you're joking, you're joking.

The distance between the men was palpable even though a hand was on Oryan's shoulder moments ago. They continued to hold their cards to their chest, neither wishing to reveal the hand they'd drawn. It was better this way or at least Jack certainly thought so. One thing that brought him comfort was knowing they'd met again in death, neither truly able to destroy the other as they already roamed as corpses. "That's what I like to hear," he grinned widely, knowing the words must've tasted metallic leaving his killer's lips. They had yet to escape one another. Their unfinished business was so rich that even fate brought them back together. "You have to open your mind to the possibilities." Jack's eyes grazed their surroundings and the extent of the hotel that had provided them with a place to enjoy the evening. "Stop thinking so much," the blonde boy nudged him with an elbow, grabbing a champagne flute for them both as they passed by on a tray. "All you need to know is that I'm here now. That's what matters, is it not?" An eyebrow arching curiously, wondering if they would continue to play the game or if his fun would be spoiled.

Jack's smirk was curling as his once friend continued to speak. If only he knew that his own transformation had brought Jack back from the dead. None of that would benefit the conversation and it was nothing that could be undone now, meaning they were stuck with one another again. Neither could die from a simple knife anymore and had bigger things to fear than death. "An old dog like you can still learn new tricks?" A wild laugh tumbled as a hand pushed into the shoulder of his comrade, finding the humor in the situation that Oryan lacked. They were always different but now it was becoming all the more obvious in their eternities. "Awe come on now Oogie, you know I can't show you everything up my sleeve." He swayed on his heels as he glanced over at the man who sent him to the grave. A smile was everpresent on his lips, finding the amusement in existence unlike many of those who were truly alive. "Don't tell me you're trying to get rid of me already? I just got here."

The event presented the perfect opportunity to look for the man who put him six feet under in the first place. It was the very same that had brought him back now, something awakening in the woods when Oryan returned to base. While that was Jack's initial goal that evening there had become far many more things to get distracted by, such as the decorations which he clocked as less than spooktacular. He'd been poking at one of their skeletons when the man of the night spoke to him first. "I could say the same thing about you," Jack quipped, looking from the decor and to the man who quite literally had left a knife in his back. "You do look old though, I'd recommend dying young." For all the years that Oryan kept living, Jack was beneath the earth without a remembrance of what his appearance used to be. Instead, he had been able to come back into his body exactly how he'd left it and it had shown for his newly transformed old friend. "I know you've missed me, you can say it." A smile curled onto the edges of the man's lips and finally locked eyes with the hands who had killed him all those years ago. "You've probably been dying to see me."

It was no secret he'd been destined for greatness, Mal had always seen that in him but now he was bound to the other magical beings like her. She took a particular liking to those who also knew the power that the different had and now he'd rounded out the rest of her desires. Even though she'd looked at him before now there was a hunger, an attraction to the power that she couldn't resist. "It's perfect," she purred, her fingers tracing his jaw. "You have done so well for yourself already. Now you have the gift." Not everyone was able to contain magic but he was destined for it. There was more going on behind the scenes in his world that she wanted to dive deeper into. The switching of her loyalties was on the horizon if he answered properly. Mal relaxed slightly, her gaze going from his body back to his eyes."What happened with the Hopper girl?"

Standing in the restroom with Landon in one of the stalls, Brandon fiddled with his neck tie in the mirror as he waited for the older boy to come out. In truth it didn’t really matter what he looked like, everyone here already knew him as Oogie’s boy, none of them would think twice if his tie was slightly off kilter or not quite tight enough. But Brandon felt the need to make sure he looked perfect, just to ensure that they don’t raise any suspicions. Or at least, so he didn’t - Landon would be invisible for all of this, no one was even going to know he was there so long as everything went to plan. “We really can’t fuck this up can we?” he asks, seemingly completely at random. But in truth it was something he had been stressing over quite a bit. While he had worked for both Oogie and Hopper for a while now, doing a multitude of different types of tasks for both of them - nothing had been as serious as this. Kidnapping a girl was quite a big ask - one he was certain they could pull off in the end, of course, it was just a question of how smoothly the whole thing will end up going that had him worried.

