dark times ;

“What’s that plant pot ever done to you?”

Harley tilted her head back to look at Mason. “Oh this,” she pointed towards the television as her head tilted to the side to get a better angle. “I think that’s something giving birth to something else.” She paused, lifting a slice of pizza. “Want one?”

“Nature is fuckin’ weird.” he commented briefly as he held out his hand for a slice of pizza. “What you doin’ around at this time? Usually you’re stuck by Theo’s side like a lost puppy lookin’ for somethin’ to do.” Mason teased with an amused smirk.

“I know.”, no hostility nor argument had risen to surface her gentle voice; instead just a defeaded breath. As his gaze finally lifted to meet hers; she became almost startled, as to where she realized she had been staring. Her gaze held his as he spoke, an almost smile tug at the other corners of her lips, but it was more of a sad one. “I am not a part of this war, I can’t be. All my senses tell me to go but—”, her voice had gained gentle strength; it was the only thing she knew for certain. “Do I have a reason to stay?”, she couldn’t be sure how much she was asking the question from him and how much from herself.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t seem to push them out... They were stuck, hidden away behind his walls and tough exterior that he even showed to Eleanor still. He hadn’t known it before, nor had it even been a mere thought yet but now that he was suddenly faced with the reality of having to watch her leave... He wanted her to stay. But asking her to would make him selfish, dragging her into a war zone she didn’t belong in was cruel, especially when she could save herself. “If you don’t feel safe here...” the hunter stepped towards her, his voice gently rough from the silence it had once held. “If you find yourself fearing for your own life... You can’t stay here.” he was lying to himself if he said he didn’t want to persuade her to stay, but a hunter could never be selfish. A hunter could never take what they wanted.

Oh motherfucker. Her blood was boiling by this point, every inch of her wanting to act on the darkest of her impulses. She stared at him for a moment, weighing her options. So Klaus finds out. Between all the favors she’s done for Klaus and Kendra’s influence, she might be spared. But Ivan and Sasha? “What the fuck do you want from?” her voice was harsh, “And I swear, if you even think about interfering tonight, I will be happy to take my chances with Klaus.”

An amused chuckle rang from his lips before he sighed gently, his hands coming to his hips in a more relaxed posture. “Sweetheart, despite what you might think, I like to pick an’ choose my battles, an’ this...” he nodded his head in the direction of the wolves, “ain’t one of them. Let’s get one thing straight, you an’ your little friends ain’t gonna touch me, or Harley, or Theo after this, got it?” now his tone had turned serious, his gaze harsher too. “I don’t want anything from you,” he stepped forwards, his lips curving into a gentle smirk. “Yet. But I will, an’ when I come knockin’, you’re gonna do what I say an’ what I ask. Or, Klaus is gonna find out about your little secret you’ve got goin’ on here.”

“You’re not like them.“, Eleanor had not noticed the gentleness that had joined her voice, but it was there, “In the end, you’re looking out for people. Those who cannot protect themselves. Now matter how bloodthirsty you might feel right now.”. She watched him, started at him, as his question causing her to hold her breath because for a moment she wasn’t sure of her answer. “Wouldn’t that be for the best?”, but her voice was quiet.

"I told you this from the start... But you chose to stay.” there was a gentle sigh in his words as his mind took him back all those months to the moment he stood there, practically pleading her to get away from New Orleans. Finally, his gaze lifted to meet hers, his voice more gentle now. “This is a scary world, an’ you’ve seen it for yourself. You’ve experienced it yourself. An’ there ain’t no shame in walkin’ away from all of this. If that’s what you want.” he avoided her question entirely, because he knew he needed to speak the words she needed to hear to push herself to make a choice.

“The wolves have nothing to do with that. My people, we protect wolves from people like you. I’m here tonight to break the curse on them so that can return to their home in the Quarter like Klaus promised,” looking up at him, she realized that his presence put all those wolves at risk, “You know, the chances are slim to none that Klaus would believe you if you told him any of this. It would be your word against mine.”

“It won’t need to be your word against mine. Because he’ll be able to hear your voice say every word you’ve just spoken.” he stepped forwards just a few paces before pausing. The phone in his pocket had been sending every word and every scrap of information to both Theo and Harley. A neat tool of theirs after too many times of screwing up.“You really didn’t like I’d walk in here without some kind of back up, some kind of reassurance that if shit happens, it doesn’t matter ‘cause either way now we have a rope swingin’ above your head.”

“How does it feel? Using Klaus as your security blanket?” she couldn’t help but poke the bear, “Does it make you feel dirty?” If looks could kill, her glare wouldn’t destroyed him. Letting out a sigh, she looked down at ground. “Okay,” clearing her throat, she couldn’t but feel like she was choking on her every word, “We want to take down the Quarter coven. Or at least, take out the leaders and let the coven rebuild and change their ways.”

