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Ficlet: An Unexpected Visitor [Incepted Verse]
Notes: Incepted Verse. Post Klaus arrival. Kol and Peter included with permission.
Riona: ree-in-ock
Since her arrival in New Orleans, life had become more interesting than she’d ever expected it to be after the decade she spent getting revenge.
Somehow, she had found herself with a community and not only that, a leadership position in said community.
As a teenager, if you added ‘travel’ in there it was everything she wanted. She had wanted to become well-connected and be known worldwide for her work and the work she and Jordan did. At the time, while daunting and overwhelming, the destiny thing had become her purpose and something she grabbed onto.
After Jordan and David’s deaths and having to call upon those contacts, she was glad she did and that she had the knowledge to do so. The time of making connections was no longer out of excitement and sheer want but out of necessity.
In order to survive and be the one that came out on top of the mess, she had to learn everything she could and become stronger. If not magically stronger then physically and mentally stronger. And who better to learn it from than the masters she could find?
In a place she never once dared to think she would return to, Piper found something more than simply a peg in the grief process. Though she found that as well.
She’s found a community, and a mentor and has since formed close ties with two men who she was still coming to terms with liking beyond friends.
It’s been months now since she started working with Ms. Fabienne, learning everything the woman wanted to teach her. Truth be told, there seemed to be no end to it, and she was well on her way to filling up her second journal of plain knowledge she’s gleaned from her.
There were days, often, especially after texting with Kol on Valentine’s Day, she questioned just how old the woman was.
But, as anyone would tell you, it was not nice to question a woman’s age. Even in her own family, looks were often deceiving. After all, there were many days she was still carded when ordering a drink, looking no older than 21.
She was just finishing up a project in the lab they’d put together when she first moved in when she felt the power shift in the abattoir. It took a moment, but the feeling became a familiar one and she arched an eyebrow to herself. “Let’s see who’s making a house call…”
“Twinkle Nose, I believe this one is yours!”
Piper snorts, standing from the desk, and stretches before making sure nothing will blow up or be ruined in her absence before stepping out. “So, which one is it…,” she asks, walking down the stairs.
“Living with an original vampire and an alpha werewolf, my you’ve always kept interesting friends, Piper,” a woman says with a faint accent, turning from where she was looking out the window and giving her a warm smile. She was wearing a signature boho style dress and a pair of simple sandals, looking hardly any older than the last time she saw her.
“You know what they say about friends… they’re sometimes thicker than blood,” Piper responds with a forced smile. “What do I owe this unsolicited visit a decade in the making, Amara? Surprised I don’t see your sister with you.”
Amara and Zoe, her sister, Katinen were, as far as she and Jordan knew the eldest in their line and whose birthdate was roughly in the 6th Century.
Amara blinks and tilts her head. “Has it really been that long?”
“Jesus, does time really lose that much meaning the older you get?”
“You do lose track of decades or centuries, especially if you’re living under a rock or in a box,” Kol offered up from the stairwell.
Amara looks at him and smiles. “Kol Mikaelson, it has been a very long time. I once knew your mother.”
“Then you know why speaking her name in our house isn’t smart.”
“Hence the once,” she acknowledges with a tilt of her head.
Piper watches them before clearing her throat. “Why are you here, Amara?”
“Well, I thought it was time we caught up,” Amara says after she glances at Kol and Peter then looks at Piper again.
“Come on, Vampire – let’s at least give them the impression of not being nosey.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kol mutters before looking at Piper and watching her nod. “Fine,” he gives Amara a warning look before stalking toward a room on the first floor, Peter following in his wake.
Piper motions to a couch to invite her to sit.
Amara settles in as Piper takes a seat across from her.
Piper just watches her, not bothering to start this conversation. As far as she saw it, it was in Amara’s court and not hers.
“Congratulations are in order, I understand it,” Amara says after a long minute of silence.
“You’ll have to be specific.”
“You completed what you set out to do, did you not? You and Benjamin – or Adonis, is it?”
