#and i like the idea that part of the reason that agathon goes off of the grid is because he's searching for his friend

[nightingaletrash]

I’m still workshopping ideas on how Mel gets out from under Arturo’s thumb, so here’s the one I’m working with rn:

Agathon and Qadir both independently get some idea of what happened to Mel at the end of Coteries. Agathon learns that she was taken in by Arturo from Callihan during their meeting on Ellis Island, and Qadir figures out her involvement during the course of Julia’s investigation. After bringing D’Angelo into the Camarilla’s protection, he carefully reveals a few choice bits of information to him - that Mel is alive, under the control of a powerful elder, and was involved in Callihan’s murder.

Tamika’s already headed west but Hope is still in town so D’Angelo goes to her. Qadir doesn’t get any further involved than that, but he hopes these dumbass kids manage to achieve something with what he has provided. Meanwhile Agathon has managed to get a message to Hope through Nastya in the meantime, and convenes with her and D’Angelo at Ellis Island to conduct a ritual that might help them figure out precisely what happened to Mel and how to help her. They learn that Arturo dominated Mel into killing Sophie, then forcefully blood-bound her to him with the intention of having her take Adelaide’s place as his go-to assassin. Agathon is confident that he can break the blood bond with a ritual, but suspects that the moment they do, Arturo will know they’re onto him and they’ll need a way out.

Hope suggests turning to Julia for help, as she helped Tamika to leave the city, and Double Spiral can provide the necessary funds without a problem. While she covers that, Agathon and D’Angelo get to work on a plan to lure Mel in so that they can try to get through whatever mental conditioning that Arturo may have put her through and break the blood bond. They decide to use D’Angelo’s haven and wait for Hope to show up.

Julia agrees to get the group out of the city in exchange for payment and a share in Double Spiral. She also agrees to shield Hope from any potential fallout so long as she gets a say in Double Spiral’s operations. With a deal settled, Hope meets up with the others and shares the good news, as well as her plan to stay in New York as part of her deal with Julia.

However Mel arrives and tells them that they should have just left the city when they had the chance because now she has to kill them. They have to subdue her so that Agathon can break the blood bond. With Arturo’s influence waning, Mel pretty much has a break down because of Everything that’s been done to her, and Hope has to hurry D’Angelo and Agathon to take her and leave before Arturo can retaliate.

The three of them leave New York and head west to find Tamika in LA, while Hope becomes one of Julia’s most staunch allies to shield herself from Arturo’s reprisal over losing his second assassin. Meanwhile Qadir successfully remains off of his radar and is vaguely hopeful that they’ll eventually be okay.

[robotslenderman]

AU in which Olivia and Arturo’s relationship isn’t absolutely fucked up.

OK but like... Olivia/Arturo fake dating AU...

Thomas is this really stuck-up architecture student. Olivia is a grad student in business. They barely interact, except that their friends are friends with each other -- Qadir and Hellene, and also Agathon is friends with Aisling. Thomas’s family is obnoxiously rich and keep giving him shit about scaring all potential girlfriends away and/or having HORRIBLE taste in partners, so Thomas is like FUCK IT I WILL LITERALLY HIRE SOMEONE THEY WOULD LIKE AND HAVE HER PRETEND TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND.

(He does not hire Hellene because he KNOWS Hellene has a crush on him and doesn’t want her getting ideas. He does not hire Adelaide Davis, because Adelaide is literally his ex and she’s stalking him. He offers to hire Aisling but she threatens that once she’s done with his family they will disown him entirely.)

Olivia can’t stand him and almost says no, except she’s broke AF and holy shit that’s a lot of money. So she’s like, “What the hell, okay. But no sex.”

“Excuse you I’m hiring you to PRETEND TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND. If I was going to hire a prostitute I’d have done that.”

“Good, just so we’re clear.”

It backfires almost immediately.

His family adore her.

Thomas has three older sisters. They expertly separate them both and corner Olivia in the bathroom. “What do you see in him?” They’re suspicious that she’s dating him just for the money (DING DING DING) because their little brother is a grade-A prick and nobody could possibly date him for, you know, being him. Because yeah, it turns out his family finds him just as fucking insufferable as everyone else.

