"So what's the plan?" Hope asked the headmaster of the Salvatore School. After staying in a spare dorm room the night of the dance with her boyfriend Landon Kirby, Hope had woken up to find out that the newest monster, who had brought Lizzie and Josie's biological mother back from the dead, was currently a prisoner in the transitional cellars at the Salvatore School. And then Rafael, a student at the school, was reunited with his dead ex-girlfriend that he had accidentally caused the death of in a car accident. "I know you don't want to give over the knife, but we can't have him raising the lost loved ones of every person in this school."
It would be a nightmare if these kids had experienced similar losses to her. Because reuniting with loved ones permanently was a gift. But this? This was just bringing back old pain and crushing hearts as they needed to find a way to say goodbye. And while goodbyes were fortunate, which she wished she had been able to have with her mother, it didn't change the fact that it would hurt a lot. Something none of these kids deserved to have to go through.
"I will handle it. I have questions that need answers." Dr Saltzman replied as he continued walking down the hall of his school.
"Okay, well, no offense, Dr Saltzman, but I'm not sure your methods are being the most effective." Hope said. He had been demanding answers from the monster that called himself the Necromancer. He cut his head in half and tried other forms of attempts to kill the monster and get him to talk. But nothing was working. They needed to get another approach.
"Hope. I said I will handle it. Now, just stay away from him" Alaric said firmly, not wanting Hope to think she should interfere. It wasn't her problem. "Maybe you should go home and leave this to the people that work at and attend this school."
"Look, if there's a monster here that knows about the knife Landon somehow activated, I want to be here when you get answers" Hope said. "It's not just about your school. They may be after the knife you have here. But these creatures exist, and my 1000 year old relatives didn't know they existed. it's important we figure out how that is possible. How they could have not known about this. You said that the dryad that you met was forgotten about by the man she loved after she was consumed in Malivore? If whoever is sending the monsters here is capable of erasing beings and keeps sending monsters after this knife, it affects all of us. Not just you and your school. We have no idea what will happen if the dagger gets returned to Malivore"
"You have a point, but you should still let the adults handle this. Go home" Alaric said.
But of course, Hope didn't. Instead she went to Dorian Williams, the librarian, and asked him if he found anything. He had easily found stuff about Necromancy but not about a Necromancer. So when he asked her to bring the books lacking content about the Necromancer over to the Necromancer himself, she didn't hesitate. This was her opportunity to get answers. She brought the books to the Necromancer and let him look through them. Of course, the dramatic monster threw a fit when he saw there was no mention of him as though he never existed in the first place. Hope explained to him that he must be getting orders from someone and tried to find out what he knew. The Necromancer explained that there was not a voice in his head telling him what to do. Instead, he simply knew things. Like what the deal was.
"If I return the knife to Malivore, I will be free of the blackness. The void. The empty oblivion." The Necromancer said.
"Do you ever just say things once? And more importantly, do you know how to get there?" Hope questioned impatiently as she looked at the Necromancer.
"Only that the knife will lead me"
Hope showed him the drawing of the symbol in relation to Malivore. "Do you know what this means?"
"That symbol represents what you say has happened to me. It means no one remembers you. No one celebrates you. No one mourns you. Loosely translated, it means "permanent death."
"Do you remember who killed you?"
"No, although that's not uncommon. The subconscious has a way of protecting the mind against the trauma of death. I see it all the time in my line of work"
"But theoretically, that memory still exists. Right? What if there was a way to access it?" Hope asked urgently
"You want to take a walk through my subconscious?" The Necromancer cackled. "Oh, oh, oh. Well, at your own peril, my dear. 'Cause I'm not sure you're quite tall enough to ride the scary rides, huh?"
The tribrid scowled at the short joke, definitely not amused about anything right now. Especially not coming from a creature like the Necromancer. "I can handle it. Besides, this is about more than just me. We all want answers about this"
Hope gasped for air as she woke up, sitting straight up. The canvas on her easel got knocked over at the strong force of magic that emitted from her. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, thinking of the first time this happened. The morning after the Necromancer went to peace. After he had haunted her emotionally to the point she couldnt get her mind off of it. She just wanted to be okay again. To have Landon falling asleep beside her. To not wake up with bursts of magic. But it wasn't working. Part of her knew she needed to talk to Landon about it, but she wasn't sure how. Unfortunately, the last time Landon had stayed in her room at night, it hadn't ended well.
