Open Starter ⊹₊ ⋆ @inaducursehqstarters Muse ⊹₊ ⋆ Eleanor Hildegard Location ⊹₊ ⋆ the

masquarade - enchanted evening outfits; event001

open starter ⊹₊ ⋆ event 001 @inaducursehqstarters; after plot update 6/20 muse ⊹₊ ⋆ eleanor hildegard location ⊹₊ ⋆ outside vaso bar and venue ( bywater district) plots ⊹₊ ⋆ utp

she'd been standing outside the bar, palms sweaty and eyes shifting from her feet to the door, it felt like it had been hours and with how many people she saw go in, that was possible. everyone saw her as the dead girl, her death had made headlines, the whole thing managed to be very tragic and being young, well the press ate it up. so after crawling out of her grave a week ago, all people did was stare and she hated being perceived. these glares were so different than before, filled with confusion and then it'd hit her that these people knew far too much about her. all of it was an embarrassment so she was more than happy to attend a party with a mask. yet, she still couldn't find the courage to enter.

taking a deep breath, she shook her head and began to turn around and go home, only to stop in her tracks as the sounds of screams erupted, followed by people running out of the building in fear. "what the hell is happening?" she shouted, trying to get any grasp on the situation.

nikolas reminded josie of lizzie, the way he'd crack a joke or annoy her so deeply only to then make her feel loved, only hours later. "i hate when you are right." she admitted before nodding her head in excitement and grabbing a bag of popcorn from the cabinet. "i can't make any promises, but i will try my best to keep these hands and my snacks in their proper places." a playful smirk grew on her lips as she began to follow the instructions on the microwave popcorn box. there was something weighing on her recently, the chill in the air that seemed to creep in overnight.

"nick, have you umm felt any weirdness recently? like evil spell kinda weirdness?" turning from the microwave, josie faced her brother with a quizzical brow. "something feels off and i haven't felt this way since..." her voice trailed off at the thought of the merge. it happened years ago, yet it felt like a newly open wound. nickolas knew all about losing someone close to you, so close that you aren't sure how to move on after their gone. clearing her throat, as if to push her sadness away, she began to find herself busy with fixing a drink, waiting for his answer.

it wasn't that often that people had the ability to make nikolas smile . yet , his sister had a special way of making that happen . nikolas smiled after hearing josie laugh , the sound was pleasing to his ears as he finished putting the dishes away . he mused slightly , brows arched over his angelic blues as she spoke . " but i wouldn't be doing my younger brother duties if i did that . " he teased after she mentioned that he should be nicer . " are you sure you want to watch another horror movie ? because if i recall correctly the last time you had me covered in popcorn because you said and i quote ' the music was scary ' . " he teased again before his hands found something else to do around the kitchen . " but in risk of being your punching bag . . i heard that a horror movie called tarot is out . although i'd have to remind you that popcorn goes into your mouth not my hair . . or the couch , or floor . . " he teased playfully .

once he gripped her tight, it felt as if she could breath. burying her head into his chest, eleanor took in his embrace. tears flooded her eyelids but she was too tired to make a noise, but for the first time she felt less anxious. shaking her head softly, her voice was muffled from how close she was to him. "don't, it's okay you don't need to be sorry." it was a mistake and she knew that. after taking some time to take him in, she pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "you don't need to be sorry, i could see it in your eyes. can you just stay with me? i need a bath and a cheeseburger." she admitted, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "i missed you so much..."

nikolas was taken aback to say the least . when eleanor grabbed his hand something shifted inside him . it was like he felt himself come alive again , but how was this possible . it was a feeling of relief that rushed over him when he realized he wasn't going insane . " don't be sorry . " the realization that she was real changed something in the tribrid . and her confession about crawling out of a grave and being such a mess made him instantly wrap his arms around her . regardless of his fear of hurting her he couldn't bear being separated from her anymore . large arms held her tight . " god i missed you elle . . i'm so sorry . " he breathed . " i'm so . . so sorry . i should have been more careful i shouldn't have lost control . " he began to confessed .

by the time gabriela found tyler after being seperated in the crowd, she noticed that he had two drinks in hand. a smile grew on her lips, as she walked over to her husband. still in awe with the way he looked tonight. it didn't matter that raymis was back, as long as she had her husband nothing stood in their way. taking the other glass from his hand, her fingers rubbed gently against his hand, feeling content any time his skin touched hers. "there are a lot of things that will probably happen tonight that aren't good ideas while a killer is on the loose." winking before taking a sip of her drink, the demon stood by tyler's side, her hip resting next to his as they scanned the room. "it's going to be much harder to spot who it could be with everyone hiding their faces."

shrugging, she turned to face him and draped an arm around his shoulders, her face getting closer to his ear. "who owns this bar?"