Luckily, they mistake Olivia’s stuttering for being nervous and she’s forced to pretend she likes some of his less-insufferable qualities. He works hard. He’s intelligent -- yeah, he doesn’t shut up about it, but it’s not empty boasting. Also, he’s kind of adorable in that really endearing grumpy kind of way. He’s absolutely passionate about art and architecture and you should listen to the way he talks about it -- 

(”We don’t,” says one sister, who gets elbowed in her pregnant stomach for that remark.)

Then they ask her how long they’ve been dating and Olivia is like FUCK FUCK FUCK WE DIDN’T COME UP WITH A COVER. So Olivia just pretends they’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks -- 

“Huh, he said you’d been seeing each other for a few months.”

“Well, you know what Thomas is like...”

The sisters nod knowingly. “It’s okay, we won’t tell him you didn’t back up his blatant lies.”

Olivia spends the night affectionately teasing Thomas and flustering him, and generally winding him up. His sisters love this. His mother is just surprised that he likes her so much he tolerates it. When his family get a little too on his case Olivia defends him and gets them to back off because, well, she’s supposed to pretend to love him and they’re going a little too far. If she goes too far in her teasing she just apologises to Thomas, which both confuses and flusters him.

At the end of the night the pregnant sister makes a joke about how they better get married at some point or else. Thomas is mortified. Olivia laughs her ass off at the idea, which tickles his family pink.

Afterwards, Thomas pays her in cold, hard cash and is like, “I completely regret this. Once this arrangement ends they will disown me. How come they like you so much?!”

“IDK they’re obnoxious rich brats like you, but also pretty cool??? they’re funny.”

“Har har har. Fine. My sister’s baby shower is in two weeks, are you coming? I’ll fund a gift from both of us.”

“Dude you pay me as generously as you did tonight and I’ll do anything. wait. that sounded bad. you know what I mean.”

“Ugh, take your money and get out of my sight.”

“Of course, darling :D”

“I hate you.”

“I hate you too! <3″

After a couple months of this she starts doing it for free because she’s on top of her bills enough she actually feels bad and feels like she’s taking advantage of him. Thomas rolls his eyes at this and is like “Fine, I’ll just owe you some favours.”

There is a skiing trip in the winter. They have to share a bed in a cabin. Thomas has enough social skills by then to offer to take the floor and Olivia is like “oh for fuck’s sake, you haven’t molested me yet so I’m fine with sharing. If you touch me tho I’m cutting off your balls.”

Thomas rolls his eyes and deadpans, “ah, but what if that turns me on?”

“... did you just make a joke? Holy shit.”

“I have been known, you know.”

“Not in any bloody world I inhabit you haven’t.”

They start actually having lunch together when their schedules line up, and with each other’s friends. Thomas’s friends are Hellene, Aisling, Payne -- basically the Primogen from the game. Qadir’ and Olivia’s friends are the Coterie. Of course, some of the friendships already are intertwined so when the groups join together it’s not due solely to Olivia fake-dating Thomas and being somewhat friends with him now -- Aisling and Agathon were already friends, along with Hope and Carter.

Adelaide gets stalky in the early-months, but Olivia convinces her to see a therapist and she’s doing a lot better and is on some medication that works and is actually part of the massive friend group now. Hellene starts seeing some dickweed called Douglas, who’s a rival of Tamika’s boyfriend, until he goes too far and Aisling and Adelaide join forces to beat the guy with a baseball bat. (”Holy shit, Aisling. I could see Adelaide doing that but not you.” Agathon says, “I absolutely could.”) 

They all know Thomas and Olivia are fake-dating and are kind of friends now. Hellene is concerned that Olivia is taking advantage of Thomas, until Olivia reminds her she hasn’t let him pay her for a while now and she just did it because she was behind in some bills and rent because not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. (At which point Thomas says, “You know if you’re behind in your bills again I can just help you out, right?” “I’M FINE THOMAS.” “... no you’re not you’re behind again.” “... not much.” Eyeroll. “I’ll give you some cash.” “Thomas -- “ “Olivia, just take it.”)

Olivia learns that Thomas has really bad ADHD and that part of the reason he’s so damn intense is because his medication makes him hyperfocus to an insane degree on his schooling. It’s a double edged sword but he’ll take advantage of it.

(She sees him off his meds a couple of times. He’s a complete disaster.)

Aaaaand that’s as much as I have time to write. Maybe I’ll write more later, maybe I won’t, IDK.