Piper raises an eyebrow before snorting. “Yeah, you can say that. We found everyone who was in to kill Jordan and now the world is – well it’s still pretty fucked up, isn’t it? There’s always someone to take their place only this time they have a different leader so there’s hope on the horizon.”
“You were always headstrong and persistent. Once you set your mind to something, nothing would sway you until you decided for yourself that you were going in a different direction. It’s a family trait, happy to say. A frustrating one at times but it’s served many of us well.”
She watches Amara’s facial expressions before humming to herself. “That explains a lot. Is that why I haven’t seen or heard a word from any of you in years? It’s nice that after losing my best friend, my sister and the other half of the Enchanted, I hear literally nothing from my so-called family afterward.”
“You disappeared off the grid, Piper, what did you expect for us to do?”
“Don’t insult my intelligence. You found me here, through my protections might I add which aren’t child’s play. You could have found me if you wanted to see me or talk. Or your damn book could have made its way to me.”
“And you would have listened?”
“No, but the fact that you showed the fuck up would have said more than absolute radio silence. I knew all of you, especially Riona, didn’t agree with our decision but that’s never stopped you from inserting your opinions before. So, again, why are you here?”
Amara and Zoe had, of the ancestors they’d met, once been her favorite and it was only that reason alone that she was entertaining this conversation in the first place.
“I see we have failed you in that regard…”
“No shit.”
“I will not apologize for the others but on behalf of Zoe and myself, I do apologize that we were not there for you when you most needed it. I see now that perhaps we should have at least tried.”
Piper nods, grateful to at least have the acknowledgment that they could have tried to be there.
“I admit, I came here to give you a warning.”
“I knew it,” Peter and Kol say, loudly and nearly at the same time from the room they had disappeared into.
Piper rolls her eyes before looking at Amara. “A warning, about what and from who?”
“Who else,” she asks with a faint smile. “From the others, specifically Brianna and Riona. They have heard about this trio you’re forming, and the throne Adonis has taken for himself. I always thought that Da – well, no matter.”
Piper narrows a look at her. “I will choose to overlook what you were just going to say and instead focus on the important part of this discussion. What are they planning on doing about it and why are you bringing this to our attention?”
Amara smiles, unable to help herself. Piper has always reminded her of her sister and truth be told, she’s missed this witch. “You remind me so much of Zoe sometimes. We have decided –“
“So, you chose the short straw to tell me, that’s great.”
“Piper, you should know that after the last conversation, we had with them, Zoe and I decided we do not agree with their current path and their decisions. They are concerned about not only this triumvirate – perhaps the most powerful trio the world will have seen in centuries – but Adonis as the King of Hell. You know Riona as well as I that when she grows concerned, she tends toward preparing for the worst.”
“And what is she expecting to happen, Amara?”
“World domination and mass killings of the human population.” With a wave of her hand, Amara summons a small pot of tea for herself and a bottle of amber liquid and a glass for Piper. She pours herself a cup and settles into the couch, taking a small sip.
Piper stares at her for a moment then looks at the bottle. Amara wasn’t the sort to poison her, not that it would do much of anything anyway.
“I didn’t poison it if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s what a poisoner would say,” Piper snarked with an upturn of her mouth before pouring a small glass.
“She realizes that since she’s been alive forever ago, there’s always been a King of Hell, correct? I’m not sorry to say that she has lost her chance of being shocked and appalled by the new King because she wasn’t there to help us take down the old one, or any others in the past, and who was, in fact, responsible for the death of one of her descendants and arguably the better half of the Enchanted. Though, I understand it’s probably because it’s Adonis and not some nameless figurehead.”
Amara tilts her head in acknowledgment.
