salvatore school } { post-502: one wrong turn on bourbon

[theloophole]

Hope: [she returns from New Orleans a bit heavier than when she left. She doesn't know how things managed to go so wrong, but maybe she shouldn't be surprised. As she glances around the various faces at the school, she thinks about going to see Baal but he's probably still mad about what happened to Henry. Everyone is probably mad about what happened to Henry. But there's one person who might still listen, so she heads to Derek's office and knocks lightly on the door]

Derek: [and he's in his office, staring out the window, pencil in hand twirling as he thinks. Henry was a good kid. He had been trying to help him. And now the kid is gone and he doesn't know how to handle it. It's been a long time since he lost someone.

He hears the knock on the door and takes a deep breath. He smells Hope's familiar scent and closes his eyes a moment] Come in, Hope.

Hope: [hesitates before opening the door and sticking her head in] Are you still mad at me?

Derek: [he'll turn to look at her. He's got the whole teacher vibe going at this point, but he's still soft for her] I'm not mad, Hope. I'm disappointed.

Hope: [she winces as she makes her way in, closing the door behind her] That's worse.

Derek: [chuckles, smirking a bit] I know.

Hope: I ... I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt.

Derek: I know. Trust me, I know. [he pats the edge of his desk for her to sit with him] I ever tell you about my first beta?

Hope: [shakes her head as she sits] No.

Derek: He was a teenager, Jackson. Total jock, the kind you want to punch in their face.

Hope: Sounds like some people I know. [Salvatore School is full of them. Including Jed.]

Derek: He wanted the bite for the power, but he didn't want an alpha. So I let him go. His choice, right?

Hope: You can't force someone to be your beta if they don't want to be. It makes sense.

Derek: No, but he's still my responsibility. As an alpha, your betas, whether they want you or not, are still tied to you. By letting him go, not teaching him how to control his powers... it left him open for corruption.

Hope: Well, yeah. You shouldn't have let him go without werewolf 101. But ... after that, you can't force someone to want you who doesn't. Trust me, I've tried.

Derek: No, but you can be there to support them, as a friend. And Jackson didn't have that, from anyone, really. [thinks a moment] You hear about what Chimeras are?

Hope: [her brow furrows] Like the myth? Part lion-part human-part scorpion?

Derek: Yes, but it's actually a term used to define any creature made of parts of multiple animals. In this case, Jackson took on more of a lizard look than wolf. When it started to happen, it was almost like the bite was being rejected. I didn't know what to do, or how to help him. I had three other Betas at that point who did need me, and I focused on them, and not where I should have. If I had only reached out, helped him know he wasn't alone, brought him back to the pack, maybe it would have helped him. Maybe it would have saved a lot of lives.

Hope: Maybe. But ... people have to make their own choices, and their own mistakes. You can't save everyone. [though there will come a point where she sure will try]

Derek: No, but when you have power like I did... like you do... you have responsibility for how you use it to. I know you thought you were helping Henry, but sometimes, like with Jackson, you have to know when to say no and hold back to really help them.

Hope: [she looks down at her hands] He was supposed to be safe in the Garden.

Derek: So I heard. [and he'll put his arm across her shoulders] He should have just stayed here where we could have helped him learn to control the bloodlust.

Hope: My mom was going to help him. But I screwed that up too.

Derek: You can't take back the mistakes you make. It's what you learn, and how you move forward that matters now.

Hope: What if they can't find her? I have to help.

Derek: I'm pretty sure your mom would want you to stay out of danger first. And you know there's the no magic outside of the classroom rule.

Hope: Not that that stops Lizzie Saltzman from using magic to pick her outfit every day.

Derek: [grins] Well, she does need the help or she'd be a complete fashion disaster.

Hope: [rolls her eyes but then her face sobers] Do you think Baal's really mad at me?

Derek: Baal believes in ancient gods who have powers like yours. I think his anger may really be from fear.

Hope: I don't want him to be scared of me.

Derek: Then show him that he doesn't have to be. Earn that trust back.

Hope: [nods slowly] I'll try.

Derek: No such thing as try. You do or don't, and if it doesn't succeed, you keep doing something different until it does.

Hope: You can't force people to want to be your friend.

Derek: You're already friends. You're trying to repair that. If it's important to you, then you need to put in the work. It's not forcing, it's proving that his friendship is worth something to you.

Hope: [she nods, but is uncertain. She's never had very many friends. She's had Baal. That's it.] I should probably go find him.

Derek: I saw him sneaking up into the attic. You might want to start there.

Hope: [nods] I'll go check there. Thanks.

Derek: You're welcome. [he gets up] I look forward to seeing you back in class tomorrow.

Hope: Believe it or not, me too. [and with that off she goes to find Baal]

Baal: [and he is up in the attic, but he's shifted into his jackel form. Hope would be familiar with it, because he always shifts when he scared as he can get away faster, and people don't notice him as much. So he's sitting by a window, his jowels sitting on the window ledge looking out. His clothing is folded neatly by the stairs, but he still wears his necklace from his god.]

Hope: [she makes her way upstairs, making sure she's loud enough to be heard before looking over to her friend] Baal?

Baal: [when she started to walk up, his ears picked up her footsteps. He inches away from the window to try and hide further in the shadows. He doesn't say anything, but his ears fall back and he hunches down]

Hope: [she frowns when he inches away from her] I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.

Baal: [he stops retreating, but he doesn't move in any direction. His eyes are sad, and there's a small whine from his throat.]