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

tyler had gone to the masquerade enchanted ball with his wife , gabriela . yet , they had separated momentarily while he left to get them drinks . the lockwolf took two of the champagne glasses that were offered by a waiter before he placed the champagne glass to his lips . " a masquerade ball while a killer is still out on the loose can't be a good idea . " he breathed , his inner thought brought to light .

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.

the demon tilted their head with a sweet smile, happy to take the compliment in. "thank you hope. i have a few other plans with this outfit, tyler is not happy about the whole me joining the faction, but it's kinda hard to be mad when i look like this." her hands hovered around her breasts before letting out a chuckle, admiring the humor that poured out of the tribrid beside her. she was a lot like her mother and father, it seemed like every good part of klaus managed to shine with his daughter. something that gabriela could relate to even though she'd never tell him that. "ohh yeah, i forgot you don't really need to do the whole breathing thing. i'm sure your mom would love this conversation if i was not having it with you."

gabriela hated the way her family and the mikaelsons still held such anger towards each other. it was something she hoped to change, but the murders got in the way of that plan. hayley had already agreed, that there was no need for any of them to hate one another. all of them had done some horrible things, all out of fear and thinking it would provide their loved ones safety. "hope can i just say, it has been really nice seeing you and kaya be friends. i know there is a lot of bad feelings our families have had towards each other...." they'd never say it, not yet, but they also loved hope and her siblings. the demon took great pride in her family and that love grew bigger, as she met other families who held that loyalty as well. "i wish i could change the things that had been done, the things i've done, but we just can't and it also doesn't help to hold it in."

" WELL IF IT HELPS ANY, you are an absolute vision, gabbi. " the tribid complimented with a bright smile, tense shoulders relaxing slightly despite the tinge of animosity held for her husband hope wasn't unaware of the reason why it existed and while that often made for an awkward moment or millions between herself and kaya ⸺ she couldn't deny the high regard she placed her friend in and that somewhat extended to her mother, even if such sentiment would NEVER actually feel true where tyler was concerned. " at the very least, we'd be having a better time breathing. " she mused with a snort. " suppose it's lucky, that technically i don't have to. " the advantages of an activated vampire side. " secret is safe with me, after all if i told her you said it, then i'd have to admit i HEARD it and that just opens an entirely different can of worms... that none of us deserve to dive in to. "

there were very few people who hadn't reacted with wide eyes and a dropped jaw as eleanor walked into the room, one of them happened to be felicity. this wasn't exactly that weird to witness when your family had done similar things for centuries. so despite all the anxious energy that filled the streets of new orleans, there was still this content energy that wasn't shocked by a person crawling out of her grave. right now, it was all that elle could handle every other type of environment overwhelmed her senses.

art was important to the gerard family, how could it not be when you've lived so many lives and seen it evolve? so as the two settled into comfortable conversation, the busy world around them began to melt. feeling as maybe the world didn't have to be as terrifying as eleanor thought. yet it couldn't be denied, the eerie feeling in the air that never left since the power went out, only to mysteriously come on. a chill ran down her spine, causing her eyes to grow wide. "sorry, i'm still adjusting to having a pulse." elle admitted, ever since coming back, she had become hyper aware of her heartbeat. the way it would quicken when someone gave her a certain look on the street. it caused her to feel vulnerable in such public places.

Felicity looked up and, upon recognizing the familiar face before her, a smile of recognition tugged at the corners of her lips. "Oh, hey there! I'm sorry, I was so zoned in I didn't even notice you," she said apologetically, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her friend chuckled softly, a warmth in their eyes as they responded, "No worries, you looked really focused. What are you drawing this time?" they asked, leaning in to get a better look at Felicity's sketchbook.

As Felicity eagerly shared her latest project, the two friends settled into an easy conversation, the bustling energy of the coffee shop providing a comforting backdrop to their reunion. In that moment, Felicity felt grateful for the interruption that had brought them together and looked forward to the shared moments of creativity and connection that awaited them.

