new york wolves } { of moving on and loosening up

[impetere]

Tyler: [is hanging out in the campus coffee house. Jeremy and Matt are back in Virginia and Caroline was supposed to be up here but she said that Elena needed her and wasn't going to be able to make it. So he had texted Malia to come help entertain him and he was waiting]

Malia: [comes as promised, dragging unwilling cousin behind her. It's not so much that she looks like she doesn't want to be here but that she feels out of place - like there's something missing and she doesn't know how to find it. Malia, however, smiles when she sees Tyler] Hey. Tyler, Cora, Cora, Tyler.

Cora: [glances over at the sound of her name and waves] Hey.

Tyler: Hello mysterious cousin that I now have a face for. [grins] Can I get you girls something?

Cora: [there's at least a half-hearted smile at that before Cora shakes her head] I'm fine.

Malia: [squints at the menu] I think I'm going to get a smoothie.

Tyler: Alright. So one smoothie, and one I don't need anything because I don't want to really be here. Got it. [smirks, taking it in stride. He knows that look. Matt wears it often]

Cora: [blinks up and looks apologetic for a moment] Sorry. [she's not going to bother denying it because she really doesn't]

Tyler: Hey, it's fine. I do appreciate you being here though. I'm kinda alone at the moment and not really liking being alone.

Cora: I thought you were living with two other guys.

Tyler: Yeah, they're both back in Virginia right now. Jeremy's sister Elena isn't feeling too good so he's there, and Matt is her boyfriend and my girlfriend is her best friend so...... I either go back and deal with my father, or I stay here on my own. This is the better option.

Cora: [nods once] That sucks.

Tyler: Yeah, but what can you do when your pack is an angry bunch of power hungry sociopaths. [pause] Sure you still don't want something to drink?

Cora: [she laughs] I'm fine. [there's a beat] Have you thought about defecting?

Tyler: Every day. But I'm also the heir of a patriarchal family. They probably will try and kill me first.

Malia: I heard about a pack where the heir killed the alpha instead, took control for himself.

Tyler: The Mikaelsons. Yeah, we have a very... interesting alliance with them. I'll tell you about that when I get back. [and off to get a drink]

Cora: [glances over] The Mikaelsons are Louisiana, aren't they?

Malia: [nods] French Quarter.

Tyler: [and about ten minutes later, he's back with Malia's smoothie, two bottles of water, and a very interesting smelling coffee concoction]

Cora: [her eyebrows go up] What is that?

Tyler: I couldn't make up my mind, and so I told the barista to surprise me with something not on the menu. She told me it was a butter beer mocha?

Cora: [considers for a moment before shrugging] Smells ... interesting.

Tyler: [goes to take a taste of it, hesitant, and then blinks] Wow... that's different. [takes another sip and holds it out to the girls] Want to try?

Malia: [glances at her cousin before shrugging and reaching for it] Sure.

Tyler: [and it will be a flavor overload but actually really nice]

Malia: [takes a sip and pulls back with a "huh."] Not bad.

Tyler: [and he's going to lean back and enjoy it] So um, the Mikaelsons. Yeah they are a very interesting set of siblings. Esther and Mikael had six children - Freya, Finn, Kol, Elijah, Niklaus, and Rebekah. The all human except Klaus, which was a huge scandal because neither Mikael or Esther were wolves, and he was born, not bitten. Mikael went a bit crazy, and eventually tried to kill the family but Klaus was able to save himself, his brother Elijah and Rebekah. [thinks] I don't know if the other siblings escaped or if they died, but it was Esther's death that made Klaus do it. His real father then found him after it hit the news, and when he refused to take in his siblings, Klaus killed the man, took over as alpha and for the most part has been pretty good at it. But he was abused for years by Mikael, so he isn't nearly as stable as he wants people to think he is.

Malia: [eyebrows go up] Wow.

Tyler: Yeah. When they came out to Mystic Falls to meet with my dad to make the alliance, Rebekah was making eyes at Matt. Elijah is probably the most honorable of the three. I think he was studying pre-law before it all went down.

Cora: [smirks a little] So is the pack mostly humans then? Or did the wolves in the quarter stick around.

Tyler: Some of them did. Klaus' took on his father's second as his own, and Marcel is very good at keeping the ranks happy.

