i'm a hunter on your trail [tag asicarrymyregret]

[nosuchthingasfate]

 "I'm sorry, Dad, I can't come home till I find Lydia and figure out what is going on with her.  Please don't come looking for me.  That is an order."

The whole leader card wasn't something that Allison had ever wanted to play with her father and she was sure she would get more than earful later about it but she knew he would listen.  She was trained to be a leader and he a soldier.  Sometimes that meant she had more pull than he did as a father but she also knew that it was the father that was worried.  Worried about her after nearly losing her just a few months before to a samurai blade.

Shifting, she swore she could feel something pull in the middle of her chest then but she knew it was just a phantom pain, a memory more than anything, though the scar would forever be there.  

Pushing away the thoughts when she saw the sharply dressed man exiting the shop across the street, Allison pulled herself a bit straighter as she leaned back against the wall of the alley with a narrowing of her gaze.  She knew who he was as she had been tracking him for over two weeks now.  Ever since the phone call from Derek Hale that brought her from Paris to New Orleans in search of her best friend.  The fact that she had come had miraculously kept the other pack members in Beacon Hills though she knew that itched at Scott and Stiles both.

Shifting again, she watched as Elijah Mikaelson made his way across the street and down away from her.  Glancing at her phone, she sent a brief message to Derek then, knowing full well he probably wouldn't answer her but that didn't matter.  He was watching Rebekah Mikaelson, the sister of the man Allison now tracked.  And somewhere else, their brother, the real target, was somewhere with Lydia though the girl had no idea just how close a couple of her former packmates were.

Sliding out of the alley, Allison started after Elijah, keeping her distance and her gait casual so he wouldn't pick up on her.  

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[nosuchthingasfate]

Concern crossed her features then, softening them as she leaned forward. "Used as a bargaining chip? How?"

The promise that Lydia was safe helped a tiny bit but not too much until she could hear the words from Lydia herself. Still troubled, she sat back once more when Elijah told her then that Lydia couldn't leave New Orleans. "I don't get it? Why?"

"Why is your brother so interested in Lydia and her safety? What does he get out of it?" She asked then, pushing for a little more of an explanation and it was clear she was going to be rather tenacious about it too. Not that she doubted the fact that Lydia could inspire that sort of protective urge but she still wanted to know why.

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

Elijah paused as the waitress returned with a tray bearing two cups of coffee and a large plate laden with beignets, light as air fried pastry dusted in powdered sugar. Murmuring his thanks, he gestured to her coffee as he drew his own closer to him.

"It's a long and very involved tale, which will take some time to tell." He sighed. "Take my advice: have a beignet. Enjoy your coffee. Stealing what pleasure you can while navigating this dangerous game is the only way you'll ever escape with your sanity intact."

[nosuchthingasfate]

Allison paused as Elijah did too, glancing at the large plate of goodies that were being placed in front of them with their coffee. "Wow, that's evil." She declared then, reaching for her coffee as she gave a little shake of her head while looking at him with an almost smile. "I can see now what kind of negotiator you are."

That didn't stop her from reaching for one though even as he encouraged her too and she nodded again. "Fine, I don't have anywhere to go for awhile. Might as well take the time to tell me the story of how my best friend came under your family's protection."

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

Her acceptance of his invitation to eat was another point in Allison's favor as Elijah continued to quietly study her. She was a professional, but deeply invested in her friends. All it took was the assurance of Lydia's safety to change her demeanor. The soldier was still there, but it was a veneer over the warmer, more fragile countenance of the teenage girl within.

"The power of the Quarter witches is rooted in death." Elijah explained, taking a bite of his own beignet, pausing to wash it down with a sip of coffee before he continued. "They practice ancestral magic, their abilities fed by a power that's passed from one generation to the next. Every witch that dies must be properly interred so that her magic stays within the family, keeping the bloodlines strong. It's an ideal place for a banshee to learn about her own power...or would have been, were the witches not in crisis, and looking for a rare and unique enough gift to present to the Hybrid in exchange for aid."

[nosuchthingasfate]

Allison drew in a small breath and then let it out on a sigh. "I guessed that she came here to find out about her abilities but..." She shook her head, her features darkening when he told her about the witches using Lydia for a bargaining chip. Now, she had a healthy respect for magic because of Deaton but she also knew the darker side, the side that left a dark taste in her mouth, because of the Darach and the spell they had done to save their parents.

"So she was a bargaining chip, I can get that but explain to me exactly why she can't leave." She tilted her head to the side after taking another sip of her coffee. "Is it because she doesn't want to or...is something else going on?"

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"An attempt was made on her life recently." Elijah confessed after a sip of coffee, but raised a hand to stave off any reaction from Allison. "It was an indirect attack, the parties responsible have been dealt with, and at present, she is doing no worse than recovering from a fever...quite well, I might add, she came out for breakfast this morning and her appetite was quite good."

