spamalot } { of bar brawls and fireproof deputies

[beanchaointe]

Parrish: You know, you really didn't have to do this. Not that I'm objecting to free beer, but you didn't have to.

Lydia: I wanted to. Besides, it's half celebratory. They caught him last night.

Parrish: And that's good. Capturing him is a good thing because they can figure out how to help him now, right?

Lydia: Hopefully. Talia at least seemed to have an idea.

Parrish: So we can just sit back and relax now. No more crazy possessing fox on the streets.

Lydia: As much as you can relax in Beacon Hills, anyway.

Parrish: And hey, that means your moving schedule is back on, right?

Lydia: As soon as Stiles gets back from New Orleans.

Parrish: I still don't get why you didn't go with them. I mean, free trip to New Orleans?

Lydia: It felt a lot like running. [she shifts in her seat, tucking her legs under her as she played with her beer] I don't know. I guess I wanted to see if I could ... be helpful, somehow.

Parrish: Well, you did figure out the stuff at Eichen House. So I mean, that alone showed you that you were.

Lydia: [nods a bit] Plus while the Mikaelson estate is beautiful, I could probably do without spending copious amounts of time with Klaus.

Parrish: Jerk from your past?

Lydia: No, just a lot of personality. [she shrugs] He's not all that terrible once you get to know him, but he likes to put on a big show.

Parrish: So you're not overly fond of prideful showoffs?

Lydia: Not particularly. I was in high school, but I'd like to think I've gotten past it.

Parrish: Then how the hell do you put up with me? [amused as he sips his beer]

Lydia: [laughs a bit at that] If you think you're a prideful show off then you haven't actually met one.

Parrish: He's that bad then?

Lydia: Oh yeah.

Parrish: Sounds like fun. I hope your friends don't kill him in the process.

Lydia: You and me both.

Parrish: [is about to say something else when his phone rings. he leans over and it's the bar downstairs] Hold on, I have a feeling I need to play bouncer... [talks on the phone, and there is talk about a few people causing problems] I'll be right down. [hangs up] There's a few drunks trying to start something. I'll be right back.

Lydia: [is a little uncertain about that, but she nods anyway.]

Parrish: It happens at least once a week. It'll just take me coming down, tossing someone out, and I'm done. Fifteen minutes tops. Just stay here, alright?

Lydia: [she nods] I'm not going anywhere.

Parrish: [and he's going to go downstairs and well, the bar fight isn't going to be easily resolved. In fact, in about five minutes, Lydia will be able to actually hear the fight through the floor as the voices get louder]

Lydia: [yeah, that doesn't sound good. She said she would stay put, but as things get louder and louder, and that smell from before starts to get heavier she can't help herself and she gets up to head downstairs to the bar]

Parrish: [and of course she's going to walk into a bar fight. There are flies buzzing around the ceiling, the owner with a shotgun behind the bar trying to be overtaken by three of the patrons. Parrish is calling for backup as he is trying to help stop them]

Nogitsune: [sneaks up behind her, hand grabbing her arm tightly] Just the person I was looking for.

Lydia: [turns when he grabs her arm, before her eyes narrow in confusion] No ... no, they said they had you.

Nogitsune: Mmm, they did, and then they didn't. Funny how that works. [looks out at the bar, smirking] Humans are just so full of hate and rage. It only takes one little spark to set things off sometimes.

Lydia: [and now the surprise is wearing off and she starts to struggle in earnest, trying to get away from him]

Nogitsune: No, not yet. [his fingers dig into her arm] I think you're going to want to see how this story ends. Or do you already know, Lydia? I have a feeling you already do.

Lydia: [she stills for just a moment, her eyes widening] Jordan. [and with that she's turning to pull away from him again, using her fist to beat uselessly against him] Get off of me - Jordan! [she tries shouting out into the crowd to see if she can get him out of there]

Parrish: [he turns when he hears her voice, but that's all the time someone needed to slam him over the head with a bottle of whiskey. He's cut with glass, covered in alcohol, and then he's pushed back hard onto the bar. At that same time, someone thought it was a good idea to make a Molotov cocktail from their beer bottle and throws it, setting the bar - already covered in other broken alcohol bottles - on fire... as well as the deputy who is pressed against it.]

Lydia: [It all plays out in front of her like it's part of a movie, a series of dominoes that she couldn't have stopped, even if she wanted to. Her entire body goes slack for a moment, just from the shock of it, until the smell hits her, the real smell. Then it's bubbling up before she can stop it, grief and her curse (it's always a curse, it was never meant to be anything else) and what starts as a "no!" soon turns into a scream]

Nogitsune: [and he licks his lips, and he's pulling all that agony from her to feed as he lets her watch until the deputy's burnt corpse just collapses onto the ground of the bar as the sprinklers turn on. Sirens are in the distance, and he pulls her back to him, intending to take her away while she's not in a position to resist]

Lydia: [she doesn't. She can't. She's too weak to try and all she can do is stare at the scorch marks left behind as he drags her out of the bar]

Nogitsune: [and to the tunnels under Eichen House they go!]