Cora: [nods] Well, whatever works.

Tyler: There's another pack in the bayou that took in the strays. Jackson and Andrea are the alpha and second there.

Cora: [nods] Probably one of the many reasons we didn't go to New Orleans. Too volatile.

Tyler: Pretty sure that's why no wolves go to New Orleans unless they are desperate for a favor.

Cora: I'm sure at least part of that is intentional.

Tyler: Oh, I'm sure. Klaus is pretty intense and really always looking for how to use anything to his advantage and nothing else. But he will protect his family over anything else.

Cora: Which while great for his pack, probably not so good for diplomatic relations with other ones.

Tyler: No. And while it gives ideas about places to go... I don't know if for me it's jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Cora: [nods] Have you met Victor?

Tyler: Not yet. I keep meaning to reach out I just... I don't know, thinking about it is one thing, but making firm plans just rips at me inside.

Cora: [nods some in agreement] Even if your dad isn't good for you as an alpha, he's still your dad.

Tyler: Yeah, and if I left... I'd be worried my mom all the time.

Cora: Is she a wolf too?

Tyler: No.

Cora: Do you think she'd go with you?

Tyler: I don't know. They're mates. I've heard that once you find your mate and you spend a lot of time with each other... it's almost impossible to be separated from them.

Cora: [her eyes widen for a moment and then she nods. Getting them to separate wouldn't be easy, no matter how bad the relationship was] That sucks.

Tyler: So yeah - pretty much rock, hard place and me stuck between.

Cora: Hopefully it'll ... sort itself out somehow.

Tyler: Yeah. I've got another three and a half years to figure it out, so we'll see. [smirks] So, enough about me - you're the stranger here at the table. Malia's told me some stuff about her mysterious cousin, but not much.

Cora: [her eyebrows go up at that before she argues] Technically you're a stranger to me too. [so talking about him, but the parameters he set up, would be deemed acceptable.]

Malia: [makes a face at her]

Tyler: And I've just spilt a good portion of my tragic backstory.

Cora: [sighs] Fair enough. But there's not really much to tell. I'm a chem major at NYU. [which is a cop out, she has her fair share of tragic backstory she just doesn't want to get into it right now]

Tyler: [nods, and then looks at Malia] You're right, she really is in need of getting out and having fun.

Cora: [scoffs] Come on.

Tyler: What, I ask you to tell me about yourself, and you just say what your major is. That’s like saying this one tiny iota of yourself is a complete representation of your entire being.

Cora: You are obviously not in the chemistry program, because some days that's what it feels like.

Tyler: No, I'm not. I can't stand the smell of that building to begin with. I'm in the business school.

Cora: It's not that bad once you get used to it. [which she has. because she's been spending a lot of time there lately]

Tyler: I guess. So Malia says you're usually hanging with a different group of friends - your boyfriend and his little group. More into culture than clubbing, right? [has no idea what's happened]

Cora: [her face falls a little at that, before she shrugs] Yeah. I guess that's us.

Malia: [sigh] She and her boyfriend broke up.

Tyler: Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Shit, Um..... yeah.

Cora: [she shrugs] It's not your fault. As you said, you didn't know.

Tyler: I think we need a topic change. So I was thinking that there's this band playing down in the Village. I know the bouncer and can get us slipped in if you want to go?

Malia: Sure!

Cora: [isn't really sure she's feeling it, but Malia is the pilot for the evening] Yeah. Sounds like fun.

Tyler: Cool. We can grab something to eat on the way. And if nothing else, music can help really make you forget about the present for a while.

Cora: [nods once] Works for me. [and ... time skip a bit? They get to the bar and get in, they enjoy the show for a while, and when Cora needs some air they leave Malia dancing and go outside?]

Tyler: [and he's going to take in a nice deep breath of fresh NYC air] You having a little bit of fun at least?

Cora: [she nods] Yeah. The band's pretty good. [a beat] And I'm sorry, for before, and you getting dragged into all of this. Malia's approach to problem solving doesn't mean finding the square peg to match the square hole - it's shoving the round peg into the square hole until it fits.

Tyler: [laughs] Yeah, I've gotten that impression. But she means well, and that's what matters, right?

Cora: [nods with a small smile] Yeah, it is. And she was right, I did need to get out of the house for a while.