“As for my personal life and the Triumvirate, tell her, if you speak to her again, that she might’ve been appalled by my choice in loving and dating a vampire but now she can be even more so that it’s an original vampire and an alpha werewolf. And, if she came to New Orleans, she’d learn a thing or two namely that there hasn’t been a mass amount of death of humans. In fact, we’re starting to bring the different groups together and do something about this fucking beautiful city that should have been done centuries ago. Help protect it and its people. I haven’t seen her lift a fucking finger since I’ve known her other than running her mouth about her opinions and frankly, I’m over it. Tell her, if she really wants to make a stand, it involves fucking doing something.”
Amara smiles. “There’s the leader we always knew you were capable of being. Being back here has done you a world of good. Your powers are growing again, but I’m not surprised. It was a matter of time.”
Piper blinks and knocks back the shot of whiskey.
“If you’re poisoned because you couldn’t resist drinking it, I’m going to be very upset,” Kol says, walking out of the room and toward them. He was done pretending that he wasn’t listening and sits on one side of Piper, sprawling out.
“And I didn’t sign up for a vampire tantum,” Peter remarks dryly and remains standing.
Piper elbows Kol and sets the glass down on the table in front of her. “Talk about whiplash.”
“Apologies, Piper. To hear you speak so passionately about New Orleans and everything I’ve heard through the grapevine from witches throughout the city, you are making quite the name for yourself. It’s lovely to see and everything we knew you would one day become. We only wish that – “
“Yes, I wish she was here too and that she could form a path for herself. Enchanted or no, she deserved to make a name for herself outside of it as well.”
Amara nods and exhales a breath before standing, with the tea finished, and makes it disappear with a brief thought but leaves the bottle of whiskey behind. “I would like to visit again with Zoe if you all will be alright with that. We can look at these protections you have and while, as you say, they are not child’s play and are exceptionally strong, we can see about deterring the other members of our family if that is what you desire. Think on it, yes?”
Piper nods in agreement and stands from the couch. “Of course. Tell Zoe hello for me. You undoubtedly know how to reach me,” she says, giving her a pointed look.
“We will not be strangers, I assure you.”
Amara walks over and gives the other girl a warm hug, even if Piper remained a little cold in response. It would take time, but they had plenty of that.
And as quickly as Amara appeared, she was gone just as quickly.
Riona: ree-in-ock
Since her arrival in New Orleans, life had become more interesting than she’d ever expected it to be after the decade she spent getting revenge.
Somehow, she had found herself with a community and not only that, a leadership position in said community.
As a teenager, if you added ‘travel’ in there it was everything she wanted. She had wanted to become well-connected and be known worldwide for her work and the work she and Jordan did. At the time, while daunting and overwhelming, the destiny thing had become her purpose and something she grabbed onto.
After Jordan and David’s deaths and having to call upon those contacts, she was glad she did and that she had the knowledge to do so. The time of making connections was no longer out of excitement and sheer want but out of necessity.
In order to survive and be the one that came out on top of the mess, she had to learn everything she could and become stronger. If not magically stronger then physically and mentally stronger. And who better to learn it from than the masters she could find?
In a place she never once dared to think she would return to, Piper found something more than simply a peg in the grief process. Though she found that as well.
She’s found a community, and a mentor and has since formed close ties with two men who she was still coming to terms with liking beyond friends.
It’s been months now since she started working with Ms. Fabienne, learning everything the woman wanted to teach her. Truth be told, there seemed to be no end to it, and she was well on her way to filling up her second journal of plain knowledge she’s gleaned from her.
There were days, often, especially after texting with Kol on Valentine’s Day, she questioned just how old the woman was.
But, as anyone would tell you, it was not nice to question a woman’s age. Even in her own family, looks were often deceiving. After all, there were many days she was still carded when ordering a drink, looking no older than 21.
She was just finishing up a project in the lab they’d put together when she first moved in when she felt the power shift in the abattoir. It took a moment, but the feeling became a familiar one and she arched an eyebrow to herself. “Let’s see who’s making a house call…”
“Twinkle Nose, I believe this one is yours!”
Piper snorts, standing from the desk, and stretches before making sure nothing will blow up or be ruined in her absence before stepping out. “So, which one is it…,” she asks, walking down the stairs.