Lydia: [wheeeeeee insane times with Lydia Martin]

Peter: [meanwhile, they are going to arrive at the bar once the sheriff's department and fire department are there. The bar is on fire, as is Parrish's place above it] Holy hell.

Cora: [her eyes widen at the sight and she's immediately going for her phone, trying to see if she can get a hold of Lydia.]

Isaac: [disappears into the group of officers, trying to get details about what happened]

Peter: [he can smell the death inside, and the body it belonged to. It's a horrible smell and he thinks he's going to be sick]

Parrish: [a door to the back alley opens, and he stumbles out, crashing into a pile of crates. He's hyperventilating, covered in wet ashes and soot, and otherwise naked]

Cora: [glances up from her phone and when she sees him, her eyes widen] Parrish? [and after that she's darting toward him, heedless of the smell and just wanting to get to the very naked man in the alley]

Isaac: [coming back to Peter] Someone thinks Parrish was in there. I don't see Lydia and no one remembers seeing her.

Peter: Parrish was in there. I can smell him. [and then he hears Cora's voice and turns his head] No... not possible. [grabs Isaac and pulls him along to the mouth of the alley.]

Parrish: [his head snaps up, orange eyes flashing out of fear at her and stumbling back]

Cora: [holds up her hands to him, palms out keeping her voice low] Easy. Easy, Jordan, it's just me.

Parrish: [blinks, and his eyes go back to normal as he looks around, confused] I don't know... Lydia.. Lydia she was... [he's trying to breath, his heart pounding]

Cora: [she hushes him softly, moving to crouch down next to him] Just take a deep breath. In and out.

Peter & Isaac: [are just going to hang out in the back, and then Isaac stays while Peter goes to bring the car around. Naked boy needs to get out of there ASAP]

Parrish: [he tries, closing his eyes and taking deepish breaths] Your brother.... he was there. He had her. She said... she said you had him.

Cora: We did. It's complicated. [she glances back at Isaac] Look, we have to get you out of here, okay? We'll head back to the house and you can tell us what happened.

Parrish: No, we have to... find her. First 24 hours... [and no, no he's going to just pass out now.]

Cora: [sighs heavily as the car pulls up and nods to Isaac] Help me.

Isaac: [goes over to help, and Peter pulls the car into the alley and goes into the trunk, grabbing a blanket he keeps there to wrap around Parrish before getting him into the backseat]

Peter: Isaac, you need to stall anyone putting in a report about him being dead. And see if anyone remembers Lydia.

Isaac: I'll see what I can find and will call later.

Peter: [nods, watching him go and looking at Cora] As if things couldn't get any more complicated.

Cora: [deep breath] Come on. Let's just get him back to the house.

Peter: [and he's going to drive like the wind]

Parrish: [totally staying passed out as his body is still regenerating]

Cora: [is just going to keep calling Lydia to see if she (or the nogitsune) will answer the phone. she's probably not going to get reception down in those tunnels. nope, but Cora's going to keep calling anyway until they get to the house and they have to get Parrish out of the back seat and into the house]

Peter: [goes to get Jason to come and look over the newest patient in the Hale House]

Jason: You're telling me he was burnt alive, and yet now...?

Peter: Smell him.

Cora: There's not a burn on him. We can't even heal like that.

Peter: I don't know of any creature that can do that.

Jason: The only thing I can think of is a phoenix, but those are birds. Not humans, and he would be reborn as a baby, not back to how he died. [rubs at his nose]

Cora: I thought he was human.

Peter: Maybe he doesn't know. Who are his parents?

Cora: [she gives a bit of a shrug] He's not from Beacon Hills.

Jason: [nods and goes to kneel down next to the couch to carefully examine him. It takes a moment, but he blinks awake groggily] Jordan? My name's Doctor Jason Hale. You're safe here, so just relax, okay? Can you tell me what happened?

Parrish: There was a bar fight... I was trying to settle it, but it turned into a riot. I got hit on the head with a bottle... [his hand went to drift up to his head]

Cora: You said that Lydia was there?

Parrish: She was... she was upstairs with me. She was supposed to stay upstairs.

Cora: [closes her eyes. She doesn't know why Lydia didn't, but she should have] Isaac is looking for her.

Parrish: I need to help... I should help... [but his body isn't going to let him move just yet]

Cora: [places her hand back on his shoulder] You will. But right now you need to rest.

Parrish: [looks at Jason] What's happening to me?

Jason: [pets his hair gently] I don't know, but we'll figure it out.

Cora: Just get some sleep, okay? We'll let you know once we have a plan to find Lydia.