The anxiety dripped off of Brandon, palpable as Landon straightened his tie. Despite planning on seemingly fading into thin air once their plan was in motion, he was determined to at least look presentable until then. Every little thing he’d stolen over time had led up to the biggest heist of his life: the daughter of Colin Hopper. He was surprisingly calm, considering just how horribly this could go. At the end of the day, it would be his uncle’s face on the crime, not the three of them, which meant their asses would be off the hook when the blame was placed. Everyone understood that working for someone never meant coming up with the act. “We won’t,” he assured him simply, fully convinced. Landon took his shoulders, turning Brandon toward him to tighten his tie, unable to watch him fumble with it in the mirror any longer. “All we gotta do is find Scamp--he said she’ll be distracted helping the bride get ready, and we’ll say she’s needed with her daddy. Got it?” Landon reminded him, bringing his hand to Brandon’s face for a light tap on the cheek.

The reassurance from the older boy is welcomed, or at least, it is at first - but when it comes to being lightly tapped on the cheek like some kind of child, Brandon can’t help but scowl a bit. Though it only lasts for a moment, there isn’t time right now to get into an argument about whether or not he was a child and needed to be treated like one. They had a job to do - likely one of the biggest jobs they’d ever be asked to do in their life. “Right, right. We’ve got this,” he echoes Landon’s words with a firm nod before turning on his heel and moving out of the bathroom and into the hallway as if his moments of nervousness had never happened. His grin was wide and plastered on easily, the same dopey smile all of the Locust men were used to him wearing and he walked easily down the halls as if he were absolutely welcomed there. Because in truth, he was, at least for now. After all of this went down and word got round that it was Oogie who planned this whole thing, well, Barrel didn’t think he’d be welcome in the mafia after that. But that was hardly of any real matter or concern - as long as he still had Oogie and Sadie and Landon, that was all he really cared about. Stopping before they turned a corner, he glanced around to ensure they were alone before turning back to Landon and whispering the reminder of the plan. “Okay, go invisible and wait for me to come back with the girl. Then I’ll jump us all out of here.”

Though he still wasn’t sure Barrel should be the one trusted with getting the girl, it was too late now to protest. Landon wasn’t going to be the one to fuck up the plan because his ego was too big for their agenda. “Sick. You got this, dude. I’ll be here.” After their brief recap of the plan, all he could do was wait in the corner where they’d agreed to meet. Landon checked around the corner again to be sure that no one was coming, closed his eyes, and willed himself to disappear. He’d been practicing for this all week, giving himself headaches as he kept reappearing. This time, it took him even quicker than before, and Landon mentally thanked Sadie for making him run through it so many times. Though Brandon wouldn’t be able to see him once he got back, at least he knew where to find him, if he could remember which identical corner he’d turned before going off to get the kid.

With Landon’s agreement, all Brandon could do was nod once more to gather himself and his nerves before turning and heading around the corner towards the bride’s waiting area. “Hello there ladies,” he greets as he enters the room, his grin as dopey as ever. It was an act he knew well and wore with ease - playing the part of some dumb little boy being sent around to do errands for men far more powerful than he’d ever be. At times it bothered him, if he thought too long about it, but when it got him through the door without any trouble like it just did… well, maybe he couldn’t be too mad about it. Making his way over towards his target, he placed a hand on Annette’s shoulder and shot his grin her way. “Hate to break up all the fun, but daddy dearest is needing you little Hopper.” It was obviously a lie - but who was going to call him on it? Brandon was known as one of Oogie’s boys, the one that worked the closet with the Black Locusts, he wasn’t a necessary man for many jobs - but he was trusted enough to be an errand runner like this. Their whole plan was banking on Annette not doubting that Colin Hopper would have potentially sent him.