She woke up to her body being shaken by Landon. Her emotions caused a wave of built up magic to emit from her like a strong wind. Her boyfriend flew back hard into the canvas she had in her bedroom. Hope sat straight up and looked at him with shocked wide eyes.
"Landon?!" She questioned in alarm, getting out of bed and going over to him. She held out her hand, helping him up with ease.
Drops and flakes of paint were all over him, the unfinished painting of them on the floor behind him. Her favorite waiter let out a small groan and looked at Hope in concern. "Are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that. You're the one that just got knocked back into my painting."
"I'm fine. I could use a shower. But I'm okay. Mostly just worried about you. That must have been some nightmare you were having"
"I'm fine" Hope said. "I'm sorry you got thrown back"
"Its okay" Landon said. "Just remember I'm always here when you are ready to talk"
"I know. But I'm not ready to. And there isn't much to talk about. You should probably get cleaned up" Without another word, Hope grabbed clothes and left the room.
Landon woke up in a spare room and got dressed. When he finished, he headed downstairs to the kitchen, worried about Hope. He wanted her to talk to him, but even though she hadn't said so, he knew whatever the Necromancer had done to toy with her really got to her. He didn't know how to help her, but he wanted to. He just wished she would talk to him, but he didn't want to push.
Hope was at the kitchen, eating some eggs she had cooked while Landon was in the shower. "There's extras on the stove" she told him once he entered the room.
"Thanks" Landon said, pulling out a plate and scooping some up. He took a seat beside her and looked over at her, thinking. "So, are we still on for leaving to find my mom today?"
"Of course. As we talked about last night. I just need to do a few things before we go. Just make sure to pack a bag. We'll probably be there for at least a night"
"You, me and a motel room. Sounds good to me" Landon said, throwing her a grin.
"Yeah, it does" Hope said with a smile. "I hope you get the answers you want from her. But if things don't go well, we can explore a bit if you want. Get something else out of the trip"
"I'd like that. I'm not expecting her to suddenly be a mom. But I just... I want to talk to her. Get some answers, you know?"
"Yeah, I do..." the tribrid said softly. "I felt the same when I was 15 and wanted some answers"
"About your dad?" Landon questioned.
He hoped he would be able to get her to talk to him. But so far he hadnt been able to. It had been a week since the situation with the Necromancer. And while Hope still acted like they were dating, things were also... off. He knew she had a lot going on in her mind. She had been having nightmares every night since they last saw him a couple days ago. Ever since the Necromancer disappeared after returning the dagger to Malivore. Something he knew Hope blamed herself over.
Hope nodded and leaned over. She kissed his cheek before getting up and taking care of her plates. She didnt say anything, and Landon knew she still wasn't in the mood to talk a whole lot. His worry was growing the longer she was distant. He didn't want to demand she talk, but he also didn't want her suffering as much as she was.
Hope headed upstairs to the closet and pulled out a bag before walking to the room with the witchcraft supplies. She wanted to make sure she had anything she could need while they were gone. She knew Landon was worried about her, and she wanted to talk to him. But she was so used to closing off subject matters that bothered her. And while she generally felt she could talk to him, she wasn't sure how to start. Not about this. They had been dating for two months now. Known each other for three months. But she felt as though they had known each other their entire lives. She trusted him. But she needed to find the words to finally speak about what happened that had affected her.
Once she finished packing up the magical supplies she could need, the tribrid headed up to her room and started packing her regular back. She wanted another training session before she left but wasn't sure if she had time because they really needed to get on the road. Which meant maybe she could shift for 10 minutes or so while Landon worked on getting ready.
She zipped up her bag and carried it downstairs before heading out to the backyard. The tribrid shifted into wolf form, which easily put her body to ease. Her inability to do magic in her wolf form caused her to feel relaxed, all of the magic built up instantly defusing. Her thoughts eased up as well, giving her a break from the constant thinking. She could still think while in wolf form. But it wasn't as... haunting. It was more freeing thoughts. Not burdened by her overwhelming feelings. Eventually, she changed back, feeling a lot better. The tribrid headed back inside, only to find her boyfriend on the couch with his bag packed.
"Hey" he said, standing up as she arrived. "Time to go?"
"Yeah. I already told them we are leaving today, so they know not to expect us when they get back" Hope said, carrying her bag out to the car. She tossed it in the backseat before getting in the driver's seat. Landon got in the seat behind her and was silent as she started driving.
"Have any of them talked to you lately besides casual conversation?"