“Darlin’ I’ve had his own mother bring me back to life. I’ll take whatever I can get in this life.” that was something he had learnt to admit - admittedly after a long while. “An’ you need a bunch of wolves for all that, yeah? What they gonna’ do? Go runnin’ into the Quarter and take down any witch they find like a good guard dog after a treat?” 

“You can do what you want, the three of you. But he is after innocent blood to just to—”, she cut herself off before her own anger tried to push through her controlled tone, “All I am saying is that he’s just as bad as they are. The ones that you want to kill.”. A part of her wanted to argue him, again. But she had already learned just how useless it was; to keep running in that circle. “I need you to convince me to leave town.”, she almost murmured at last.

“Doesn’t that make him just as bad as me? We’re all out here tryna’ kill someone.” Mason felt his shoulders shrug as he tried to brush off that topic - his mind had been in the darker corners more recently, and he sometimes find that difficult to shake off. Even when he was around Eleanor. But her next words could’ve knocked the air from his lungs if he had allowed it to. His head dipped low as he glanced downwards, his breathing somewhat heavier. “You wanna leave?”

“I ain’t one to feel defeated brother, but I’m at a loss about where we go next. Klaus has made it harder for us now we’re free game in the Quarter. But that one hybrid, Tyler. He could be useful in all of this.”

There was the tiniest smirk on her lips, “I don’t need witch business.” She nodded her head towards the tree that held her knife. “I have other tricks up my sleeve, darlin’,” taking an ever step forward, her whole body on edge, “And what’s stopping me from killing you here and now exactly?”

“If you were goin’ to kill me, I’d be dead already since you clearly have more important things to be gettin’ on with.” his smirk softened, yet continued to play upon his lips for a moment longer. “Now, anythin’ happens to me an’ Klaus will find out within the next five minutes. You wanna risk that? Or do you want to play nicely like I’ve asked you to, an’ tell me what’s goin’ down.”

“I do.”, she responded immediately to his question, “But I also need to trust you to do right by what I just told you.”. There was a long pause and she sucked in a breath before she spoke on the silence, “I have a possible target on my back, Mason.”, she adds, “If he means to ravel hi— them further.”. 

“Do right by what you just told me? Darlin’, what exactly are you expectin’ me to do? I died because of Klaus an’ you want me to think about what we’re goin’ to do now?” he almost scoffed at her words, his anger towards her for ever going near a vampire being something he struggled to hide. “You’ve always had a possible target on your back. What did you think was goin’ to happen when you got involved with one of them?”

There was his deep laugh again, his fingers flexing nonchalantly as he even smiled at his own achievement of figuring out what was going on without Alex having to even respond. “First of all you’re gonna tell me what’s goin’ on ‘round here with your little friends. An’ don’t bother tryin’ any funny witch business either darlin’.”

“She was a werewolf. Someone close to the… Mikaelson’s. Innocent. Not a threat to anyone. Yet, someone chose to kill her, to ravel those who cared about her. And that someone promised her death wasn’t going to be the end of it.”

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting away as he thought about what this all meant. “You know that I have to tell Theo an’ Harley about this, right?”

If she had not been as tired as she felt, she would have given in for that argument she had originally ought to make against his demand; but not tonight. She didn’t know where to begin, so she just began, “You have heard about the recent death in the Quarter.”, it was as if she simply stated it.

“Yeah, an’ what about it?”

Her jaw tensed, but the blonde just rolled her eyes again. “Like I said, I’m welcome here,” she started to turn, ready to walk away and leave him there. She was telling herself to ignore whatever he was about to say next. Then a name made her freeze. She looked up at where the camp of wolves were, shifted a little as her anxieties started to flood her features. “I didn’t realize you two were tight,” she sighed, “What with your little habit of stabbing witches.”

“Come on... You’re smart enough to figure this out, right?” his hands moved to rest upon one another in front of him - an entirely non-threatening posture yet an amused smirk still remained upon his lips. “I saw what happened to Genevieve. Now forgive me if I’m wrong here but, it’s not every day you have to forcibly take a coven leader. An’... This is where it gets real interestin’ because,” Mason began to pace as if he was piecing it together as he spoke, “everythin’ in the Quarter is Klaus’ orders or ran by Klaus, yeah? Now I haven’t been here long but, it isn’t like Klaus to get a witch to do his dirty work. Surely if he needed someone, he has enough hybrids for that. And why you? Why not his witch girlfriend? Why are you here alone surrounded by wolves, not a single one of Klaus’ lackies in sight?”