Hope: [she slides down to her knees, eyes sad] I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. [but even her best intentions go wrong. She really does feel broken sometimes]

Baal: [he looks over and sees a blanket. He noses it closer to himself, then shifts back to human, using the blanket to cover himself] Why did Henry smell like you when he died?

Hope: Because I gave him some of my blood, so he could become a hybrid.

Baal: Are you going to do that to me one day?

Hope: No. Not unless you ask me to. And I'm not even sure it would work on you.

Baal: Did you know Henry would die?

Hope: Only the first time. You have to die to become a hybrid. But ... I didn't know things would get that bad in New Orleans.

Baal: [he tilts his head] What happened in New Orleans? [he hasn't heard yet]

Hope: [o-oh. She gets to break this news. Yay.] Henry ... he lost control. He killed one of the vampires. The werewolves tried to protect him, but the vamps wanted more. They were supposed to just seal him in the garden for a few years to dry out. [and then she looks really sad] One of the vampires decided that wasn't enough, and they killed him.

Baal: [he licks his lips, thinking] Did they find the vampire who killed him?

Hope: No. Not before I left, anyway.

Baal: [he isn't sure what to say. But he does inch closer and puts his hand on her knee. Carefully] I am sorry you lost your beta.

Hope: He's not ... he's not my beta. [though he kind of is? Maybe it's a way that'll make that make sense. She reaches to put her hand gently over his] I'm sorry you lost your friend.

Baal: To give blood is to give life. You gave him new life. But not a baby. I don't know other words to describe. [he gnaws on his lip] Henry and I, we not close like you and I. Pack, but not. We friends because others try to dominate him, but they don't me. If he with me, they leave him alone.

Hope: Yeah. I know the other wolves can be jerks sometimes. I ... I did think I was helping him by making him stronger.

Baal: I don't think he needed strength. I think he needed confidence.

Hope: Yeah, I get that now. But before that I just ... saw a way to get what I wanted.

Baal: What was that?

Hope: Money. So I could try to fly out and find my dad.

Baal: Oh. Could you not ask your mother for the money?

Hope: She would have asked why, and then she would have said no. Technically, my dad and I aren't supposed to be together.

Baal: Because of the bad magic?

Hope: Yeah. Because of the bad magic.

Baal: Is there no spell to put around you to make yourself immune to the bad magic for a short time? Or a... circle of salt?

Hope: [she shakes her head] It's not me it impacts right away, it's ... everything around us.

Baal: Oh. [he reaches over for his shirt because he's starting to get cold.] Could you not call him then?

Hope: That would require him answering the phone and actually acknowledging I exist.

Baal: Can you send a spell through the phone to make it answer?

Hope: The last time I tried that he was ... busy. [she makes a face and looks down at her hands] And he never tried to make that better.

Baal: Maybe he was scared you would be mad.

Hope: I was the kid. It shouldn't have been about his feelings.

Baal: No. But when you speak of your dad, you speak of a man with no feelings. If he has none, would he know yours?

Hope: He doesn't ... he doesn't have no feelings. He just doesn't always have good ones.

Baal: [thinks. He's been around witches now long enough to know a few spells.] You did the spell where you are in one place and another place at the same time?

Hope: Astral projection, yeah.

Baal: Maybe this time... have someone find him and make sure is isn't having a bad feeling before you project? Then you all safe, you can tell him your feelings and make schedule to do again.

Hope: The problem is ... he doesn't have a lot of non-bad days. [a beat] Have you ever heard of Klaus Mikaelson? [probably at least in class - origins of vampires]

Baal: [nods] He is an Original, born of a witch and a werewolf, and turned into part vampire from his mother.

Hope: That's my dad.

Baal: But he is only werewolf and vampire. Your mom is werewolf. Why are you a witch?

Hope: Because his mother, my grandmother, was the witch that created vampires.

Baal: So it... skipped him and went to you?

Hope: No. He was a witch before he became a vampire. Or at least he was in theory. [she doesn't know how that works with werewolves]

Baal: So he is three things like you.

Hope: No. Because once he became a vampire, he lost his magic. My vampire side isn't fully activated yet, so I'm in this weird middle ground.

Baal: Did you become a werewolf already?

Hope: No. I have to kill someone to do that.

Baal: So you are only a witch then.

Hope: Yeah, for now. A witch with a healing factor and way more power than I should have

Baal: Do you want all the power?

Hope: No. But it's not like I can get rid of it. All firstborn witches in my family line have it.

Baal: So no one can take some of it away to help you? That is not good.

Hope: [she shrugs] My aunt's been teaching me how to manage it. I'm just not always good at it.

Baal: You have a very confusing set of powers then.

Hope: Tell me about it.

Baal: It is easier to just change into a jackal.

Hope: I'm sure it is.

Baal: I am no longer scared. You are my friend. As long as you don't intend to force me to become like you, I will remain so.

Hope: I wouldn't wish being like me on anyone.

Baal: Then, I believe you say... we are good?

Hope: [smiles as she nods] Good. I'm glad. [she takes a deep breath as she gets up] I should probably go catch up on homework. [or desperately research spells for finding her mother. whichever comes more naturally]

Baal: I should do homework. I don't like it much though.

Hope: No one likes it. You're not alone there.

Baal: I am becoming more like a real boy then. [smirks, but stays seated. He'll put his pants on when she is gone.]

Hope: [nods and goes to go] I'll see you at dinner?

Baal: Yes, I never miss it.

Hope: Good. [and off she will go to hole herself up in her room.]

Baal: [and he'll get dressed and head back to his side of the dorms to do work]