#( kol & edmond tag ; )

[museswithinx]

Edmond glanced back as Kol appeared confused, unsure for that half-second that he had approached the wrong person. As Ulrik clarified things for his uncle, everything made a little more sense for everyone. Olive had left out the gruesome nature of his demise. Death by fireplace, sounded more horror movie than real life.

He had been correct, however, in his assumption that the woman was with him as Kol addressed her, seeming to appreciate the appreciation.

"Isn't that different?" She agreed, "and long overdue."

Giving the man's hand a shake, he introduced himself, "Edmond Burns."

Well this was certainly a treat. He and his wife were wildly underappreciated for their great efforts to save the family and end wars. He was still waiting on the thanks for putting an end to Quinn's planned genocide.

"It certainly is, darling," he agrees with a fond smirk, "Being the bad guy is truly a thankless job. But someone's got to do it and everyone else is too hung up on morals." Honestly, it was so much easier to simply end the threat than to imprison them for morality sake.

"Edmond Burns." He repeats. "Another Vagus, I assume?" He said nodding toward Olive.

[museswithinx]

As Olive pointed him out, Edmond crossed the hall to Kol. "Mr. Mikaelson?" This drew the attention of a dark-haired woman nearby who must have been his wife. She didn't look the friendliest, major 'stranger danger' vibes coming off her.

"Olive says you killed Callum Addington?" Extending his hand, he stated, "thank you. The world is safer for it, so I just wanted to shake your hand."

{ bc Edmond's got his priorities and 'thank his father's killer' is apparently second after 'find Olive' LOL }

Kol eyed the newcomer suspiciously as he approached and addressed him as 'Mr. Mikaelson' as if he were someone's prom date meeting the parents. The suspicion gave way to confusion as he raised a questioning brow. "Who?"

Ulrik, who stood by Olive's side, cleared his throat and offered, "Addington. The guy you, uh, threw into the fire place."

Recognition lit his features then. "Ah. That's right. The human s'more." Smirking as the boy thanked him and extended a hand, Kol looked back toward Anikaia. "Look, darling. Someone actually appreciating my heroics." Turning back to him, he allowed him to shake his hand. "And you are?"

[museswithinx]

He was protective of his family, that was understandable and expected, and he had Olive and Ulrik as backup if he didn't believe him. However, it didn't make this fun or comfortable. One might call this nightmare-inducing.

He seemed at least somewhat appeased by those assurances and his own very thinly-veiled threat. "Yeah, got that with the whole s'more thing. Like I said, world's better for him being dead." Looking back as Kol invited them for drinks, except not Ulrik. "A drink sounds fantastic," Edmond agreed, before adding, "and water for Ulrik." Because both of them would be coming with him.

Now that he was properly threatened and made aware, they could move forward. They needn't be enemies, he avoided making new ones for Deniz's sake, so he would play nice so long as Edmond did. "That we can most certainly agree on," he said before he opened everyone to have a drink.

"That was very mean, Uncle Kol." Ulrik said with an innocence. As if he hadn't ever touched his uncle's liquor stash.

Kol met him with a smirk. "You and your fellow frat brothers are hardly subtle about it," he quips before his smirk widened a bit as Edmond insisted on water for Ulrik. Clearly nervous to be left without his friends. Good. Fear would keep him in check. "A bland water for my favorite nephew then."

[museswithinx]

As if he wasn't nervous enough, that pause to study him made him immediately regret this decision. "It wasn't intentional, passion consumes us all, even the cult leader without a grip on reality. I was an unfortunate but usable accident."

Before he could defend himself from the very clear accusation, Ulrik stepped in, and Edmond gave him a nod of appreciation before offering to Kol. "I haven't seen him since I was seven, I swear. My childhood was a living hell because of that man and his cult, so believe me, I have no desire to finish anything he started. I just want a little closure and to meet my half-sister, then I'm out of here. My therapist says it'll be good for me."

He never could be too careful. The cult had a very specific hatred toward the supernatural, but especially Mikaelson's in particular. Deniz had a double target on his back for also carrying the fate of the siren line, so it was entirely necessary and Edmond would have to deal with a little unease.

His nephew came to Edmond's defense before the man himself offered a small defense of his own. "That's a good lad. Because that nonsense he devoted his entire life to didn't fare very well for him." He muses, remembering the fear in the man's eyes right before Kol shoved him face first into the fire place. "Now then." He claps his hands together with a grin, "Shall we have a drink?" Turning to his nephew, he adds, "Not you. You've dipped your mischievous little frat boy hands into my stash enough."

[museswithinx]

Anikaia shared a smile with him, and Edmond was really pretty unnerved by the whole thing. "It's our burden to bear, mi amor," she agreed.

As he's mistaken for Vagus, Edmond corrected, "not quite. They helped my mother and I when I was a kid. I'm the human s'more's son actually. Been in hiding for almost twenty years now, so no coven."

"And what a burden it is," he quips with one of his devilish smirks. "It's a good thing our marriage is forged in steel," he adds as if that were ever a concern for either.

As Edmond corrected him and explained who he actually was... Well, it got more interesting. Kol tilted his head at him as he studied him a moment, noting similar features to the wannabe god who now resided in Underworld Hell. "I wasn't aware he had a son," he muses, "He seemed too high off his own kool-aid to ever have need for an heir to his little cult-kingdom with Whats-Her-Face." Oh dear. Another name that slipped his mind. "So I'm to assume your mother left for good reason and we'll have no problems then. Right, Edmond?"

"None, Uncle Kol," Ulrik assures, "Addington had no influence in his life whatsoever." To Edmond, he said more quietly, "Sorry. He's just protective. It's been a long year."