“Living with an original vampire and an alpha werewolf, my you’ve always kept interesting friends, Piper,” a woman says with a faint accent, turning from where she was looking out the window and giving her a warm smile. She was wearing a signature boho style dress and a pair of simple sandals, looking hardly any older than the last time she saw her.
“You know what they say about friends… they’re sometimes thicker than blood,” Piper responds with a forced smile. “What do I owe this unsolicited visit a decade in the making, Amara? Surprised I don’t see your sister with you.”
Amara and Zoe, her sister, Katinen were, as far as she and Jordan knew the eldest in their line and whose birthdate was roughly in the 6th Century.
Amara blinks and tilts her head. “Has it really been that long?”
“Jesus, does time really lose that much meaning the older you get?”
“You do lose track of decades or centuries, especially if you’re living under a rock or in a box,” Kol offered up from the stairwell.
Amara looks at him and smiles. “Kol Mikaelson, it has been a very long time. I once knew your mother.”
“Then you know why speaking her name in our house isn’t smart.”
“Hence the once,” she acknowledges with a tilt of her head.
Piper watches them before clearing her throat. “Why are you here, Amara?”
“Well, I thought it was time we caught up,” Amara says after she glances at Kol and Peter then looks at Piper again.
“Come on, Vampire – let’s at least give them the impression of not being nosey.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kol mutters before looking at Piper and watching her nod. “Fine,” he gives Amara a warning look before stalking toward a room on the first floor, Peter following in his wake.
Piper motions to a couch to invite her to sit.
Amara settles in as Piper takes a seat across from her.
Piper just watches her, not bothering to start this conversation. As far as she saw it, it was in Amara’s court and not hers.
“Congratulations are in order, I understand it,” Amara says after a long minute of silence.
“You’ll have to be specific.”
“You completed what you set out to do, did you not? You and Benjamin – or Adonis, is it?”
Piper raises an eyebrow before snorting. “Yeah, you can say that. We found everyone who was in to kill Jordan and now the world is – well it’s still pretty fucked up, isn’t it? There’s always someone to take their place only this time they have a different leader so there’s hope on the horizon.”
“You were always headstrong and persistent. Once you set your mind to something, nothing would sway you until you decided for yourself that you were going in a different direction. It’s a family trait, happy to say. A frustrating one at times but it’s served many of us well.”
She watches Amara’s facial expressions before humming to herself. “That explains a lot. Is that why I haven’t seen or heard a word from any of you in years? It’s nice that after losing my best friend, my sister and the other half of the Enchanted, I hear literally nothing from my so-called family afterward.”
“You disappeared off the grid, Piper, what did you expect for us to do?”
“Don’t insult my intelligence. You found me here, through my protections might I add which aren’t child’s play. You could have found me if you wanted to see me or talk. Or your damn book could have made its way to me.”
“And you would have listened?”
“No, but the fact that you showed the fuck up would have said more than absolute radio silence. I knew all of you, especially Riona, didn’t agree with our decision but that’s never stopped you from inserting your opinions before. So, again, why are you here?”
Amara and Zoe had, of the ancestors they’d met, once been her favorite and it was only that reason alone that she was entertaining this conversation in the first place.
“I see we have failed you in that regard…”
“No shit.”
“I will not apologize for the others but on behalf of Zoe and myself, I do apologize that we were not there for you when you most needed it. I see now that perhaps we should have at least tried.”
Piper nods, grateful to at least have the acknowledgment that they could have tried to be there.
“I admit, I came here to give you a warning.”
“I knew it,” Peter and Kol say, loudly and nearly at the same time from the room they had disappeared into.
Piper rolls her eyes before looking at Amara. “A warning, about what and from who?”
“Who else,” she asks with a faint smile. “From the others, specifically Brianna and Riona. They have heard about this trio you’re forming, and the throne Adonis has taken for himself. I always thought that Da – well, no matter.”
