family line.

“  he's  the  kind  of  man  who  wanted  to  marry  me  ,  ”  she  reminded  mckinley  bluntly.  “  and  i  still  have  that  ring.  ”  she  hadn't  even  admitted  that  to  stephan  ,  but  she  had  been  meaning  to.  “  okay  ,  boyfriend  ,  ”  natalie  stated  ,  nodding.  she  could  accept  and  acknowledge  it.  she  wasn't  one  to  judge.  “  well  ,  not  that  i  have  any  younger  siblings  of  my  own  or  anything  ,  but  i'm  pretty  sure  it  just  comes  with  the  older  sibling  territory.  nobody's  ever  gonna  be  good  enough  for  you.  y'know  ?  ”  she  asked  ,  shrugging.  she  pursed  her  lips  ,  mulling  over  mckinley's  words.  “  i'm  sure  he'll  be  on  his  best  behavior.  i  don't  think  he's  lookin'  for  any  trouble.  do  you  wanna  spy  on  them  from  a  distance  ?  make  sure  everything's  fine  ?  ”  she  offered.

“  no  ,  i  don't  know  ...  and  i  don't  really  care  ,  either  ,  ”  natalie  told  him  ,  shrugging  indifferently.  “  i'm  not  foolish  enough  to  place  my  bets  on  any  of  these  people.  i  can't  say  i'm  surprised  that  you  are  ,  though.  ”

AURELIA WAS A BIT of a social butterfly depending on the situation -- this one, perhaps a bit less so. she didn't really know much about cars, but she did love any opportunity she could have to spend time with her friends. zev was off speaking to whom she could only assume were associates, thus, she opted to circle around the show to look at the cars again -- taking interest in one of them in particular. leather-clad arms cross over her chest as she looks up at the individual standing near it. " this one yours? " the woman asks with a friendly smile, gesturing in the direction of the vehicle. it's a small attempt at conversation, considering she's fairly nervous to be here. especially after everything that had happened at the beach party. " even if it isn't, it's pretty nice to look at. "

he'd  been  out  there  to  admire  the  cars  ,  which  he  supposed  was  the  whole  point  of  the  event  to  begin  with.  jack  didn't  care  for  the  socializing  aspect  as  much  as  he  enjoyed  looking  at  the  cars  ,  but  he  could  handle  it  for  a  few  hours.  the  fact  that  he  knew  who  he  was  talking  to  made  the  conversation  easier  to  have.  he  didn't  know  much  about  aurelia  ,  but  he  knew  who  she  was  ,  had  seen  her  more  than  enough  times  in  the  hospital.  a  little  bit  of  small  talk  wouldn't  be  the  end  of  the  world  ,  really.  head  shook  in  response  to  her  question  ,  a  low  chuckle  pushing  past  his  lips.  “  this  thing  ?  hell  no.  it's  way  out  of  my  price  range  ,  ”  he  told  her.  “  it  is  pretty  nice  to  look  at  ,  though  ,  ”  he  agreed.  “  a  lot  of  these  cars  are  really  nice  ,  honestly.  ”

SOMETIMES, ELIAS WONDERED WHERE he really fit in with nocturne. in a world full of guarded, lethal individuals -- he was a goof. not that he couldn't turn the switch off, make himself just as killer, but he always wondered if he was some kind of loose link. and yet, when he didn't push the rest of them into trying to get to his level of energy -- they made him feel like enough. comfortable. like they would always have his back, which he would always reciprocate. " i get why people love 'em, though. so many parts makin' up this bigger piece... and there's so much history there too. " he nods in agreement, on a similar wave length. he could jump start a car in a pinch, when his getaway driver had failed him ( even though he knew it was a rare case when that would happen -- the one good thing his father had taught him was to always be prepared ). " i can get my way around... cars are one of those things where i think i know more than i actually do. like... the second i enter a conversation with a fanatic, i suddenly realize i'm outmatched. it's fuckin' crazy. " curious eyes turn from the car to her again. " you come with anyone? "

