for duderaider

[howmuchtrouble]

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[howmuchtrouble]

"Sorry. Maybe next time."

She also reaches for her own gun and slowly starts to make her way forward, quietly eyeing the shadows of the hallways. As they make their way closer, a pair of well dressed shoes steps out of the shadows, which scrolls up to a person in an incredibly expensive and impractical suit. Elena's honestly curious how he managed to get in here without ruining it, but that thought is cut short by the blood on his hands.

"Good evening," he says with a smile. "You must be Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. We've been expecting you."

[duderaider]

Nathan's gun comes up immediately, finger on the trigger, discipline be damned, at the moment. A stranger just jumping out of the shadows doesn't particularly endear him to him; the fact that he notices the blood on his hands, doubly so.

"Yeah, sorry. I don't think I caught your name."

[claimstonobility]

"My name is Elijah Mikaelson. And I mean you no harm."

Which is a very tentative statement, honestly, because should things not go his way, he is absolutely capable of harm. However, by getting as far as they have, Elena and Nate have done him a service, and he requires their expertise to see things the rest of the way through.

He retrieves a handkerchief with a flourish before beginning to clean off his fingers.

"I'm told you're the best in the business at figuring out centuries-old puzzles to places of immense power."

[duderaider]

"We might be," Nathan allows, glancing over at Elena. He's quick to return his attentions to Elijah, all things considered, however. "But we're also not in the business of dealing with -- " With psychopaths, which he assumes Elijah is, based on the fact that he apparently killed a guy with his hands, but he's smart enough not to say that. " -- with people that wanna use that power for whatever."

He won't let you get your evil hands on the Fountain, is what he's saying.

[claimstonobility]

"Oh, you misunderstand me. I very much wish for it to be destroyed - at least, metaphorically speaking."

Elena also meets Nate's glance, before she raises an eyebrow back at the man in front of him. "I think you might have to be a little more specific on that one."

"Well, it's quite simple. The so-called Fountain of Youth isn't exactly a what. It's more of a who."

[duderaider]

Nathan tilts his head in Elena's direction -- what she said. When Elijah continues, however -- well, that wasn't what he was expecting, exactly, and so he stares at him for a long moment, before, "I'm sorry, what?"

A part of him supposes that tracks, given vampires, but he still can't quite wrap his head around it.

[claimstonobility]

"It's quite the long story but in summation, my siblings and I were the first vampires ever created. Two of my brothers had a ... difference of opinion many centuries ago and we lost track of him."

Which shouldn't have happened. As much as his siblings could fight and profess their hatred of each other, they always came back to each other again after a few decades. Finn never returned.

"Vampire blood has profound healing properties, as well as gifting immortality under the right circumstances. I have reason to believe that my brother may be your so-called Fountain of Youth."

[duderaider]

"Wait, you want us to kill your brother?"

Yes, that's what he's choosing to focus on, because the rest of it gets a little brain-breaking. Having a brother, though -- that he can sympathize with, even if he's not any more sure why Elijah would want to kill him. If it were Sam --

"Or are you trying to get to him to break him out of whatever mess he got himself into?" If it were Sam, he would try everything he could to save him. Maybe Elijah doesn't want to kill his brother to destroy the Fountain. Maybe he wants to free him to destroy it.

[claimstonobility]

Elijah does not seem phased by the implication that he may want to kill his brother. That is likely not comforting. Elijah doesn't seem to care about being comforting.

"The latter, preferably. My sister would be quite disappointed if I returned without her favorite brother."

[duderaider]

"Right."

Well, at least he doesn't have to figure out how he's going to kill a vampire -- at least there's that. He's not sure how he feels about letting another one loose on the world, either, however, and so, after a beat, he ventures, "Just out of curiosity here -- what happens if we say no?"

He has a feeling this is the part where Elijah threatens him, Elena or both.

[claimstonobility]

"Then it will be as though we never met."

Quite literally. He will compel away their ever meeting, set them at the head of the tunnels and they will never have to see each other again. But Elijah intends to get his brother out of here, with or without their help.

[duderaider]

Nathan blinks. Did he mention he was expecting the worst, and not -- not that?

"Seriously?" it's out of his mouth before he can stop himself. "I mean, not that I mind, that'd be great, if we end up deciding to go our separate ways, but this is usually the part where the other guy pulls a gun on us or whatever." Or however vampires actually threaten people. Probably by grabbing them by the throat and hauling them up over their head or something. Either way.