Annette felt about as uncomfortable as any girl could at a weird wedding that was only happening because of her father’s business deal. Still, she came with a smile on and her favorite black dress. Weddings were basically another form of a funeral as far as she was concerned. There were faces of people she’d never seen before and then ones she’d seen all too much of. It felt strange to be close to Atta now while knowing that all she wanted was out of this situation and probably downfall of her father. She couldn’t hide her resting bitch face, though it was rarely ever hidden and today was certainly no exception. The only time her expression changed was when a hand was on her shoulder, turning to see Brandon’s stupid smile staring down at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips pursed but she didn’t question it, feeling more strange about the fact she was back here with the ‘bride’ in the first place. Annette turned to go with the boy and only gave a small wave before she departed with him. It was only once they had started towards the door that she turned to him with her arms folding over her chest. “Thanks for saving me from that weird energy in there. Do you know what he needs? You know, not like I mind.”

When Annette easily stood up and waved a goodbye to the others in the room, Brandon mentally sent a quick thank you prayer up to whoever may be listening as he followed her out of the bridal suite. For all he wanted to immediately get moving down the hallway towards where Landon was waiting, he knew he couldn’t rush this. That would only look suspicious, considering he had never cared about following orders so intently before. So when the girl stops to stare him down and asks what’s going on, all he can do is follow her lead and allow the pause. “Nah. No one ever tells me anything. I was just the only person they could really spare to come grab ya,” he answers easily, shrugging his shoulders to further show how little he actually knew of what was supposedly going on. “But it’s gotta be better than whatever was going on in there, right?” Holding his arm out for her to take with a slight bow, his charming smile was back on his face as he tried not to show how impatient he was starting to become. “Come on, let's go find him.”

Brandon was her favorite of the trio, the softest and most understanding to her unique ways of, well, existing. He always seemed to get the short end of the stick which was something Annette had understood all too well herself. That’s why it was easy to take his arm, leaning a little into his side as she did. “No, seriously…” She looked over at him with a straight face as if discussing a serious topic. “Like why the fuck would I be back there? I don’t even think she likes me at all and just thinks I’m gonna get all corrupted by my dad. Whoever said yeah let’s just throw Annette to the wolves is dead to me,” the girl said with a laugh tumbling out. A smile was to follow when she met the eyes of the raven haired boy who walked beside her. “Thanks for comin’ to my rescue.” An exhale filled with relief expelled from her chest as she looked forward towards their destination. “What? Like you already forgot where you left him? You’re not that dumb Brandon, regardless of how your friends might make you feel,” she said with a small smile, giving him a gentle nudge. “I’d trust you with my life.”

Tapping his silent feet, Landon waited for his conspirator to get back with the girl they were responsible for. He was certainly personally closer with Annette than Landon himself was, so leave it to Brandon to strike a full conversation with her while he was supposed to be snatching her. He poked his invisible head around the corner as he heard an unmistakable voice come his way: Brandon was chatting it up with Annette like he was committing no crime. “Barrel!” he hissed in a shouted whisper as the two nearly passed Landon’s hiding spot. Before Annette could realize there was seemingly no one calling to them, he reappeared again, leaning against the stone wall with a smirk. “Look who it is. Miss Hopper,” he greeted, nodding his head at the brunette. “Care for a little excursion?”

The harsh whispering of his name came at just the right time, a reminder that this was a job he absolutely could not fuck up. No matter how badly he wanted to turn and run now, taking Annette far away from this entire mess she had never even asked to be a part of, he simply couldn’t. The only thing he could do was go against her trust and just pray this all worked out like it was supposed to in the end. Oogie had already sworn nothing was going to happen to the girl, that she’d be perfectly safe and fine locked away in the hotel. Brandon just had to hope that his boss’s promises would be enough to protect her. “Don’t be an asshole,” he snaps at Landon before he can really think better of it, turning a moment later to frown at the girl on his arm. The grip he’d had on her tightened so she couldn’t move away. “Sorry about this.” And with no further explanation, he reached out with his other arm to grab ahold of Lock and closed his eyes, using all of his magic to teleport the three of them to an abandoned dungeon in the hotel where Oogie and Shock would both be waiting for them.