margot  was  someone  who  enjoyed  taking  the  occasional  risk  ,  depending  on  the  circumstances  at  hand.  she  was  not  the  type  who  considered  herself  especially  close  to  anyone  within  the  gang  ,  she  was  there  to  do  a  job  ,  and  she  treated  everyone  the  way  they  treated  her.  she  knew  she  was  an  asset  to  her  people  ,  so  she  kept  her  head  low  and  stayed  out  of  trouble.  doing  what  was  asked  of  her  was  more  than  enough  in  her  opinion  ,  and  she  preferred  sticking  to  just  that.  she  hummed  softly  before  nodding  in  agreement.  “  no  ,  i  can  see  why  people  love  them  ,  too.  however  ,  i  think  a  lot  of  these  things  are  money  pits.  you  gotta  have  the  necessary  funds  to  maintain  'em  ,  y'know  ?  ”  vehicles  were  a  luxury  ,  something  that  not  everyone  could  afford  to  regularly  maintenance.  “  i  know  that  feeling.  sometimes  you  think  you  know  a  lot  ,  but  someone  else  comes  along  and  shows  you  how  little  you  actually  know.  ”  she  shook  her  head  in  response  ,  shrugging  faintly.  “  nah.  i  came  solo.  easier  that  way.  what  about  you  ?  ”

Brooklyn eyed the man; he was cute but not quite her type. Something about him screamed bestie over passionate sex. His car wasn't too bad, depends on what was running under the hood. "67" She said with a soft smile, "I'm excited to open her up, get her on top speed." She said as she took him in. "You racing later?"

“  a  classic  ,  ”  he  stated  ,  nodding  approvingly.  it  was  a  nice  car  ,  he  could  always  appreciate  a  good  one  when  he  saw  one.  “  i'm  sure  she'll  run  great.  ”  he  was  planning  on  racing  ,  even  if  he  knew  it  was  reckless  and  beyond  foolish.  “  yeah  ,  i  am  ,  ”  he  confirmed.  “  so  then  are  you  gonna  be  racing  later  ?  ”

"Nah, darlin', there is a real difference between fancy and classic." He didn't. know what kinda cars he was referring to, but he had some sort of an idea. "Hundreds of these. Been coming to them since I was nine." Damian's passion for cars came from his father. "Still remember my first one like it was yesterday. Explore, learn some things. These events are great."

“  right  ,  of  course  ,  ”  holly  said  ,  nodding  as  he  explained  things  to  her.  it  made  sense  that  there  was  a  difference.  “  wow  ,  that's  a  lot  of  shows  ,  ”  the  blonde  remarked.  she  was  always  willing  to  learn  ,  to  take  on  new  interests.  “  so  then  you  must  know  a  ton  about  these  cars  ,  hmm  ?  i  honestly  don't  even  know  where  to  begin.  i  mean  ...  there's  just  so  many  here.  ”

McKinley let out a sigh as she heard the familiar voice. She wanted to roll her eyes and run away, but instead she pasted on a bright smile, no matter if it wasn't genuine. "Natalie. Hi." Though her tone lacked the same enthusiasm. "Oh, Yeah. Just the best time." God, why couldn't Stephan find someone she actually liked. "Yep." Her answer was short but she didn't want to engage in small talk, she didn't care about this girl in the slightest. "Where is my brother?"

she  had  to  be  on  her  best  behavior  ,  she  knew  that.  she  wasn't  interested  in  any  sort  of  drama  ,  especially  not  with  mckinley.  she  could've  avoided  her  ,  but  she  decided  to  approach  ,  to  extend  some  sort  of  olive  branch.  she  wasn't  interested  in  being  best  friends  with  the  girl  ,  but  she  could  be  cordial.  “  well  ,  i'm  not  his  keeper  ,  but  i  think  he's  off  looking  for  your  ...  boyfriend  ?  ”  she  didn't  know  anything  about  mckinley's  relationship  with  the  guy  ,  she'd  never  asked  the  girl  considering  she  didn't  ever  try  to  get  to  know  her.  “  i'm  sure  it'll  be  fine.  ”

