And From the Ashes, I Rise

"I've called them a lot worse than that. You must remember that we didn't start out holding hands, Sophia. I'll refrain from boring you with the details of course." If it's been over 600 years, you have to let bygones be bygones. Well, most of the time. "Oh? And you'd like a volunteer? Herbs? A drop of blood?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Okay, that did come out a tad ruder than Sophia fully intended. "My dad did teach me history. A lot of it. Not my favorite subject if we're being honest." Since he was offering to volunteer, she decided to play nice. "No blood this time. Just an herb. But it only grows at the very top of trees, so it's a touch difficult for little ol' me to reach. Would you mind awfully?"

Ian waved for another refill, unsure if there was enough fruity liquor in the world to get him through this day. He really needed to stop hanging out with warlocks, it was beyond bad for his health. "Yeah, we're perfect. Can't think of anything wrong with us," he added, polishing off his glass. "Well, that makes one of us smarter than the other. So, uh, you got anything else on today? Big evil meetings and what have you?"

At the gesture for the refill, she asked, "oh, are you going to get me one too? It'd be rude not to, you know." She shrugged. "What can I say? Many people have called me a genius. My plans today? Well, if I was going to a meeting that involved plotting to take over the world, I wouldn't be telling you about it, now would I? No offense, but you'd probably try to stop it or talk me out of it or something boring like that."

"You'd either be a fond memory or she'd respect your boldness... I feel like you never know with Amara. Or any of them, really. The Originals, I mean. It's like, when you've lived that long, your poker face is unmatched or something. You never know what you're going to get." Katie laughed at Sophia's response, always happy to imagine the worse case scenario for Chris Andrews. "A rat with wings? Sounds pretty accurate to me. Next time you see him, just promise me you'll at least think about it."

"You know what? You make a good point. She would totally respect me for it. Especially if I tried to nab one of her ah-mazing items. Like something she'd never worn before. But only on a day when she's in a good mood. Like on the day that I transform Chris Andrews into a literal wing-ed rat. Oh my god, Katie, thank you. You've figured it out. We have a solution. It's a win-win-win." Sure, Sophia was mostly joking, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to do it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he grinned. Oh, man... he really was in trouble. "Well, I wasn't planning for my luck to run out today. What are you into? Lunch? Margaritas? Hypothetically speaking, y'know."

If it were anyone else, Sophia would offer to explain it with small one syllable words, but she enjoying the banter, was having fun, so she resisted the urge. "If we're talking in hypotheticals, I could be talked into a lunch that included a glass of wine. Or two. I like to save my tequila for after four o'clock."

the magic box had taken a hit during the earthquake and the place was a mess. determined to try and get some semblance of order back in place, love had taken it upon herself to tidy up.

"I mean, yeah, I'd hope so." sophia kicked at a neatly swept pile of herbs, scattering them every which way as she took in the half-cleaned shop. "full offense, but it sort of looks like shit right now."

"... Oh! I am so sorry, I was totally zoned out. What did you say?" @havensdalestarters

"Just wondering why the long face on such a nice, sunshine-y day. Duh!"

"That... is a lot of people." @havensdalestarters

"It's almost like...it's a party."

"Amara's wardrobe... Can you imagine? You know it'd only be the best of the best." Amara was always so stylish, confident and effortlessly beautiful. It was very difficult not to be drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. Katie could understand how she'd lived centuries, inspiring devotion. But not every vampire was an Amara Nguyen. At Sophia's question, Katie couldn't help flashing a devious grin. "That's exactly what I'm asking, no further analysis needed. Could you? I mean, not forever. I'm sure Eddie would have an issue with Chris being MIA but, like, a few hours peace? A small price to pay."

"On a scale of one to a literal door nail, how dead do you think I would be if I were to attempt to sneak into her closet and 'borrow' a pair of her shoes?" No, it was an absolutely terrible idea. At the wide grin on the other girl's face, she couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Look, I'd love to help you out with your little problem. No one is more sympathetic to the cause, of course. But if I'm being totally honest, I've never turned a vampire into another creature, so there's a not small chance that he'd end up as...like a pigeon. Although..."

Too soon. Ian had another long drink to stop himself from scoffing. Had it been too soon? Would it ever be long enough for bygones to be bygones? Was he really super chill about the fact his little sister had literally murdered him? These were the questions he definitely was not going to answer. "Little bit, Soph. Just a teeny, tiny, little bit here. I tell you what, hit me up if Meg ever tries to kill you, and we can talk about hurt feelings." Ian chuckled at her reassurances, shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "Yeah, there's that, at least. Cheers to your favourite Morrison, then."