Tyler: I'm really sorry to hear about your boyfriend. Malia gave me the impression you guys were really close.

Cora: [swallows at that before nodding] We were.

Tyler: My girlfriend and I have been trying to figure this whole apart thing since college started. We um... she decided that she wanted to experience all that college had to offer and so while we're still together, she wants the freedom to experiment.

Cora: So ... like an open relationship or something?

Tyler: Yeah, something like that. She told me that if we're going to be mates, she wants to make sure that we both don't have regrets, and that we're sure we're with who we want to be with.

Cora: I guess that makes sense. [she gives a small shrug] I never really wanted to be with anyone before him. He just sort of happened.

Tyler: Care and I hated each other at first. It's funny who you fall in love with sometimes.

Cora: Yeah, I guess it is. [she shifts to lean back against the wall of the club] Do you know Stiles? Stilinski? He plays lacrosse.

Tyler: Yeah, I've seen him around, usually in the gym. Seems like an okay guy.

Cora: [she nods] That's him. And he is. I still love him, I just ... he did something and now I'm not sure if I can trust him anymore.

Tyler: [nods] Well, trust is a big part of a relationship. If you can't trust him, it's probably better to cut the ties while you can.

Cora: [she nods] It just ... sucks. It was the first time I'd been that happy in a really long time.

Tyler: [nods] Yeah, I know how that is. When Care is around, she's like this ball of sunshine you can't ignore. Literally, she won't let you. But she makes you feel so much better when she's shining on you.

Cora: [nods] Stiles is like that too. And ... he was mine. And I thought I could trust him with ... everything and he betrayed the one thing that I can't lose again.

Tyler: ... Yeah, sounds like he fucked up pretty badly there.

Cora: [she rubs her arms a bit] I understand why he did what he did. If it had been any other alpha or any other pack or if ... things hadn't happened the way they did when I was a kid, maybe it would have been different, but he put all of the family I have left at risk, including my alpha.

Tyler: .... And he's still alive?

Cora: Only because his crazy plan actually worked. If it hadn't ... Peter would have torn him apart.

Tyler: Yeah, I've met your uncle. I believe that.

Cora: [rubbing a hand over her face] He was trying to help. He was trying to ... force the Argents out of our lives for good. He did it for all the right reasons but ... he basically served my sister up to Gerard Argent on a silver platter, banking on the fact that the mountain ash he slipped him wouldn't let the bite take. And he didn't tell any of us what he was doing.

Tyler: ... And you guys still let him live. Even if it works, I'm sure my father would have killed him as an example if it was us.

Cora: [nods] She let me decide what to do. He's still in the pack, but ... it's not like it was.

Tyler: [licks his lips a moment] Do you want him to try and fix things with you? Or are just trying to find a way to stop loving him?

Cora: I have no idea. [she never knows what she wants, really. it's a problem she's always had, but he was the one thing where she thought she could be sure] Right now I just want it not to hurt.

Tyler: Let me guess - dull ache in the center of your chest, feeling like something's missing and nothing can really make you figure out how to explain it, you just know it's tied to them?

Cora: [closes her eyes and nods]

Tyler: Yeah, yeah I know that one. I've got about a semester of experience on how to try and find ways to ignore it.

Cora: Any of them really work?

Tyler: for a bit, but it's still there when you're finished. It does get easier to bear. Like now, for me it's more a dull ache than a stabbing pain. Still there, I can feel it, but as long as I'm distracted, I don't have the time to focus on it.

Cora: Do you think it'll go away? Like ... if I can't forgive him? Or am I just going to feel this way forever?

Tyler: I guess it depends on if you're mates or not. And if your heart and head agree that it's the right choice.

Cora: [glances down at the street for a moment before nodding again. It makes sense, she just hopes that there's some kind of resolution to this. She doesn't want to hurt forever. It's moments like this that she almost misses she never met him, because even though she was alone before, she didn't know what she was missing. It was easier for her to think that she was happy]

Tyler: What are you doing to distract yourself right now?

Cora: School.

Tyler: And we're in winter break.

Cora: So I've been told.

Tyler: You need to do something active. Sports, join some kind of active group... hell just get out and go dancing or have a fling with some guy for nothing more than sex. Whatever it takes to get you to turn your head off from thinking about being alone by being with people.

