She Nodded Her Head At His Statement, It Was Hard To Be Okay When People Were Being Murder Because They

hearing the other voice caused her shoulders to jolt upwards, wiping her tears, she sniffed before letting out a sigh. "no, not really. pretty sure the only person who has seen me cry is my husband. which has been in our house and never in public." this all felt like a new low, of course she'd dealt with much worse. being a demon who brought souls wasn't exactly an easy or decent job. yet, she would rather be doing that than know that her family was in danger. "just got a lot going on and really not sure how to handle any of it, but i'll figure it out."

looking up at the other, she noticed the cigarette and decided to give into temptation. "do you have any more of those?" the only thing the demon smoked was for medical purposes but right now the smell seemed to provide calm.

Cigarette smoke swirled upward from the ash tray on his desk as he read over the current file he'd been working on. Typical work like always, some husband wanting to catch his wife in the act of cheating or vise versa. It seemed like no one in New Orleans had the desire to be faithful. At least not the seedy fools who came slinking into his office. It always ended the same way, even the ones seeking truth were often unfaithful as well, just looking for a reason to feel better about their own actions.

Tired, and with a headache that made reading the small printed text nearly impossible, he stood up, placed the still it cigarette in his mouth, and stepped out of the office. Down the internal steps and out the front door, he walked with the cigarette hanging from his lips, checking his phone and barely looking where he was going. That was the typical routine. He always had unread notifications from girls he'd hooked up with once or twice (never three times), or clients looking for updates on cases he hadn't broken yet. For the most part, all of them went ignored.

As he strode out of the office building and toward the water to enjoy fresh, clean air along with his cigarette smoke, he caught the sound of someone crying. His bread and butter, truly. Unlike some men who loved to pray on the emotionally unstable for romantic purposes, Heath had realized early in his career that these were the people who needed his help most. They had cases, they had issues, they had problems that only a sneak like Heath could solve.

He came to a stop next to the emotionally distraught person and flicked the cigarette ash onto the ground. Taking a long drag, he exhaled and said, "You alright?" Clearly they were not alright, but hey I noticed you sobbing from across the street was not a good entry into conversation with a stranger.

of course she rolled her eyes at him, because no matter how many years the two had been together, elijah still expected her to run when danger was close. that wasn't the hybrids nature, well not anymore, hayley refused to run after giving birth to hope. knowing that to make her past right, she would have to push on through and set a good example. as the years passed, it became part of her personality, being the one who stood her ground in the face of adversity. she would do it proudly, even now.

something was inside of her husband, using him like a puppet to cause destruction, but why? as elijah spoke, it sent a shiver down her spine because it wasn't his voice. it wasn't the tone of anyone she'd heard before. furrowing her brows was her only response before being thrown into a brick building, her back slamming into the hard wall. taking a deep breath was all that could be done, because soon whatever this thing was, stood above her. "oh i'm sure you'll make me suffer, isn't that your types whole deal? make others suffer instead of looking inward?" her tone was filled with sass, unable to hold it back from how much anger that sparked in her chest. allowing her face to soften, she looked into his eyes, speaking to him and not whoever was inside of him. "you are stronger than this, elijah. i know you are."

Elijah wanted nothing more than to rip his own heart out, desiccate himself. Anything to prevent what was happening. But when she spoke, his heart rate ramped up so much higher. His fear spiked. He knew she was in danger, but he didn’t know what this was. He didn’t know how to control it. He only knew he had fleeting moments. Letting go of the innocent, the mere struggle it took to meet her eyes nearly gave everything over to whatever was lingering in his body. “Hayley…” his voice is dangerous, because it’s a plea. Begging her to take off running without saying the words.

But instantaneously his shoulders relax and eyes are burning with a brightness that is nowhere near the steady soft brown of Elijah’s. The free hand snaps to her while the other settles for her throat. “Kò sa a se pou mwen kounye a. And you…. You can’t save him.” The hand at her throat lifts her so easily, a hand that had just only the night before touched her with such assured gentile. “How does it feel… to know this body, these memories will all be erased? I like this body. It’s strong.” The voice doesn’t match the face, the hiss, the accent heavy in creole twang. “And if you try to remove me… I’ll destroy it.” With that Hayley is launched clear across the street into the building made of brick, but the being inhabiting Elijah is right back on top of her. “Shall I spare you the pain of watching? Or make you suffer? Decisions, decisions….”

her eyes watched as kaya quickly shut the notebook, taking note to mention it later once getting a better understanding of what was going on in her daughters head. gabriela also knew that when their daughter wasn't facing them, it was easier to minimize the problems that plagued her mind. placing a soft kiss on kaya's head, gabi then rested her cheek in the same spot. "yeah, i get that. sometimes it's too much at once, but you'll make sense of it at some point. just takes time." a crowded brain was something the demon knew all too well, giving up your soul meant there was always something else lurking. something evil, wanting to only cause harm and she'd do everything in her power to never let it shine through.