"Oh, if it's just a tiny teeny eensy little bit, then there's nothing to worry about. We're fine. Good as gold and all that." Another clink of her glass against his, another small sip of her drink (Sophia was most definitely not going to be matching Ian drink for drink; she wanted a clear head for now). "I can't believe you'd say that, darling; I'd never let your sister close enough to kill me." She'd kill Meghan first, but that was too cruel even for her to say.

"Well, it won't be anything I haven't heard before, I'm afraid. One of the many perils of working with vampires," he added in an exaggerated, hushed, tone. Frederick's attempts to keep the conversation light were starting to wane. He knew better than anyone the unrest that bubbled under the surface in their own home. "Immortality does have its pitfalls, yes. Mm... I do appreciate that sentiment. Why don't you start with a simple request, then?"

"Oh, and you've never called them bloodsuckers before, I'm sure." Sophia shrugged. "Not that I'm one to talk. Let those without sin cast the first stone or whatever the saying is." A simple request. Sure, Sophia could do that; they were a simple girl with simple needs. It was just a matter of choosing which one... "Let's see. You know, there are some spells I've been wanting to try out..."

"Alright," Xavier grinned while definitely not blushing, your honour. There was nothing wrong with a little innocent flirting, right? Nay, flattering. He took her hand and hoped he'd make it through the day. "Well, thank you for that, Sophia. You got any plans today? Is your cute boyfriend waiting at home for you?"

For a second, Sophia was tempted to squeeze Xavier's hand, not in a painful way, just enough for him to know that she meant business. But no, she let the instinct pass. "Well, that was spectacularly unsubtle. I'm almost impressed. But no, I do not have any real plans. Luckily for you. Maybe."

Frederick had no doubt in his mind that Sophia's father had ensured that she knew her history inside and out. He wouldn't push it any further. A small smile did tug at the corner of his lips as she murmured, though. "You'll have to forgive the way that some of us perceive the passage of time," he offered before flashing a brief grin. "Some of us are old." Frederick continued to dance around giving a real answer, admittedly amused by the whole thing. "Was there something you'd like to request?"

At the comment about age, Sophia couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Hey, you said it first," she said. "That means you can't be mad when I start making 'old dog, new trick' jokes, yeah?" She had, of course, made that joke a number of times, albeit very much out of Frederick's ear shot. "But I'll keep that in mind. Must be weird to forget how long a year is." She was too impatient for the idea of just losing track of time to have any sort of appeal for her. "To be honest, Frederick, there are a lot of things I want."

Tessa knew better than to take the bait. There were more important outlets for her time, she was needed elsewhere. At her response, Tessa felt her jaw clench. There was no reasoning with a warlock. "Yeah? Well, it's the wrong one." Tessa pushed past, unable to ignore the shouts for back-up over her comms. She couldn't help turning back, though, shaking her head as she did. "People are dying. And for what?"

Sophia raised an eyebrow at the hunter's latest comment. "The wrong side? Why is it the wrong side? Because it doesn't align with your little ideals and morals?" They wanted to laugh. Sophia could just imagine how the hunter defined things. God, the Resistance could be tiresome. Sophia shrugged. "People die. That's life, darling." It was a cold comment. Sophia knew it, but she was curious to see how the hunter would react.

Ian opened and then promptly closed his mouth at Sophia's words. Whatever they were doing in the bubble of neutrality that surrounded Franks', he shouldn't forget what team she was playing for. Name-dropping Meghan was a low blow, but Sophia knew what she was doing. Instead of answering right away, he finished his drink in one desperate swig before gesturing for a refill. "Cheers. I think you'll have better luck with the world domination, there, Soph. If you have to choose your favourite Morrison, I won't take offence if you leave me in your complicated dust." He flashed a grin, then, drink back in his hand. "No hard feelings."

Mentioning Meghan to Ian had been a risk, and Sophia had known that. Still, she couldn't help herself. She had wanted to know how he'd respond, for her own curiosity, to be able to bring that information back to the Big Bosses. And now she had her answer, and that answer was not well. "Too soon, huh?" she murmured, more for herself than for him. "Didn't mean to hurt your feelings, sweetheart, really." And she mostly meant it. It would do her no good to have him run off and no longer speak to her. "Oh no, you're still a favourite Morrison of mine. No need to worry about that. I promise you that, at least."