As they appeared in the dungeon, almost immediately Brandon stumbled backwards and fell to sit on the ground up against a wall, his eyes closed as he started what would likely be the long recovery of having used so much magic all at one go. A quick lookover in the boy’s direction was all Oryan needed to know he’d be fine and his attention turned back to fully focus on the other new arrivals that Barrel had brought with him. In a flash he was in front of the girl and pushing her into an awaiting chair, using his vampire speed and strength he had zipties tightly wrapped around her hands and legs keeping her down to the piece of furniture. Taking a few steps backwards, he offered a small smile to Annette before giving a half-ass explanation of just why he was doing this. “It’s business, Annie-girl. Nothing personal.” Though the fact that he used her former father’s nickname for her, it likely felt far more personal than what he was trying to sell it for.

It was in seconds that everything shifted, Annette’s world going from the pristine wedding scene to a grimey basement with no windows. Her gaze snapped to Brandon and an anger started to crease her features. “I fucking trusted you,” she spoke calmly but with venom in her words. As her eyes scanned her surroundings the first thing they landed on was Oryan who had one time was considered a family friend. Now she was beginning to realize that they were the farthest thing from that. In the same way she found out her life with Tramp was a lie it seemed that had soaked into his friends as well. He had changed, no longer the man she once recognized and it seemed he’d found another way of being, one somewhere between alive and dead. “Don’t fucking call me that you asshole,” she spat back quickly, wiggling in the ties around her wrists. “He’s going to fucking kill you for this.”

She'd come to see him after the recent change to his DNA, having become a creature of the night much like herself. It had been a long time coming but she'd always got the sense that Oryan wanted something more. Of course, she knew he was capable of it, being strong as a human and having the potential to heighten everything within him. When it finally came to be Mal was quick to come and see for herself. Not everyone could handle what it meant to be a magic being, the pain one must endure on a daily basis to simply exist as who they were and he had chosen this. Nothing she would say out loud but she was proud of him, hoping he could sense it in her voice as she approached him with outstretched arms. "Come here, let me see you," she beckoned him over to her so that she may observe him. Her hands ran over his arms and up to cup his cheeks in her palms, her eyes boring into his. The Oryan she had come to know was still there but accelerated and it brought her an overwhelming sense of excitement. "How does it feel?"

“That’s what’s fucking going on,” Oryan snapped in answer, throwing his hand towards the other room that Landon was already starting to turn to look into. Tristan Tramp sat at a chair with his head held in his hands, looking all like he’d been shot to death and left out to rot in the dir, or perhaps had even been partially buried  - which was almost exactly what had happened. He had died. And yet, here he fucking was - alive again and seeminly well, minus the fact that he’d yet to fucking speak beyond just telling Oogie he needed help. “Because it is fucking Tristan. No, I didn’t do jack shit. He was sitting on my doorstep fucking waiting for me when I got home.” Another part of what made him know that was really Tramp and not someone else somehow taking over his body - only a select few people knew of Oogie’s real home address.

All he could really do was blink at his uncle, at a loss for words. He’d seen some weird shit during his time at the casino, but this took the cake. A fucking dead guy sat in the next room, and none of them knew how the hell he’d gotten there. “Well, what the fuck are you gonna do with him? Shove him back to his family and let them handle his ass?” It was more of an idealistic approach than he knew Oogie was likely to take, especially since Sadie had to collect Tristan from his ex-wife’s house a few weeks ago after his son had beaten the shit out of him. Not that Landon really had any sympathy for the guy, but he was sure the rest of the Tramp family would have even less. If it were up to them, he might be dead again before he could even step inside. “Has he said anything? Any idea how the hell he just rose from the fucking ashes? And you’re sure it’s him, right?” Landon knew there were definitely people who could shift to look just like him—he probably even could if he tried.