"you know what helps me when i have a crowded mind?" she smiled, before quirking an eyebrow.

She closed her sketchbook abruptly and tossed it to the side as soon as saw her mom. Kaya had shown her mother quite a few of her works over the years, but never anything from the rough sketch stage, and definitely never anything that looked like a crime scene. In past years, her art had always been peaceful and calm, rolling waves and women looking over the coast line. Now they were tainted and wrong. When her mom hopped up on the ledge next to her, Kaya reflexively rested her head on their shoulder. "It's nothing, really," she said. It was so easy to hide her feelings, so easy to tuck them away. "Just struggling to get the right compensation. My head is... it's crowded."

gabriela was out for her morning run, attempting to clear all the thoughts racing in her mind. the dead were being brought back to life, the whole disruption causing the demon to feel uneasy. taking a breather, they placed their hands on their knees and took the headphones out of their ears, only able to hear the end of what was being said from behind. looking at the source of the sound, their eyes widened before getting out to the way. "oh so sorry blossom!"

walking over to the girl, gabi gave a small smile before sitting down on the grass near the other. "how have you been?"

@inaducursehqstarters

she could sense a change, a shift in the air. the recent nights sleep having led to nightmares. The whole of her being on edge and when she felt like that, she turned to drawing. legs outstretched infront of her and fingers trailing along the recent lines she had drawn. the bright sun soon blocked for a moment and blossom turned from looking at her page towards the person who blocked her. “sorry…do you mind just moving an inch to the left. I need the sunlight for a brief moment.”

a hybrid's hearing was both a gift and curse, especially when you're a mother who kids inherit your own loud remarks. this time she wasn't hearing something that would scar her or cause an eye roll, this sound caused panic and fear to rise in her chest, instantly using superhuman speed to the source. what she saw broke her heart, elijah stood there but there was something else, something inside him that made his actions and heart different. the change was too easy to recognize, if there was someone she knew all too well it was her husband. the two had grown in their marriage to become people who cared so deeply for each others happiness and peace, even when the world refused to give it to them. so to see this scene unfold, it caused the hybrids heart to break, yet she had no time to process any of it, because there was an innocent in danger.

taking a deep breath, she walked over towards her husband, because he was still there, fighting so desperately to stay in control. "elijah, i need you to let them go." hayley's voice stayed calm, trying to only speak to him and not whatever was possessing his body. walking closer behind elijah, she placed her fingers on his wrist, feeling his pulse and how it raced, when her eyes met his, the clear desperation caused tears to well in her eyes. "you are going to let this person go and we are going to figure out what is going on. we won't let this win okay?"

The narrow alleyways of New Orleans were drenched in shadows, the night air thick with humidity. Elijah wandered them, but not as himself. His eyes glowed with an unnatural blue hue. From a distance, someone followed, carefully. Elijah halted abruptly, his senses sharpened by the Hollow's malevolent power. He could feel the presence behind him. Inadu stirred with interest, its attention now fully on the pursuer. A twisted smile crept across Elijah's face as the Hollow spoke through him in a low, mocking tone. “Yon lòt malere ki vle mouri," it hissed in Creole, the words laced with dark amusement. “Ann ba li yon leson."

Without warning, Elijah turned, his movements fluid and predatory. The follower froze, their heart racing. The Hollow's voice, dripping with malice, echoed through the alley. "Ou kouri dèyè m'," Elijah taunted in Creole, the words carrying an edge of sadistic delight. "Kounye a ou pral soufri."

Elijah moved with inhuman speed, closing the gap between them in an instant. The follower barely had time to react before dark energy crackled around Elijah's hands, ready to strike. But deep within, Elijah fought against the Hollow's control, his willpower straining against the dark force. “Run," he managed to whisper, his voice breaking through momentarily, filled with urgency and desperation. “Get away!”

