies. Even romance itself.” He had been watching a few movies during the last few years. Some of them had been better than others. None of them had made a long lasting impression. They most of all had shown Oliver lives he could have had if he had not been trapped. He curled his lips up into a smile. “Sounds cozy to me.” If only their lives had been like that while they had been trapped. If only there had been that small glimmer of humanity. If only it had been more than spending years and years as an animal, with nothing but one month a year to remember what they really were. “Thanks for the peptalk.” Oliver nodded. He knew Jackson’s reasons. He knew why his Alpha kept the trapped behind a spell once more. Hayley, Hope, their protection. It seemed all so much more important that the happiness of the rest of the pack. In the back of his mind he knew that he doubted Jackson as an Alpha. But even though he doubted his Alpha, he still saw him as his best friend. It complicated matters. It would have been easier if he had just been a random wolf. “It seems you at least are doing well at the moment.” Better than Oliver was doing. Maybe that was what made him feel locked up. He didn’t know when and if they would ever taste the freedom they were promised. “Yes, no one tortures me. I don’t have chains holding me back.” Oliver let out a deep sigh. “But I’m not happy either.” As if the vampire had not been able to tell that yet. “If you give me your phone number, I’ll give you a call when I’ll hit up town again. Sounds like those things are much more fun with two anyway.”

“Probably.”, he shrugged. “Although I prefer to make my own romance story. Trust me... you can still make them just as exciting as in the movies. It’s just not as much fun as they tell you there.” The whole love story between a vampire and a werewolf was a lot more complicated and therefor a lot more confusing than what movies, or books for that matter, promised. “Besides... the whole Romeo and Juliet ending was not one I was planning on repeating.” He nodded. “Any time. I seem to have a talent for those.”, he winked. He had managed to keep himself and Damon from giving up for years, after all. He had had training in them and honestly... Oliver wasn’t that far gone yet. His circumstances weren’t that desperate either. Then he nodded with a smile around his lips. “I am. I build up a life for myself. It’s possible, trust me. And I’ve been in a situation that was far more desperate than yours is.” He shrugged. “Happiness is something you can make yourself, once you have something of a life to build it in. I found some happiness when I was roaming the streets of London as well, before I was turned. Not much, and I hadn’t learned enough about how to create it yet, but it’s possible.” Then again... in this age it seemed like everyone needed to have everything in order to become happy. Neglecting real human contact in favour of electronics and mechanics. “Sure...” He held out his hand. “If you give me your phone, I’ll put my number in it. Don’t be afraid to use it. Maybe that can give you some form of happiness.”

“Your rapid healing is what’s preventing it,” he joked, surprisingly not minding the vampire. “Well, it’s never too late to change the way you view life,” the witch shrugged a little, wondering just what happened between Enzo and this friend of his, “Especially when you’re a vampire with all the time in the world. What did Gabriel do?” He was curious, just how a werewolf saved a vampire’s life. Now love was love, that much was true but he would’ve never imagined for a werewolf and vampire to fall in love the way these two had. “She’s here with him,” he announced, clearing his throat, “It’s a new engagement and I couldn’t just leave her back home alone with my family like that. Not a good way to start off a relationship.”

“I know. I’m very grateful for it.”, he winked. He hadn’t always... without that rapid healing system, he would have been far less interesting for the Augustines, after all. But he did like the whole staying young forever. He shook his head. “I know how I feel about matters, mate. I’m not going to change that anymore.” Although he had changed. By living here, by making friends, by meeting Gabriel... he wasn’t the man from the cell anymore. “I was bitten by a werewolf, he stood up for me, got me to Klaus and helped me get the cure, even when I had broken a few rules here and there.” He hadn’t been sure how Klaus would have reacted on him alone. Or if he would even have known where to look for a cure. “You brought her here? Some kind of pre honeymoon? New Orleans is lovely in this time of the year.”, he laughed, mocking a bit. “I’m not completely sure what to think about your family if you decide a supernatural time bomb is a better place for her than your home.”, he winked.

“I remember almost everyone. Remember? My brain hasn’t started to waiver yet,” he cleared his throat a little and offered a shrug to the vampire. At the man’s smile, Ivan had to hold back from rolling his eyes. Seems star-crossed love still bloomed here. “You should absolutely always count on yourself,” the brunette confirmed, “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other people in the world that might be looking out for you. Gabriel is and if I could prevent him hurting because something happened to you, I would.” Enzo’s reaction to the new of his engagement was more amusing than he thought it would be. “No need to pity,” he chuckled, “I volunteered for this.”