@inaducursehqstarters

her nose scrunched up at his teasing, while her shoulders became a little less tense, all from pretending to hold her head high. the only time josie was able to be a person was when she was around family, or at least certain family. "i want to fight that one but so far, you have been right... " she twirled on her feet back to the microwave, placing the popcorn in and setting the timer before shrugging. "plus, we know fate is a fickle thing." josie smirked, making her way over to the fridge and looking at the drink selection. "i love that klaus enjoys hard liquor, it means mom always has mixers around." pulling out all the things needed for a dirty shirley, the witch took out two fancy glasses.

he managed to finish her sentence, something she found both helpful and painful, because it brought up the very emotions she desperately tried to push down. "yeah since the merge." after placing some ice in the glasses, she placed her palms on the cool tile. "it could be an evil spell, i mean those do give me the chills." but there was still something else, a feeling that she couldn't put into words, it was there on the tip of her tongue. she felt lizzie, in a much different way since that fateful night. shaking the thought away, she went back to pouring and mixing drinks, the sound of popping filling the kitchen. "i guess we should wait for aunt freya, she normally is the first to know what evil lurks."

there wasn't a day that passed by that nikolas didn't think about his fiance . about their connection and the bond they shared . it was a bond that he had never had with anyone before and to have that ripped away from him by his own careless action had darkened his path . it wasn't by any means what josie had gone through with lizzie , but there were some similarities between the two . they both lost someone that they had cared for dearly and it was at their own hands . now they were forced to live without the person they loved the best way they knew how .

" well get use to hating because i'm always right . " nikolas teased josie , before breathing a laugh . nikolas looked back to see the brunet open the cabinet door with glee to get to the popcorn . large hands grabbed at the wet cloth to wipe down the marble countertop before a laughed followed underneath his breath of how she would try to keep her snacks and hands in the right place . the sandy blonde having his doubts . " well my fate is in your hands , literally and figuratively . " he joked as he felt his energy change . she was the fresh breath of air that he had needed .

nikolas finished up with his task before turning around to his sister's curious question . " evil spell ? " he questioned , she continued but then her voice drifted off . nikolas could see it in her eyes that it was the thought of their sister lizzie that created the withdrawal . " since the merge with lizzie . " he thought to finish her sentence to show that he understood . " i think i heard aunt freya say something but i haven't felt anything . " perhaps it was the vervain that he had been taken to gain immunity to the potent herb after he was attacked with it by a hunter a few weeks ago . he had of course killed the hunter , but he never wanted to feel that vulnerable again .

ever since the masquerade, gabriela began keeping tabs on each of her children's whereabouts. the only kid she couldn't find was marina, something that sent the whole family on a search. even though they didn't want kaya in such public spaces, especially with raymis back, they also couldn't say no to the the thing that kept their daughter steady. ever since she was a child, kaya thrived when given paints and crayons. dreams, nightmares, and even memories all strewn around her makeshift art room for her to create.

so despite every part of her wanting to say no, she gave in but also decided to stay close. the demon sensed something in the air, a malevolent force that arrived just before the light disappeared from the city. "it's just me babygirl, i stayed near by just incase and well looks like that was a great idea." taking out her phone, she turned on the flashlight and began looking for some candles. "let's get some supplies and head back home."

open to all ! location: dutch alley artists timeline: plotdrop #002 @inaducursehqstarters

Kaya stood in front of an easel in the corner of the art gallery. As one of the artists in the previous showcase, she had an obligation to work a "service shift" as the gallery owner had called it. But basically, it just meant she had to paint live for anyone who might be browsing the gallery at the time. The place was mostly empty, though, so it was just like painting alone in her studio. No eyes, just her and the canvas.

Unfortunately, ever since unlocking her demonic prowess at the masquerade, she hadn't been able to paint like she used to. No, there had been no landscapes of sandy beaches or past friends in flower fields. The canvas in front of her, instead, featured a wolf caught aflame, the fire spreading through the same wildflowers, leaving ruin in its wake.

Just as the door chimed, letting her know that someone had entered the gallery, the lights flickered and then went out completely. She flipped the brush in her hand, holding it handle side out like a weapon. "Hello?" she called, not moving from her position. "Who's there?"