Parrish: I think... [looks at Peter] I think the notgitsune has her.

Cora: [swallows hard and she looks back at Peter as well] What would the nogitsune want with a banshee?

Peter: Same reason he wanted Stiles. [looks at Cora] Food.

Cora: [it takes her a minute, but ...] They feed on strife and pain. What better way to do it than feeding off someone who's mired in death all the time?

Jason: And to know when his own death was closing in as well. [looks up] He knows something we don't. Something about the Oni.

Cora: Maybe we should find a back up plan in case that goes wrong.

Peter: One of us should see if Derek knows anything that should be of help.

Cora: I'll go find him. [gets up from the couch and goes to find her brother]

Derek: [is literally leaning against a wall heater, blankets around him and trying to get warm]

Cora: [knocks against the door frame, frowning at him] Derek?

Derek: [looks up] Hey Cora.

Cora: [small smile] How're you doing?

Derek: Trying to make things not hurt so much.

Cora: [nods a bit before moving to sit across from him] Derek, the nogitsune took Lydia.

Derek: [nods] I heard. All my senses are back in working order.

Cora: Can you think of anywhere he might have taken her?

Derek: [thinks a moment] Where it all started. Where he feels he's at home. [nods and looks up at her] Eichen House.

Cora: [she nods] Thank you.

Derek: I should go. I need to help.

Cora: Are you sure you're up for it?

Derek: It's better than sitting here feeling my life drain away.

Cora: [considers for a moment before nodding] Okay.

Derek: [pulls himself up weakly, going to find his boots]

Cora: [pushes up as well, watching him] Are you sure you're up for this?

Derek: No, but I need to. I can't just sit here, Cora.

Cora: Okay. Okay.

Derek: Also means Fiona will be coming. [because like hell she's going to let him out of her sight]

Cora: As far as I can tell we need all the help we can get.

Derek: [his boots on, he nods] Then let's go.

Cora: [nods and leads the way back to the rest of the group]

Derek: [is following behind]

Peter: [sees him] No. No you are not coming.

Cora: Peter ...

Peter: We just saved your life, Derek. I'm not about to let you go back out there against that thing, especially if it's wearing your face and we might accidently mix you two up.

Derek: I can't stay here and do nothing.

Cora: How did Mom tell the difference?

Peter: [stiffens] By scent, probably.

Cora: What about it?

Talia: Derek smelled like a wolf. [yes she heard all of you talking] The other one didn't.

Cora: So he's not a wolf. So if Derek stays shifted, we should be able to tell them apart.

Peter: [he looks at Talia, not liking this at all.] He's going to be a liability.

Talia: [she sighs softly] Well, considering we still don't know how to stop it or kill it, going at all is a liability.

Derek: [looks at Talia and Fiona] I need to do something. [he can't just sit up there and feel himself dying]

Talia: [crosses her arms in front of her chest] I understand it has Lydia, but right now I'm not thrilled with the idea of any of you going.

Jason: Talia, if we don't, there is a chance Lydia's power will let it know the Oni is coming. It could be his entire reason for taking her, and that means they will be unable to kill him.

Talia: How does her being an early warning system prevent them from killing him?

Jason: What if he knows something about them Noshiko isn't telling us. A play he still has in this game we don't understand. He is still winning. Look at Derek, Talia! Your son is dying, and he knows it. [glares at Derek]

Talia: [her eyes flash at that because yes. she is aware of that] I know. But that doesn't mean I'm going to risk my entire pack because of something he may do. Not without a plan.

Chris: Then I'll go. [saunters over] I'm not your pack, and if it wants to kill me, I'll take the fight to it to figure out what his plan is.

Peter: [his jaw is set, because he is the loyal brother, and he knows what his sister is thinking. And Nadia is going to hate him forever for this] He can't go alone, and I have always promised Lydia I would help her however she needed it. She needs it right now.

Talia: [eyes them both carefully for a moment] You shouldn't go alone just the two of you, either. If Jason is right and his plan is to use the oni in some way we should have a back up plan. Find another way to hurt it.

Chris: I've yet to meet a creature that can't be killed. We'll figure it out.

Derek: I can help, Peter.

Peter: No. You're staying here until we have a plan.

Talia: Jason and Cora should go with you for back up. This is a rescue mission more than anything else.

Jason: [nods. He's down for that]

Derek: [looks at his mother, his eyes begging]

Talia: [she looks back at him and gently places his hand on his shoulder] Just wait. Kira and I will look into what we have on nogitsune and see if we can figure something else. Right now, this is just to get Lydia.

Peter: [nods and looks at Cora and Derek] Where is he, Derek?

Derek: [hanging his head] Eichen House. He always goes back to Eichen House.

Cora: He's probably in the tunnels underneath.

Chris: Then let's go before he gets a chance to hurt her.