Hope shook her head a little. "They've tried a little bit, but it hasn't worked. Besides, Freya and Keelin have been spending time with Nik when they aren't working. They don't need to look after me. Not anymore. No matter how much they act like they do"
"They just want to help"
"I know. But they've helped enough, compelling your foster parents and letting you stay here without having to be around your foster family at all. And I never wanted Connor or Dana dead. But they are one less thing that we need to worry about. Despite how much they deserved to live a full life"
"I know you're trying to look on the bright side right now. Well, the tiny bright side in the pit of darkness you are thinking about. But I know you aren't actually considering Connor and Dana being gone a good thing" Landon said, reaching out and taking her hand.
Hope took a deep breath and shook her head. "If I had done something different, Dana at least might have still been alive. I mean it that our lives at the school have been less stressful or annoying. But..."
"I know. But if anyone is to blame, its me. I activated the knife"
"You didn't know"
"Neither did you" Landon said softly, squeezing her hand lightly. "Don't blame yourself. Not about this or anything else." He pressed his lips to her cheek for a moment before pulling away. "I know you were trying to feign optimism here, but I also know you weren't really seeing it that way. Which is why I said more about it. Not because I want you hurting or blaming yourself. But because you need to be honest. Especially with yourself."
"And what about you?" Hope looked over at him for a moment before looking away from him.
"Of course I want you to be honest with me. But if you need to keep your secrets, keep your secrets. It's my job to bust my ass until you see me as someone to confide in" he said, looking at her, not letting go of her hand. "You don't need to rush to tell me about it. Just because I ask, it doesn't mean that you have to tell me. All you need to do is say you aren't ready to talk about it, and I understand. Just tell me if I ever overstep any boundaries. But are we ever going to talk about what is going on here? The nightmares. The staying pretty silent. Being a bit distant but giving enough gestures to reassure me that we are in fact still dating. I know something happened. And its okay if you don't want to talk. But I want you to know I'm here for you. And that I want to help in any way I can."
The car suddenly shut down, stopping in the middle of the road.
"Did you-"
"Not intentionally" Hope admitted. She sighed and leaned back, a lot of thoughts going through her head. "I want to tell you everything. But every time I try to tell you, all of the emotions come back, and I can't figure out how to put everything I want to tell you in words"
"Then don't tell me" Landon said after a moment, not wanting to make her hurt worse.
"The Necromancer messed with my head while I was inside his. And then a little outside of his head"
"Did he use your father?" Landon asked.
Hope was silent for a moment. "He did"
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you"
"Its okay. I told you to help the others, and you did. I'll get over this. I just need some time."
"Take as much time as you need" Landon said.
Hope leaned over and kissed him lovingly, pouring how she felt about him into the kiss. She knew he didn't necessarily need it, but she wanted to make sure he knew she loved him, even while she was being distant. "Thank you" she said as she pulled away.
"Always" Landon smiled a bit back at her, a hand on her cheek.
Suddenly, a car honked as it drove around them to get past them. "I think that's the universe's sign trying to get us to keep going,"
"Can we?" Landon asked, looking at the dead lights.
Hope closed her eyes and concentrated. Soon enough, the car started magically, and the tribrid was able to start driving again. "Being around you helps. I just don't want you getting thrown across the room when we wake up"
Landon reached over and took her hand. "I'm glad I'm able to help somewhat"
The rest of the ride was mostly silent between the two, except for Landon telling Hope to stop at a red light. And once she pulled over into the parking lot of the restaurant and turned off the engine, she turned around to face her boyfriend fully, making sure their lips met properly, kissing slowly. She let her arms go around him and pulled him close. When Landon broke the kiss, he placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes briefly. He couldn't deny how happy he was to have Hope in his arms. How he wished nothing more than to protect her and to take care of her.
"How are you feeling?" Landon asked her, opening his eyes and gazing into her beautiful blue ones.
"Better" Hope nodded.
"Good. Then let's go inside and get some food" Landon stated.
He knew she didn't want to stop. But he had plans that he would prefer to be on schedule with. They had stopped at a diner to get some food before they continued on the road to see his mom. Hope smiled softly and got out of the car before heading inside the diner. Landon followed after her with a small smile. He knew she was still shaken up over her thoughts, but he also was glad he was able to help her a little bit. He sat down at a booth and watched Hope order food for them both up at the counter.
Then she headed back to the table and took a seat. "I got you a burger. And us a side of nachos. No guacamole" she said, remembering clearly his allergy to avocados.
"That sounds good. Sounds like a lot too" Landon chuckled.
"I just figured we might not end up getting dinner depending on what exactly happens. We could be busy for a while. We don't know how meeting your mom is going to go"
"I get it. Thank you" Landon said.