@inaducursehqstarters

everything was going so well and had josie not been caught up in this rush of feelings, she would've been much more prepared for the other shoe to drop. first it was one scream and then soon it was followed by others, while they realized what was happening, waiters threw off their masks revealing their hunter identities. the siphoner's eyes darted from kaya to the exits, before standing at the others side. "there is an exit right there." she pointed a few feet to their right. "to use my magic i'm going to need to siphon it from you, is that okay? i won't use too much, so that you can still fight, but i can at least make sure no one hurts us." it felt so personal taking energy from another, something she'd really never discuss but since the two had just shared a soft moment, it felt proper to ask for consent.

"Oh, that's amazing," Kaya said. "I love it there. It feels almost like a safe place, like nothing bad could ever happen when you're surrounded by art. Maybe you could show me your favorite pieces some time?" Kaya asked as they continued to sway to the music. Of course, she'd noticed Josie's beauty before, but being this close to her, she felt her hands get clammy and her cheeks continue to blush no matter what was said. Or maybe that was just the hellhound in her, always on fire. "Oh, um, yes! I'm a painter actually. Mostly oil, lots of landscapes and figures. I have a piece up at Dutch Alley right now. It's actually a scene I did of Hope a few months ago."

gabriela couldn't help but give hope a soft smile, she was always unsure of how to greet the demon, most likely due to the odd relationship between hope and tyler. they didn't blame hope for feeling such animosity towards their husband, but also felt the need to defend him each time. the balance provided a weird balance for the whole mikaelson-lockwood clan. however, now that she was in the faction, gabbi grew closer with hayley and tolerated klaus. shaking her head softly, she then nodded in agreement. "you can call me gabbi, by the way and you're right these dresses have a lot of fabric. i've always been a fan of a nice satin slip dress, feels nice against the skin, easy to get off...." her voice got lower, realizing that she was not in the presence of someone her age. sure, hope knew all about the birds and bees, but being a mom meant that not everyone felt comfortable speaking on the topic. clearing her throat, the demon took a sip of their champagne and smirked. "don't tell your mom i said that."

PAYING ATTENTION TO ANYTHING but the massive amount of fabric that the tribid had to currently mange to walk in, was proving to be a tad difficult. dainty hands, were gripping the corners of her dress, she'd glided her way through the many interested parties with promises of saving a dance or twelve for those that asked ( with no intention of delivering of course ) an ocean colored gaze, looked around, taking hold of a champagne flute, she allowed one side of her gown to drop. only coming to a sharp halt as she lightly slammed into someone else, the person appearing unfamiliar for a moment, before her gaze focused. " oh.. gab... mrs. lockwood? " their families weren't close ⸺ in fact her friendship with kaya was merely a few years old, and while she held the hellhound in high regard the history between families was a bit too dense to ignore. " still learning to navigate this thing. " she mused with an awkward laugh. " should have asked for an INSTRUCTION manual before wearing it. "

she could feel it each time they were in the same room, not only was his touch gentle but so was his gaze. it was as if she had come back to life a china doll. if she wanted anything, it was to prove that she didn't need to be treated as such. leaning against a bannister, the cool marble against her warm back caused a calm to wash over eleanor. ever since coming back, it felt as if he was avoiding her and yet also provided her with comfort. the whole ordeal caused her head to feel dizzy. so she spent time with her family, being with her sisters and trying to catch up on the years she missed.

yet, she yearned for nikolas, he was somehow she always turned to when feeling overwhelmed. just as she was thinking about him, their eyes met across the room. a shiver ran up her spine, one so different than before. instantly she blushed, feeling as if she was seeing him for the very first time. elle decided to make the first move, her feet basically floating off the floor as she made her way to her love. when she got to him, she placed a hand on his chest and smiled sweetly. "i'd know your eyes anywhere." she admitted to him so easily.

↷ open ╳ @inaducursehqstarters ↷ muse playing ╳nikolas mikealson ↷ location ╳ vaso bar and venue (bywater ) ↷ event ╳ enchanted evening masquerade

nikolas had spotted eleanor at the enchanted evening masquerade . even the mask she wore wasn't enough to stop him from spotting the brunet across the room in her cloudy blue gown . she appeared god sent , and other words she was a perfect , vision . yet , that didn't stop the tribrid from wanting to keep his distance from her , even though everything in his body was scream to be near her . the tall male felt guilty for his absence in her life but how else could he prove that she deserved better . regardless , of the facts , it didn't stop nikolas's piercing blue eyes from searching the crowd for her .

Smiles hide what secrets keep Can't tell a lie if you never speak Look in the mirror, she looks like me But half alive and twice as weak

Feel the tip of my nose It's burning but it's ice cold