“Yes, yes... you have the memory of a twenty something year old and mine should be a bit more deteriorated by now.”, he winked. “Which it is not, for your information.” He nodded. It made him glad to know there were people looking out for others, even when he doubted that wouldn’t bring much in a life or death situation. “You’d think the same if you saw your best and only friend leave you to die in a fire, mate...” But then he smiled. “Gabriel already saved my life once. I know he’s looking out for me. Even when we broke up as a result of that...” Or maybe as a result of what he had done to endanger his life in the first place. “Thank you...”, he needed to add though. “Congratulations then... I assume this will be a short visit then, with a betrothed back home? I can’t imagine you brought her with you to this place?”

“Trust me, I haven’t seen much movies anyway. We didn’t have a television while we were trapped in our wolf form.” Oliver chuckled, although there was a serious undertone that he didn’t even try to hide. Somehow it felt like a lot of years of his life were stolen. And somehow it felt like Jackson was trying to steal even more. Oliver’s chuckle stopped however when Enzo mentioned that Jackson might have a good reason for doing what he was doing. “I’m afraid that’s the point. We disagree on how good his reason for doing this actually is.” He couldn’t give more details. He thought that Jackson’s protectiveness of Hayley and Hope was overdone, but he was not going to give up their safety. He was part of the pack that had promised to protect them. He didn’t want them to get hurt. He also think they should be treated as delicate flowers either. From what he had gotten from Hayley, she could very well take care of herself. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Oliver turned his head towards the vampire. He meant it, strangely enough. Especially for a vampire, Enzo wasn’t that bad. “That depends on your definition of locking you up. I’m not in a cage, but let’s say that my alpha is not really happy with me being here.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not free to go wherever I want to go. I don’t need bars to feel locked up.” And he didn’t need a wolf body either. “Sounds good. I’m gonna try that next time.” He could use the extra money and he could use the excitement too.

“Me neither, to be honest. I never had too much opportunity for that. But I’ve seen a few and I’ve seen enough to know that war is highly romanticized, most of the time.” He did have to laugh about the idea of a wolf with a television though. “I believe it would be quite the sight... a pack of wolves huddled around a screen. You can’t blame me for finding that a funny idea.” It wasn’t though... not when you thought about what was behind it. Not when you realized they had been people held hostage by some curse. “Then that is what you have to focus on, mate. Not per definition what you want, because I’m bloody sure he’s with you on that. The reason... that’s where you’ll have to start. If you can’t change his mind on that, that’s when you’re screwed.” That was what wars were started over, after all. He wasn’t going to pry what the reason exactly was... he didn’t care and he might not even want to know. He didn’t want to pick a side in this. He nodded to acknowledge the apologies. “It’s over now. And I will make sure it never happens again.” He shrugged. “I think I know the difference, mate... You might feel restricted in what you can and can not do...” He knew how that felt as well. Years ago, after he had been bitten and punished for feeding on humans, he had felt the same way. “... but it’s nothing compared to bars and locks keeping you in place, being completely at the mercy of others. That’s still a few steps up.” He nodded. “Sounds like a plan. And should you need any back up...” He left the offer unspoken, but he hoped it was clear enough he was always up for some fun.

“Good, because you definitely picked the worst opponent if you were sensitive.” He boasts with an inflated ego. Raising an eyebrow to the vampire as he remarks about the bayou, the wolf playfully jabs at him. “Go ahead and keep underestimating us wolves, we’ll always come out on top. In more ways than one.” With this he blows a playful kiss at the man, hiding the fact that he was actually taking the game seriously and paying attention to  Enzo’s movements and strategy. “We’re way past the booty call stage, now.” Gabriel laughs as he grabs another swig of beer. “But I have been in a freakin’ swamp for the last fifteen days, so you’ll have to forgive my impatience.”

“I know.” He went to stand right behind Gabriel so he could almost just whisper in his ear. “I know you longer than just today, after all.” He raised his eyebrow. “I know one way you constantly end up on top, but I still have to see the rest.” Enzo was living in the Quarter, after all. Gabriel was mostly limited to the swamp. Enzo knew which one of the two he would choose. “So we should just change the sequence, you mean. Take you to my bed first and try to have a civil conversation afterwards? Maybe you should get out of that swamp a little more often then, ok?”