nysm / tvd } { if you will, please move in closer

[onebehind]

In another lifetime, Dylan Rhodes never existed. In another lifetime, he didn't need to, because Lionel Shrike never drown in the Hudson River, Dylan Rhodes stayed Jacob Shrike, and his life went in a very different direction.

At age fifteen, his father started teaching him the tricks of the trade: sleight of hand, how to build a rig, how to do a little bit of actual magic, despite the fact that probably wasn't something he should be sharing, just yet. Shortly after that, Jacob met a young Alma Dray, tagging along with her grandfather, a friend of his father's, stopping by to check up on him. They grew up together, life continued on, and Jacob eventually went to college for Theatre Design and Stagecraft. At twenty-two, just after graduation, Jacob was chosen to join the Eye, his test to help the LVPD clear the name of another magician, despite all the evidence in the world making him seem guilty as sin. There, Jacob met Michael Fuller, his partner a lifetime away, and the two became friends as they managed, despite all odds, to pull off what had been asked of Jacob by the Eye. He continued on into a career as a stage magician in the Eye, eventually married Alma, and continued to occasionally work with Fuller as a consultant, when time allowed.

Over the course of the next few decades, Jacob and Alma tried to have children and failed, and eventually adopted one Jack Wilder, age 10. Using Eye resources, he helped Merritt McKinney get a good lawyer and clear his name after his brother screwed him over. He followed the rising stars that were J. Daniel Atlas and Henley Reeves, and when they decided to call it quits, pulled the both of them back together, forcing Daniel to give Henley a more active role in the show. And eventually, yes, he called the four of them together, not for revenge but something similar, to get them into the Eye. And somewhere along the way, Jacob and Alma tried for children again, and this time managed, giving Jack a brother, Lio, Lionel, named after his grandfather.

Basically, this is the best possible timeline.

And now, it's just after dinner, Jacob off to his nightly rehearsal at 5Pointz, that his space, now, like his father before him. He takes a detour tonight, though, to grab a cup of coffee, beforehand, a little bit of magic pulled around him, to make himself not completely invisible, but at least a little less noticeable. Normally, he doesn't mind showing off or signing autographs, when a fan approaches, and fans do often approach, his notoriety somewhere up there with Penn and Teller, Seigfried and Roy, but -- not tonight. He's not feeling it tonight, a little tired for whatever reason, hence the coffee, so magic it is. And now he's sitting at a table, idly people-watching as he leans into his cup. Have at him, if you can still see him (or, maybe, in certain party's cases, sense him) despite his best efforts.

Comments

[onebehind]

" ... how does that even work?" For all that vampires are dead, they shouldn't be able to give birth, magic or no. He's not sure she's going to have an answer, for all that it's all but an impossibility, but he can't help but wonder.

[polydeukes]

Josie shrugs. "I don't know. While I was technically there, it's not like I can really explain to you what happened." She was a fetus at the time, so. "I know it wasn't easy for her though. Both me and my sister are siphons and vampires are basically made of magic, but if you take too much they start to dessicate."

[onebehind]

"She actually carry you for nine months?" Josie may have been there-not-there, but he feels like she might know that much, at least. Either way, he's curious because he can't see carrying a baby to term being good for a vampire -- or not being carried to term being good for a baby. Either way, it's kind of impressive.

[polydeukes]

"More like six, I think? Jo was far enough along to know she was pregnant when she died." Far enough to know she was having twins. "But the Gemini did a cloaking spell so even Caroline didn't know she had us until she was a couple months from being due."

So basically yes, this is weird, she knows it's weird, but there's still a lot of question marks about what exactly it is that spell did.

"I guess it worked well enough because as long as she has a steady diet of blood, vampires can do things like eat, and their body functions normally? I don't know, I try not to look too closely at it."

[onebehind]

At this point, Dylan's not sure what's weirder -- the fact that a vampire carried a pregnancy to term, or the fact that it was apparently forced on her without her knowledge. He's sure there wasn't a whole lot of time to ask permission and all, but still. The idea of being pregnant is a relatively foreign notion to him, beyond having a wife who was pregnant once, and that's strange enough. The complications of Josie and Lizzie's births are even more bizarre.

"Am I allowed to say I'm glad my Coven's mostly normal?" he asks, almost apologetically, after taking a moment to shake his head to try and clear it.