Piper narrows a look at her. “I will choose to overlook what you were just going to say and instead focus on the important part of this discussion. What are they planning on doing about it and why are you bringing this to our attention?”
Amara smiles, unable to help herself. Piper has always reminded her of her sister and truth be told, she’s missed this witch. “You remind me so much of Zoe sometimes. We have decided –“
“So, you chose the short straw to tell me, that’s great.”
“Piper, you should know that after the last conversation, we had with them, Zoe and I decided we do not agree with their current path and their decisions. They are concerned about not only this triumvirate – perhaps the most powerful trio the world will have seen in centuries – but Adonis as the King of Hell. You know Riona as well as I that when she grows concerned, she tends toward preparing for the worst.”
“And what is she expecting to happen, Amara?”
“World domination and mass killings of the human population.” With a wave of her hand, Amara summons a small pot of tea for herself and a bottle of amber liquid and a glass for Piper. She pours herself a cup and settles into the couch, taking a small sip.
Piper stares at her for a moment then looks at the bottle. Amara wasn’t the sort to poison her, not that it would do much of anything anyway.
“I didn’t poison it if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s what a poisoner would say,” Piper snarked with an upturn of her mouth before pouring a small glass.
“She realizes that since she’s been alive forever ago, there’s always been a King of Hell, correct? I’m not sorry to say that she has lost her chance of being shocked and appalled by the new King because she wasn’t there to help us take down the old one, or any others in the past, and who was, in fact, responsible for the death of one of her descendants and arguably the better half of the Enchanted. Though, I understand it’s probably because it’s Adonis and not some nameless figurehead.”
Amara tilts her head in acknowledgment.
“As for my personal life and the Triumvirate, tell her, if you speak to her again, that she might’ve been appalled by my choice in loving and dating a vampire but now she can be even more so that it’s an original vampire and an alpha werewolf. And, if she came to New Orleans, she’d learn a thing or two namely that there hasn’t been a mass amount of death of humans. In fact, we’re starting to bring the different groups together and do something about this fucking beautiful city that should have been done centuries ago. Help protect it and its people. I haven’t seen her lift a fucking finger since I’ve known her other than running her mouth about her opinions and frankly, I’m over it. Tell her, if she really wants to make a stand, it involves fucking doing something.”
Amara smiles. “There’s the leader we always knew you were capable of being. Being back here has done you a world of good. Your powers are growing again, but I’m not surprised. It was a matter of time.”
Piper blinks and knocks back the shot of whiskey.
“If you’re poisoned because you couldn’t resist drinking it, I’m going to be very upset,” Kol says, walking out of the room and toward them. He was done pretending that he wasn’t listening and sits on one side of Piper, sprawling out.
“And I didn’t sign up for a vampire tantum,” Peter remarks dryly and remains standing.
Piper elbows Kol and sets the glass down on the table in front of her. “Talk about whiplash.”
“Apologies, Piper. To hear you speak so passionately about New Orleans and everything I’ve heard through the grapevine from witches throughout the city, you are making quite the name for yourself. It’s lovely to see and everything we knew you would one day become. We only wish that – “
“Yes, I wish she was here too and that she could form a path for herself. Enchanted or no, she deserved to make a name for herself outside of it as well.”
Amara nods and exhales a breath before standing, with the tea finished, and makes it disappear with a brief thought but leaves the bottle of whiskey behind. “I would like to visit again with Zoe if you all will be alright with that. We can look at these protections you have and while, as you say, they are not child’s play and are exceptionally strong, we can see about deterring the other members of our family if that is what you desire. Think on it, yes?”
Piper nods in agreement and stands from the couch. “Of course. Tell Zoe hello for me. You undoubtedly know how to reach me,” she says, giving her a pointed look.
“We will not be strangers, I assure you.”
Amara walks over and gives the other girl a warm hug, even if Piper remained a little cold in response. It would take time, but they had plenty of that.
And as quickly as Amara appeared, she was gone just as quickly.