annabeth lin

"no bail," he laughed as she continued to take her mixing very seriously. "i might not be happy about it but i respect the bond between mixer and mixee too much to complain. i get the feeling this is going to be the best batch yet, you know." he nodded as she spoke, half smiling at 'that pesky blood thing'. danny had no idea what it was like to be a vampire and hopefully, he never would. he would support his cousins any way he could, but he didn't want to live forever. he didn't want the burden that had been forced on them. "maybe ah, miss out it taking over a century when you talk to her? gotta try and keep things positive. thank you so much, though. i really appreciate it. i really appreciate you, annabeth."

"i've worked hard to establish the trust between mixer and mixee, i can't betray that. you understand, right?" she grinned, hopping up on the nearest chair for a seat. she understood the concern he had about the whole vampire thing, and she was happy that carrie had a support system to help her through it - most weren't as lucky, herself included. "what you don't think she'll vibe with waiting a century to be cool about it all?" she joked "you got it, i'll redact that from the conversation. you know, some people adapt quicker than others. carrie could be one of those people." she offered a hopeful possibility "i appreciate you too, and i'm happy to help where i can"

"nothing keeps spirits higher than a really outrageous rumour, you know?" he was certain there would be plenty for him to catch up on. they all worked together (well, most of them) but that many people thrown together in a space like that, sparks were bound to fly. for better or worse.

"so i've learned. people love a scandal, that much hasn't changed over the hundreds of years." this century was smart enough to figure out a way to capitalise on it in the form of reality tv and the internet. now they settle for idle gossip thanks to the dome.

jordan knew she was right. they had needed something to hold onto after last november and jordan could deliver it. more than that, he could deliver some real, tangible, hope. "let me clear with the big bosses, first. then i'm sure the news will spread like it always does." they walked the familiar path to underground entrance, jordan conscious of their surroundings every step of the way. he was hypervigilant, as always. and annabeth... she was sweet, as always.

jordan speaking to the masses would help in some way, at the very least encourage people not to give up "that's true. people do like a gossip around here, it's not like there's much else to do"

"always. don't quote me yet, but i think we might just be able to turn this thing around," he said. as much as he'd been outside the dome to find ruby, he'd also wanted to ask an old friend for help. a very old friend (although, she'd not appreciate the descriptor). jordan looked over at annabeth fondly - was she skipping? he felt a pang in his chest, a longing to know her better. after all, he had made her. the weight of that secret didn't get any lighter. "i get it. sometimes you just want to feel the sun on your skin, stop and smell the roses. or the diner grease from sal's. if i wasn't public enemy number one, i'd hang around longer. how have you been, annabeth?"

"are you sure? those words might be the morale booster that some people might need around here" for all the horror that happened in her life post turn, annabeth chose to say positive, annoyingly so to some people. she didn't remember anything from that event. she would have a flicker of a picture or a feeling but that was the extent. she had a similar feeling of she was missing something when it came to jordan. a feeling strong enough to flag as something but clearly not bold enough to connect the dots. "i miss the sun in rio." she admitted. she missed everything about home "diner grease from sal's? that's a new one. personally, i miss birthday cake. all the sugar and sprinkles, the funfetti one, fun is right there in the name" she grinned "we could find you a disguise. i've been good, helping where i can to keep myself busy. the whole never ending time thing has me fighting to keep my days filled. how long are you staying this time?"

"i'll take that to ana for us," blake grinned. there was never a dull day down here, to put it lightly. and more than ever, it helped to put it lightly. "sounds good to me. they've got the best of the best on the case," he added, nodding to her as they both started towards southside exit.

"maybe we could get a fun vacation" she bounced, as they walked. ever the optimist. annabeth helped wherever she could, she preferred to feel useful instead of a body floating round with nothing to do.

"guilty as charged," danny grinned. she really was an expert whisker - danny's pancake mix had never been so whipped in its life! "you've got this, it'll be singing like a canary before you know it, annabeth. thank you, i really appreciate it. you know that, right?" he turned over her question in his head before looking over. "i guess it's partly the usual stuff. y'know, the blood thing. just with everything that's happened lately, i don't know how well she's doing with it. and, well, i think something's going on with her and alex. i'm trying not to pry. trying."