Reaching for a napkin, Elijah wiped a stray smear of sugar from his lips as he took another bite of his beignet. "However, in our circles, banshees are myth. They are powerful, prized, and above all: not real. Once she leaves this city, and the reach of our influence, she's fair game to the next person who has designs on her power. I suppose, in theory, she can leave if she likes. Today, even...but she won't live to see the sun rise again. She'll either be caged or be killed...and while my brother also has designs on her power, my sister and I are seeing to it that she does not live in a cage. She is our ward, not our prisoner, and I will assure you by having you over to visit: she is not only being well cared for, but in very good spirits."

[nosuchthingasfate]

Even if he held up a hand to stop a reaction, he till got one in the way her eyes flashed with fire and anger. Almost immediately she wanted to hunt down whoever would hurt her best friend and make them pay. A lot. So much so that she wondered if it was the darkness inside of her speaking out but she knew better too. That sort of fire had always been there.

Her eyes flickered down to his mouth as he wiped away the sugar, then she sat back and sighed as he explained why Lydia was staying with them. It made sense too considering Peter and Derek's reaction to finding out Lydia was a banshee. Pursing her lips a bit, she looked at the coffee in her hand as she weighed her options then. She could say everything was fine and well, and leave, but she wouldn't do that.

Not if Lydia was in danger.

"Then I'm going to have to extend my stay." She told him with a nod. "As long as Lydia is in New Orleans, I'm going to be here as well. Not because I don't believe you can't keep her safe but having another pair of hands around to do the task can't hurt." She tilted her head to the side. "Plus I've heard stories about your brother and your family. I know that Lydia could be in danger from more than people who want to use her power."

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"Believe it or not, Miss Martin seems to be something of a good influence on my brother." Elijah replied with a bemused tone, features vaguely thoughtful as he leaned back in his seat, steepling his fingers. "She's forceful, opinionated, and manipulative...all qualities that would get any other young woman with power killed, exceptional beauty or no. I'm well aware of her intellect, but Niklaus has killed brilliant people before...she has his attention, and she's captured it in a singular fashion."

A thing Elijah was beginning to understand, as the pretty huntress had his interest in a similar way. He had no confirmation of her identity outside of Lydia's observations about her beloved best friend, but already he was mentally selecting a room for her in Lydia's wing of the house, and making a note to have additional groceries ordered.

He wanted to know more about this girl. How she was trained, what she knew about werewolves and magic, what she could do against one of their kind. It was a purely tactical, completely intellectual interest...

...and there was the way she smiled. The girl in the soldier's uniform. That something so cold and so calculating could live in a human that still smiled like that...in a strange way, it gave him hope for his brother.

He needed to know more about her.

[nosuchthingasfate]

"I think Lydia has always been that way." Allison replied with a somewhat fond smile then as she thought of her best friend and her effect on people, especially the opposite sex. "She has always been good at getting her own way and most everyone finds it hard to say no to her." And she said it without an ounce of jealousy. There had only been one time that she had been threatened by it, by Lydia, but not for long.

She was curious about this Klaus after all the things she had heard about him and she wondered if it was his personality that drew Lydia in. For Allison though, it was Elijah who captivated her attention and made her curious. It was the quiet strength and the sense of honor.

Pulling her gaze from him, she finished her treat in two bites and then found herself reaching for another one. "So you think your brother's interest goes beyond her power, huh?"

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

Adding 'unassuming' and 'generous' to the list of interesting qualities in the young woman across from him, Elijah smiled slightly and shrugged, a subtle shift of his shoulders as he left the rest of the beignets to Allison's attention, scanning the room for the waitress again. He was fairly certain Allison hadn't stopped for breakfast in her pursuit of him, and the neat way she was polishing off the beignets only confirmed it.

A little protein would not go amiss.

"Quite possibly against his will." Elijah admitted. "He's rather ill-equipped to deal with his own humanity...he's been so far removed from it for so long, it's rather like watching a paralyzed man learn to walk again for the first time: clumsy and unsure, but inspiring all the same. She's forced him to reconnect with things he's convinced he lost a lifetime ago...she'll either save him, or make him more dangerous than ever. I'm praying for the former."

[nosuchthingasfate]

"Seems fitting for a banshee, doesn't it?" She murmured more to herself than him as she puzzled over the new information. She had to wonder what Lydia thought of this Klaus. Did he stir the same kind of emotions in her that she apparently stirred in him? It was something she would have to ask her friend when they were reunited again though maybe only when they were alone without anyone in hearing distance. Any level of hearing.

"So do you really think you can help her?" She looked up again. "I mean, I know Lydia. Even with her life being in danger, that wouldn't necessarily be enough to make her stay." Not when she had people back home in Beacon Hills that could keep her safe. Both on a physical and magic level.

"She has to be staying because she believes you guys can help her. Or lead her to someone else who can do that." She nodded, finishing her second beignet before reaching for her coffee to finish that too. She almost felt bad for eating so quickly in front of him but she had come to realize rather quickly just how hungry she was. Especially once realizing she hadn't eaten since the day before.