[polydeukes]

"No. You are definitely allowed to say that, because you don't know how much I wish mine was."

She sighs as she leans back in her seat, looking over all of the various notes in front of them. She shouldn't have to be trying to chase down a curse to save her life, and Lizzie's life. But she is, and she will.

"Hopefully once we break this curse, that'll be the end of the crazy."

[onebehind]

That statement enough to sober him, recenter him, Dylan nods seriously. "We'll figure something out."

And then she and her sister will be able to live -- mostly normal lives. He's holding onto that hope just as much as she is. No one so young should have such a terrible fate ahead of them.

[polydeukes]

She nods as she looks down at the books in front of her.

"Just because there isn't much of a coven left now doesn't mean they didn't have enemies then. I wonder if ..."

Her nose wrinkles. After they turned eighteen, she and Lizzie got access to all the assets that were held in trust for them. She's never had any reason to care about what Joshua Parker left behind given how he handled his children. She also thought that maybe her father had gone through it and not found anything helpful. But Alaric is not the most forthcoming father, and he didn't know what she knows now - namely, names and dates.

"Lizzie and I inherited our grandfather's estate. I'm not sure what's left in that house, but maybe there are some family histories or something."

[onebehind]

"Can't hurt to check," Dylan says by way of agreement. "And if we find anything, we can compare it to shit here."

While the Eye might not be keen on her coming back, for all that this was a special case in the first place, he can absolutely come and go as he pleases. If they need more information, he can come back and look for it.

[polydeukes]

She nods, taking a deep breath. "Okay. So I guess we're taking a trip to Seattle."

Or just her. He probably has magician things to do, and this trip will probably have to involve Lizzie, so it'd make sense if he'd just want to avoid the complications of all that. But she won't say no if he wanted to come.

"And probably picking up my sister on the way."

[onebehind]

He may have things to do, sure, but the benefit of being his own magic taxi service is that he can come and go to do them. That in mind, he offers, "I can take you to her and get you to Seattle. After that, though -- I'll catch up later?"

It shouldn't take too long to get what he needs to accomplish done.

[polydeukes]

She nods, because that's fair enough. And as much as she would like to go right now ...

"I should check in with Finch and give her an update and probably pack because we might be there a while." Hence all the more reason she's okay with Jacob coming and going as he needs to. Going through all of Joshua Parker's earthly possessions might take a while.

"How many people can we take with us?" In case Finch wants to come.

[onebehind]

That's probably a good idea, for all that Finch threatened to kill him if he didn't bring her back in one piece. He doesn't comment to that effect, however, instead glancing to the nearest door, briefly, before he returns his attentions to her. "I don't know -- I wouldn't try to move, like, an army, but I can keep a connection open long enough for a dozen people."

At least.

Not that he expects her to drag a dozen of her closest friends in on this, but the point still stands.

[polydeukes]

"Oh, definitely not that many."

If any of the other Salvatore School kids want to come for support, they can pay their own way to Seattle. A lot of them can afford it. But since Finch is already here, it would make sense for them to go together.

"Just wanted to make sure if Finch wants to come."

[onebehind]

"Yeah, that's fine," he promises, nodding. "I'm pretty sure she'd kill -- one of us, if we didn't at least give her the option, at least." He's really not sure if it would be him or her, at his point.

[polydeukes]

"The yelling would definitely be more directed to me. But yeah. I'll talk to her tonight, and will let you know."

She knows Finch is going to want to come and Lizzie will have opinions on it, but Lizzie irritating her significant others is just par for the course.

"And I have to figure out where Lizzie is so we can pick her up."

[onebehind]

Again, Dylan nods. "Gimme a call whenever you're ready to go, then, and I'll get everyone where we're going."

Really, he doesn't mind playing taxi when he can be almost anywhere more or less instantly.

[polydeukes]

"I will." She's going to go home right now and sort all of that out. But she'll give him one last smile before she goes. "But thanks again, Jacob. This really means a lot."

[onebehind]

He nods, serious despite her smiling. "You're a good kid. You don't deserve to have a bunch of shit people who're long dead did hanging over you forever."

And with that, he'll let her go. Like he said, he has things to take care of before he takes anyone anywhere -- and so does she, he knows.