Cora: [her teeth rake over her bottom lip as she tries to think about being with someone else and she can't. She pauses, before shaking her head] I can't ... he's the only guy I've been with. [She's not like Malia, she can't just throw herself into it like that. But ...] I used to play soccer when I was a kid?

Tyler: I think I saw signups for the inter-mural league in the gym today. Tryouts are on Martin Luther King Day. Gives you enough time to get yourself back in shape for it.

Cora: [considers before nodding] Maybe. I'll think about it.

Tyler: No, no thinking. You are going to do it. It’s a tryout, it's not a lifelong commitment. And if it effects your studying, you can drop out. [gives her the serious look] You need something for yourself right now. Something that makes you happy.

Cora: [she glances at him for a moment, before taking a deep breath and nodding. She'll do it. Probably. Knowing her luck there'd be some kind of pack crisis between then and now so maybe she'll get distracted that way]

Tyler: [and she gets a smirk from him] We're in college, Cora. The rest of real life sucks a good portion of time, but this is our time to have fun. So do it, and no regrets.

Cora: I don't think it's possible to do anything without regrets. At least, not in my experience.

Tyler: Okay, then regrets you can live with. [laughs]

Cora: [huffs a laugh herself] Fair enough.

Tyler: And, not to make things awkward - but if he's the only one you've been with? You don't know what else is out there. If you're going to try and move on, you have to be willing to sample at least and see if you want to keep what you want, or if there's something tastier out there.

Cora: [makes a slight face at that as she crosses her arms in front of her chest] I don't know.

Tyler: [thinks a bit, looking at her and then smirks] Can I try something? Promise you can punch me after if you want.

Cora: [looks up and watches him for a moment. She's not dumb she can put two and two together, but on some logical level she knows he's right. She straightens against the wall slightly, before nodding] Okay.

Tyler: [and he's going to smirk and come closer, leaning down to kiss her as his hand cups the side of her face. He's not gentle - he's not looking for sweet affection and stolen kisses. It's a bit more raw, more dangerous and definitely more sexually inviting. This is a wolf who's had some practice, isn't looking for love, just trying to find some fun and distraction from his own pain while fueling that wolf edge that keeps him on the line of being horny almost all the time]

Cora: [it's definitely way more aggressive than she's used to, and that alone is enough to make her first instinct to shove him back, but there's something in it that she recognizes, the loneliness and hurt and the just wanting to not feel alone and it's enough to at least have her respond, just a little. The hands that were going to push him away smooth against his shoulders before pulling him a little bit closer, using the wall behind her for support]

Tyler: [there's a smirk against her lips as he pushes deeper, greedy almost. Needing something and wanting to give it to her at the same time. Knowing she had to feel it too. He moved closer, his free hand planting on the wall to give him a bit of balance]

Cora: [her arms slide around his neck to pull him closer, melting into his touch because for a moment, she's forgetting. Her mind is clear, thinking of nothing but the press of him against her, and it's the best feeling she's had in weeks. But it's still just kissing - there's no pressure in that, and that's the way she may need it to stay for now]

Tyler: [he knows she's still in love with this Stiles guy, and he's not looking to take his place. He's just wanting her to enjoy herself and forget about her pain for a bit. His fingers grip into her hair a bit, pressing in closer and taking in her taste, feeling her give way to him]

Cora: [she keeps the kiss for a moment, leaning into his touch, before she finally needs to break it and catch her breath. She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't say anything right away either]

Tyler: [as she pulls away, his teeth scrape along her bottom lip and he's leaning close, his eyes smoky and borderline hungry]

Cora: [it takes her a moment of catching her breath, before she looks up and meets his eyes, her voice soft as she speaks] I think I get your point.

Tyler: Good. [smirks]

Cora: [she can't help the laugh that escapes, before shaking her head]

Tyler: [laughs as well] Feel a bit better?

Cora: [pauses, before nodding] Yeah. A little.

Tyler: Want to go back in and dance and pretend we can get drunk then?

Cora: [she takes another breath, glancing around the rest of the street before nodding] Yeah. Sure.

Tyler: [Nods and goes to open the door for her, the electronic beat vibrating the inside of the walls.]

Cora: [and she will just follow him back in to dance for a while trying to soak in the distraction while she can]