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"We can." Elijah replied simply. "There are yet witches in this city who may prove trustworthy, witches who can advise your friend on the use of her power...and barring that, my mother was a very powerful witch in her own right. I have been looking through her grimoire to see if any answers may be found there."

When the waitress came back to their table, Elijah offered her a polite smile. "Another order of beignets, please...and are you still serving those muffulettas from Central Grocery?"

"Oui, Monsiuer. Come in fresh every morning."

"I'll take two: one for here, one to go." Elijah instructed, waiting until the waitress left to give Allison his attention again. "It's a staple of New Orleans cuisine, a rather large Italian cold cut sandwich topped with olive salad. They have to be seen to be believed...now that you're no longer operating covertly, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy New Orleans as a tourist, and if you miss out on the food? Well, then the place is positively dull until Mardis Gras."

[nosuchthingasfate]

"But you haven't found anything yet, have you?" Allison didn't seem so surprised. "That seems to be the way of it. Everyone knows of banshees but no one really knows much about them. Except for the one person I don't want Lydia anywhere near." There was a flicker of cold fury again but she pushed it away as she reminded herself that Peter didn't know where Lydia was. Or at least she hoped that he didn't know but if Derek could find her? Then maybe Peter could too.

Focusing on the conversation again as Elijah ordered more food, she couldn't help but look amused as she watched the exchange and then listened to him praise the food.

"Are you trying to make sure I eat?" She was amused to know that what she had heard about him was true. "You really are a caretaker, huh? Please don't take it as an insult." She hurried to add on, sitting forward a bit. "It's not a bad thing. It's probably another reason Lydia feels safe enough to stay with you."

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"I'd be a poor host if I didn't see to the needs of my human guests, would I not?" he observed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She seemed rather entertained by the notion that he might be concerned for the welfare of another in any great degree...it saddened him a little, but her acceptance of his hospitality was heartening.

With another moment's consideration, Elijah finalized the plans in his head, then reached for his coffee to finish it along with the last of his own beignet. "You'll see how she feels this evening. Please keep whatever hotel arrangements you've made for the sake of appearances, the king of this city has eyes everywhere...I'll see the bill is paid, but from now on you'll be a guest in our home. There's a spare room in the east wing of the house, just a couple doors down from Lydia's. If you mean to protect her, you might as well stay as close as possible."

[nosuchthingasfate]

Allison thought about arguing but she couldn't because what he was suggesting made sense. She could stay close to Lydia, to protect her, and still keep her room at the hotel for appearances. Even when her Dad checked the cards to keep track of where she was, he would think she was at the hotel and would never know she was staying with a house of vampires.

"Okay, as long as you're sure it's okay to have me there too." She told him with a little nod. "I would like to be close to Lydia while she is here."

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"I wouldn't offer if there were an issue." Elijah assured her as the waitress returned, setting down a plate bearing a behemoth of a sandwich, and a sandwich wrapped in paper which, unsliced, was as large as the plate bearing Allison's meal.

Elijah regarded the sandwiches he'd ordered...one for Allison, and the one to bring home to Lydia...with a thoughtful look, then a quiet huff of a sigh.

"Right...bit of overkill, perhaps." he mused aloud, expression sober but eyes sparkling with quiet amusement as he lifted his gaze to meet Allison's. "I can help you with that, if you don't think you can finish it."

[nosuchthingasfate]

When Elijah looked at her again, Allison was sitting back with an amused look and a smile she was trying to hide behind her hand. She could see his surprise at the size of the sandwich.

"I'm tempted to try and eat it, just because, but I don't think I could. I would probably just make myself sick and you would have to carry me." She chuckled, dropping her hand.

"So that means you can eat? It doesn't make you sick?" She nudged the plate towards him after grabbing a piece for herself. Then she say there for a moment, eyeing the size of it as she tried to figure out how to take a bite. Finally she attacked the one side, taking as big a bite as she managed. Then she made a muffled laugh, her eye sparkling as she brought her hand to her mouth again.

[asiwillcarrymyregret]

"Blood sustains us, but so long as we feed, our bodies function normally...allowing us to eat." Elijah assured her, a real smile touching his features, albeit with restraint as she tried to take a bite of the sandwich as a whole. Reaching out, he gently picked up the knife that was on her plate, half-hidden by the sandwich, and silently handed it to her so she could cut herself a more manageable piece and try again.

"Truth be told, I'm rather fond of Creole cuisine." he went on, still watching her with no small measure of pleasure as she indulged in her sandwich. "Most spicy foods, really. I find that the burn of the flavor reminds me most of what it was like to eat when I was still human."

[nosuchthingasfate]

"I love spicy food." Allison smiled as she used the knife to cut them both more manageable pieces to eat. "So you will have to show me the best places to eat around here. If you want to."

Because she didn't mind the idea of hanging out with him a bit more. Now that they had an understanding, they could relax and it allowed her a chance to enjoy herself around him.

Picking up one or the pieces, she flashed him a small smile before she started eating again.