“  oh  ?  you're  gonna  race  ?  ”  she  questioned  ,  arching  a  brow.  she  didn't  like  the  idea  of  racing  ,  but  she  wasn't  going  to  try  and  stop  him.  “  you  gonna  at  least  try  and  be  safe  ,  freddie  ?  ”

" you wanna do illicit activities with little ole me ? " he pointed at himself mouth slightly agape. " when are you gonna admit you like me just a little and you're not just asking me out of convenience ? " he chuckled , " sure , lets just go somewhere where there's no kids or else y'know , " he shook his head in disapproval.

“  you're  kind  of  the  only  one  standin'  here  ,  ”  she  said  ,  gesturing  around  the  space  between  them.  “  i'm  not  gonna  go  out  of  my  way  to  offer  anyone  else  illicit  substances.  they  could  be  a  fuckin'  narc  for  all  i  know.  ”  the  brunette  rolled  her  eyes  ,  arms  moving  to  fold  across  her  chest  as  she  fixed  him  with  an  unimpressed  look.  “  don't  make  me  rescind  my  offer  now.  ”  she  nodded  ,  lips  pursing  slightly.  “  okay  ,  yeah  ,  ”  she  agreed.  not  that  she  cared  much  about  setting  an  example.  “  let's  go  ,  ”  she  said  ,  nodding  off  towards  the  exit.  “  we'll  just  step  away  for  a  few  and  come  back.  ”

holly was someone who he thought could do no wrong , she's probably the person he's known the longest in new york --- other than maybe henry but he feels like henry doesn't count since it seems like he always has a stick up his ass. " well , not really , " he shook his head , " i really wanted a funnel cake but i had some big burly guy remind me this wasn't the fair. " he shook his head in disapproval.

she'd  made  many  friends  over  the  years  in  the  city  ,  all  through  various  ways.  she  knew  alfie  from  long  ago  ,  and  while  she  might've  lost  touch  for  a  bit  ,  she  never  stopped  caring.  she  wanted  good  things  for  her  friend.  a  small  frown  formed  on  her  features  ,  brows  furrowing  slightly.  “  that  wasn't  very  kind  of  him  ,  ”  she  said  sympathetically.  “  it  doesn't  need  to  be  a  fair  to  have  funnell  cake.  ”

he narrowed his eyes slightly at the voice of the other man , he couldn't quite put his finger on the other's attitude towards him. " thought you wouldn't show your face after the whole --- it's not you its me fiasco , " he'd never let the other live it down that's for sure. " yeah , i stopped by your place not so long ago --- nice choice of house plants . "

“  yeah  ,  well  ,  things  change  ,  ”  he  told  him  ,  his  tone  clipped.  henry  didn't  attend  the  show  looking  for  trouble  ,  but  it  had  a  funny  way  of  finding  him.  he  wasn't  there  to  exchange  pleasantries  ,  and  he  had  no  desire  to  have  his  buttons  pressed  by  the  other.  he  wanted  an  easy  evening  ,  that  was  it.  “  well  ,  they're  not  my  plants.  ”  if  the  plants  had  belonged  to  him  ,  they  would've  died  within  the  first  week  of  life.