Hope nodded and looked over at the window, thoughts flooding through her mind as she waited for the food.
"What the hell are we doing here?" Hope demanded. She had just gotten help taking a dive into the Necromancer's subconscious, and now the two of them were standing in Rousseau's bar. It was a place in New Orleans that she had been in a few times when she was 15. Back when her dad was still alive. She had never gone back since he died. Just being here was enough to stir up memories.
"You are the one who invited yourself along" the Necromancer pointed out as he looked at Hope, who was growing impatient the longer she was back in the city that contained nothing but heartaches now.
"Here. This restaurant is in New Orleans" She pointed out. "I went here when I was fifteen."
"Yes. Rousseau's. I spent a good amount of time here before the s. Your father was good for my business, always killing people."
"How do you know about my dad?" Hope demanded, stepping closer to the Necromancer.
"Well, he's standing right behind you"
The tribrid inhaled sharply and spun around, her gaze landing directly on her father. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw the man she hadn't seen in a couple of years. She swallowed hard and stepped closer to him automatically, but he disappeared before she had a chance to say anything to him. She spun around and looked at the Necromancer, her expression hard. "Are you messing with me right now?"
"Frankly, I think you're the one messing with me. All this talk about solving the mystery of Malivore. I think you and I both know which mystery you'd love me to solve. You want to know how your dad is. Or should I say, where he is? Huh?" The Necromancer questioned knowingly.
"No. No, I don't."
But even as Hope said the words, she knew it was a lie. Even seeing him for a brief moment made her want to follow him. It made her want to go wherever he went, whether he was a figment of imagination created by the Necromancer or he was truly the spirit of Klaus Mikaelson. It hurt her not knowing if he was suffering because he died for her. After all, her dad wasn't exactly a good person in life. Having her had changed him. But she wasn't sure it was enough for him to be able to get to peace.
"Sure you do. You want to know if he's at peace or if he's suffering. Regretting his sacrifice. After all, he did die to save your life."
"Hope" Landon said, his hand gently on her arm to get her attention, snapping her out of her thoughts and memories.
"Sorry, I got lost in memories" she said, looking at him.
"You really don't need to apologize. I just... It didn't exactly look like they were happy memories. I figured it might be best to get your attention" Landon explained.
"Thank you" she said softly.
It didn't take long for her order to appear. The nachos had appeared first, and they started eating that appetizer together, both comfortably silent. The tribrid dug into her chicken salad as soon as it arrived. She reached over and stole a fry from Landon's plate as he started eating his burger. Landon chuckled a bit at the fact she took one of his fries.
She was glad she had gone with him in his quest to find his mother rather than finding her via locator spells and letting him do the traveling by himself. She wanted to be able to support him and be there for him. Just as he was trying to be there for her. Once she finished eating and drinking most of her drink, she set down her glass and wiped her mouth clean as she gazed back at Landon.
"Thanks for coming along with me, you know" he said after another few moments of silence.
"You're welcome" She smiled back at him. "Anytime. I'm always here for you. I'm just glad I was able to help you track her down"
"Me too" he smiled back at her, reaching forward to hold her hand in his, playing with her fingers.
Hope could feel the warmth of his hands radiating from where they were intertwined together and she squeezed tightly. She looked back down at their hands for a second longer. Landon had noticed, and moved one of his hand slightly, turning his palm up so that he could brush his thumb softly across Hope's knuckles.
A soft sigh escaped Hope's lips and she raised her head to look back at him. "I love you" she murmured, leaning closer towards him.
"I love you too" Landon responded sincerely as he looked at her. They stayed like that a moment longer, just staring at each other before Landon cleared his throat. He removed his hand from hers and brought it up to rub his neck. "So what exactly is our plan for once we find her?"
"My most recent spell tracked her down to a coffee shop called Seylah's coffee shop, which fits the name of the woman in your photograph. So she must own the place. I figured we'd go inside and see if she was there. We can go at your pace but maybe once you feel ready to approach her, you go and show her the photo." Hope explained, thinking of his photograph that had Seylah, his mother, holding Landon while he was a baby.
It was a precious image and one he never wanted anyone else to get their hands on. It was the only picture he ever had of his biological mother, and it meant everything to him. Enough so that he was so incredibly careful not to lose it. He didn't know why he cared so much. She gave him up. But he wanted answers. He wanted to know why she didn't want him. Who his father was. What he was. And to do that, he needed to meet her. Which he was going to do today.