"sentenced to jail on the crime of being sweet. that's a life sentence if you ask me" she grinned and finished up whisking the mix like a maniac. "it's spilled all it's secrets and i've been sworn to secrecy, it's mixer and mix confidentiality." annabeth didn't need to hear the words from him but it was nice of him to offer. she smiled and nodded her head to answer his question, handing the mix back over. "ah yeah, that pesky blood thing will do it. it took me over a century to get it under control and then some before i could trust myself to have small amounts when i needed." she shrugged, it was something she still wrestled with from time to time "i'll check in with her and see how she's doing with it all. i promise"

"i've got nothing but time for you, sugar," ana grinned. poor henderson couldn't help blushing while annabeth finished bandaging him up. "a few more bandages will do the trick. i've got word of scrapes and bruises, but nothin' serious."

"are you trying to get a dead heart beating again?" she laughed, finishing up the bandaging. "alright, henderson, you're good to go" she confirmed to henderson with a smile and looked back up at ana. annabeth started packing up the medical kit "okay, thanks. i have plenty in my kit so i can bring them down and leave spares if needed. can you pass me those scissors please? i'll need them for cutting lengths"

"hi," he chuckled despite himself. annabeth was nothing if not a force of positivity and hope, something they desperately needed underground. "glad to hear it, they could use a few good vampires there. i'm happy to be back," he answered, gesturing for them both to start walking. "happier when we're both back down there."

"is that why you're heading down? are you helping?" she asked curiously. they say curiosity killed the cat but she was already technically dead so what harm was it to ask? finally taking the cue from him, annabeth started walking -more like skipping- alongside him "i miss the fresh air when i'm down there. not that i'm breathing it or anything, but i like the breeze"

"hey sweetie," ana greeted, appearing suddenly in the doorway amidst all the chaos. "i could sure use your big, strong, arms down in sector b. what d'ya say?" @itsannabethlin

finishing up working on some bandages, annabeth smiled, greeting ana "sure thing, i'm just finishing up here and we can head out. are any supplies needed down there?"

"Never a dull day down here, right, A.B?" Blake greeted. When the shockwave had hit the town, the underground wasn't left out. Agents were scrambling left, right and centre to get topside. Blake was here to help however he could, most likely moving rubble.

"that's true, but would it hurt if we all took a day off?" she offered a smile to lighten the mood. it was chaos, people sprinting to offer aid where they could.

Charlie sighed heavily and narrowed his eyes at her. He would talk to anyone down here- if he could rile someone up, that was the highlight of his day- but people weren't friends with him and they certainly didn't try this hard. "You are aware that I'm a monster, right? Stupid institute chip in my head or not, I'm the bad guy. What do you want, Annabeth?"

"i'm aware of a lot of things, and maybe a friend would go a long way for someone labelled as a monster. and maybe i've been around long enough to know that people do monstrous things but it doesn't mean that they're one dimensional." she shrugged softly "i don't want anything. my friendship isn't transactional, it's just there if you ever decide to take it up"

jordan felt her presence before he heard her words, he always did. unlike his villainous counterpart (read: edward), jordan hadn't turned people whenever he felt like it. but he had spent centuries cleaning up edward's messes. leaving annabeth lin to die... he hadn't been able to do it. he also hadn't ever been able to confess. "annabeth. i- hi," he said back, quickly closing the gap between them. they needed to get back underground before they were caught. "that i can understand. are you okay?"

did she owe this guy money or something? there was always this nagging as if her brain was trying to point out something important about him, but nothing came to mind. "hi!" she chirped happily, not quite picking up the subtle urgency jordan was putting down "i'm okay, i've been helping out where i can with medical. are you okay?"

danny couldn't help laughing as she high-fived his extra floury hands. he loved a team player, and annabeth was the dictionary definition. "you're welcome. i don't wanna take all the credit though, you make it pretty easy to think so. oh, i think you've gotta go all the way. make the touchdown and whisk the to-the-grave-secrets outta it." danny carried on flipping the next batch, plating them as he went. "hey, if you've got time today, would you mind checking in on carrie?"

"now you're just being a charmer" she laughed along with him and picked up the whisk to get to work "right, i'll get this to spill it's whole life story and more out of this" annabeth whisked away at the mix, determined to get at least one secret "for carrie and you, i'll make time, sure. are there any particular concerns you have?"

It was no secret that, on a normal day, Charlie was an antagonistic nuisance here in the underground, but ever since the attack on the school, he had been quieter. He would usually have dealt with Annabeth's pep with some well-timed sarcasm and maybe a comment designed to get under her skin, but keeping Karen's resurrection a secret was a full-time job, and he simply did not have the energy for this. "Not particularly. Please try again in three to five business days."

she was aware that she was overly happy for someone like charlie but that didn't stop her from wanting to make new friends "three to five? you got it boss. i'll win you over one day, i'm sure of it" he was proving to be stubborn but it wasn't like annabeth to quit "are you suuuuure you don't want to be friends now?"