he  was  glad  that  she'd  decided  to  attend  the  event  alongside  him.  henry  didn't  want  to  be  there  in  the  first  place  ,  but  having  her  by  his  side  made  the  evening  a  lot  better  already.  henry  wanted  to  offer  her  all  of  the  support  he  possibly  could  ,  especially  after  everything  she'd  endured  in  such  a  short  burst  of  time.  he  would  do  whatever  was  necessary  to  keep  her  safe  ,  wouldn't  let  the  veil  get  their  hands  on  her  again.  “  yeah  ,  we  can.  we're  a  team.  ”  they  were  stronger  together.  he  laughed  softly  at  avery's  words  before  shaking  his  head  slightly.  “  i'll  have  to  keep  that  in  mind  ,  ”  he  told  her  teasingly.  henry  lightly  squeezed  her  hand  in  return  ,  the  gesture  intending  to  be  reassuring.  they'd  get  through  the  night  and  everything  would  be  fine  ,  that  was  what  he  told  himself.  “  i  can't  say  i've  ever  been  to  one  either  ,  but  i'm  sure  you're  probably  right.  some  people  are  ...  very  passionate  about  their  cars.  ”

“  vi  ,  trust  me  ...  he  wants  this  to  work.  it  wasn't  like  he  wanted  to  leave  the  first  time.  ”  she  just  wished  he'd  have  told  her  ,  wished  that  he  kept  her  in  the  loop  ,  even  if  she  could  understand  why  he  didn't.  natalie  didn't  want  to  spend  the  evening  thinking  about  that  ,  though.  she  wanted  to  have  a  good  time  ,  wanted  to  be  able  to  have  one  night  of  peace.  she  knew  better  than  to  hope  it  was  a  possibility.  she'd  just  have  to  play  things  by  ear  per  usual  and  see  where  she  wound  up.  “  no  ,  but  i  figured  i'd  just  text  him  and  we  could  agree  on  where  to  meet  up.  ”

“  me  ?  definitely  not.  i  like  my  car  just  fine  ,  and  i  barely  need  it  as  it  is.  i  don't  wanna  be  responsible  for  a  whole  second  vehicle  ,  ”  jack  told  her  ,  shaking  his  head.  he  was  only  there  to  observe  ,  and  to  have  some  after  hours  fun.  that  was  what  he  wanted  to  do.  “  besides  ,  i'm  sure  some  of  the  people  here  have  pockets  that  go  way  deeper  than  my  own.  ”

“  that's  some  wishful  thinking  you've  got  there  ,  but  i'm  kind  of  hoping  for  the  same  thing  ,  ”  margot  said  ,  head  shaking  slightly.  it'd  be  nice  to  have  a  quiet  ,  relaxing  end  to  the  evening  ,  but  something  told  her  that  wasn't  going  to  happen.  “  somehow  ,  i  don't  think  we're  gonna  be  getting  a  break  anytime  soon.  ”

"honestly,  it's  a  surprise  to  us  both."  arden  wasn’t  pretending  to  be  into  it  —this  whole  thing  wasn’t  her  style.  she  hadn’t  even  bothered  to  hide  that  fact.  "but  i  could  always  say  the  same  thing  about  you.  seems  a  little  too  peopley  to  be  your  taste."  right  now,  arden  would  rather  be  anywhere  else.  the  pain  of  losing  her  friend  was  still  too  fresh  and  she  wasn't  in  the  mood  for  whatever  disaster  was  bound  to  happen  next.  "so  what  dragged  you  out?  i  know  it  wasn't  the  exhaust  fumes."

he  wasn't  happy  to  be  there  ,  and  he  was  sure  most  people  shared  that  sentiment.  he  made  his  appearance  ,  and  he  was  looking  forward  to  going  back  home  afterwards.  he  just  needed  to  make  it  through  a  few  hours  ,  do  what  was  required  of  him  ,  and  call  it  a  day.  “  you're  not  wrong  ,  ”  henry  confirmed  ,  nodding  slightly.  “  this  is  way  too  people-y  ,  but  it  is  what  it  is  ,  ”  he  stated  before  shrugging.  he  could  deal  with  it  ,  he'd  endured  worse.  “  well  ,  duty  calls.  i  don't  show  up  ,  people  talk.  don't  need  that  happening  ,  so  i  figured  i'd  save  face  and  avoid  people  speculating.  what  dragged  you  out  ?  ”