Either way, still a little on uncertain footing, now, he gestures between himself and Elena. "Can we -- do you mind if we take a minute, here?" And actually decide what they're doing.

[howmuchtrouble]

"By all means."

He wanders off an acceptable distance from the couple, admiring the decor, while Elena takes Nate's hand and pulls him further off in the opposite direction. If any of the pop culture exposure she's heard about vampires are true, she's pretty sure he'll be able to hear them but it's the illusion of privacy that matters.

"So what do you think?"

[duderaider]

Nathan glances down the corridor, frowning, apparently of the same mind. He's not sure they can do any better than this, however, and as unfortunate as that is, they do need to have this conversation, regardless. Still, he doesn't look happy as he returns his attentions to her.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I like the idea of helping a guy who literally just murdered someone, free his vampire brother from captivity, but ... " But he's not sure the alternative is any better, even if Elijah promised he wouldn't hurt them. He's also not sure he really has that much room to talk, for all that he and Elena have killed their share of people today, too, never mind the fact that they technically started it.

[howmuchtrouble]

"Do you know anything about vampire lore? Because my other thought is that if we lead him in there and he's got this half-starved brother there waiting for him, we're going to look like Christmas dinner."

She's not unaware of the fact that Elijah promised he wouldn't hurt them. He never said anything about his brother.

[duderaider]

"Yeah, I kinda had that thought, too," Nathan agrees, his frown deepening. There's a lot of conflicting vampire lore (and up until recently, he thought it was all fiction), but he's pretty sure the idea that, if a vampire's starving, they get a little mindless, is constant across the board. Probably be starving humans do, too.

"I'd say, if worse came to worst, we open the door and run like Hell, but ... " But that might not be enough. Vampires are almost always universally fast, too.

[howmuchtrouble]

She takes a deep breath, turning back to study Elijah for a moment, before shrugging. "If you want out, I say we take the out. Test his word. It seems like if we don't at least try, it's a lose-lose either way."

[duderaider]

Thing is, he's not sure he wants out. He still wants to get to the bottom of this, he just doesn't want to die in the process.

"We could ask him to keep his brother off of us, when we find him?" Nate suggests after a moment. If Elijah is willing to let them walk away, if they say no, maybe he'll let them do the same if they say yes. "I mean, that seems like a fair trade, right? We help him, we don't get put on the menu ... "

[howmuchtrouble]

Elena considers and nods, before raising her voice to call back down the hallway to the man who was obviously listening. "Does that sound fair to you?"

Elijah steps back into view, adjusting his cufflinks in a way that indicates a habit developed out of boredom while living in a flush society. "It would be quite rude were I to enlist your help only to eat you afterwards. I may be a vampire, but I'm not a savage."

[duderaider]

"Great, thanks!" Nathan calls back, before returning his attentions to Elena. A pause follows, then back to whispering for as little good as it's actually doing them, he asks, "So, what do you say? Are we in?"

He wants to be, but he also values her opinion.

[howmuchtrouble]

They probably shouldn't be. This is likely not the wisest life choice they would ever make. But she can't help but be curious about what's waiting behind the magic door, so she takes a deep breath and nods.

"Yeah. We're in."

Elijah smiles. "Fantastic." Extending one hand out in front of himself, he gestures for them to lead the way. "After you."

[duderaider]

"Not that I mind taking point," Nathan starts from over his shoulder, already headed in that direction, "but you do realize that there's a guy with a private army that's been hounding out this whole time, right? And that, if they're gonna show up at this point, it's gonna be from behind us?"

And if Elijah's pulling up the rear -- well, even he's not sure if he's more concerned for the goons and what Elijah will do to them or for the man, himself.

[howmuchtrouble]

Elijah smirks. "Don't worry. I'm quite difficult to kill." Though he might take it personally if they ruin his suit. "Though if you would rather take the bullets instead, you're more than welcome to them?"

"Nope, he's fine living a bullet hole-less existence."

At least for now anyway.

[duderaider]

"Yeah, no, I'm definitely good, minus the bullets," Nathan echoes. "I just figured -- well, fair warning, man." It's common courtesy to give someone a heads up that they might get swiss cheesed at some point, based on where they're standing, right?

[howmuchtrouble]

"The warning is appreciated."

And with that, they keep moving further down the corridor, Elijah eventually stops, his head cocking to the side as though he's listening for something. Then, he loosens the button on the front of his suit and steps to the side.

"Wait here."

He disappears in a blur, a small puff of wind following behind him. Elena is about to protest, but before she can say anything, the sound of gunfire starts in the distance.

"... Well, that answers that question."