WILLIAM CARNEGIE
Warlock
Posts: 168
Age:
32
Occupation:
Detective/Art Thief
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Zoey Washington
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 29, 2024 20:13:54 GMT
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Post by WILLIAM CARNEGIE on Sept 7, 2022 18:15:34 GMT
Thank you wasn’t the issue. Dalton might have been a failure as a father in many ways, but in his attempt at brushing off the dirt that had clung to the Carnegie family for generations, he had instilled in his son manners, a civility that threaded its way through his life like fine silver thread. Will said the words automatically, often - please, thank you, my pleasure, real gratitude that some didn’t get half as often as they deserved in a day and age where it was easier to snap and Karen your way out of a situation. Will’s problem was saying the words to Lex.
Driving away from the station - an hour earlier than usual to flee an argument going on between his partners over the chances that the coroner’s office was committing some grand cover up when it came to the bodies in the morgue - Will felt those two little words lodged like thorns in his throat. He’d spat plenty of other words at Lex, usually thickly coated with a sarcasm that Lex seemed incapable of understanding, but no less sharp for it. Each bit of gratitude had needed force to emerge though, coming out bloody and pained.
Will huffed out a breath, drumming his fingers restlessly against the steering wheel as he pulled out onto the square. He could’ve done it over the phone, hanging up the minute Lex’s crowing started, but it didn’t feel enough for what he’d done.
God.
The lights ticked over to red despite the fact that there were only a handful of other cars on the road. Will bent over the wheel, planting his elbows lightly against the belly of it to drag his fingers over his face. The tips ground against his closed lids. He’d woken a dozen times from nightmares about Zoey’s kidnapping since he’d rescued her. In some Lex had never called and he was still searching for Zoey months later. In most though … Will felt something in his chest twist again, bile burning the back of his throat. In most they had found her, but he had been too late. His wife’s broken body heavy in his hands, her face so pale beneath the bloody, he had felt something snap inside of himself in his sleep. Either way he woke violently, hands tangled in sheets that were wet through with sweat and dread.
This morning he’d sought her out at the station, needing the touchstone of seeing her alive, whole, seemingly untouched. He’d seen the way she’d favoured the ankle that had been injured on the day she’d brought him from the bachelor auction and knew that the pain and stiffness lingered, but, on the surface, she was still Zoey. Maybe she wasn’t his Zoey anymore - although the longer she was in torn, the more the lines his infidelity had drawn between them seemed blurred - but she was still the woman he’d fallen in love with.
His lips curved faintly as the honk came behind him - not the only car on the road perhaps - dropping his hands back to the wheel to pull around the corner and towards the hotel where Lex had taken up residence (undoubtedly with daddy’s money). Zoey had eyed him with the same suspicious look as Lex sometimes did when he’d been promoted onto her squad too. Eventually he’d worn her down, had opened her eyes to seeing who he was beneath Dalton’s veneer of greasy charm and money. He’d rather Lex didn’t end up quiet so comfortable with him, Will thought, he took far too many liberties as it was. Trying to hack his life as neatly as he did a computer.
In equal measures Lex was irritating, antagonising, talkative and smug. It meant that the moment Lex opened the door to his room, Will was going to want to tear his own eyes and ears out. Zoey. He was doing it for Zoey and what Lex had enabled him to do for her.
Will chanted it like a mantra as he walked through the hotel reception, not stopping to talk to the blonde at the counter. He was a detective, and a good one at that, it had been an easy matter to find where Lex was staying. The hard part was forcing himself to go there. Flat blue eyes swept the place - the grand lobby with its hundreds of square feet of marble, the elevator with its highly polished mirrored walls, the vases of fresh cut flowers that littered the hallways upstairs and the decent collection of art (an opportunity for another day perhaps). As he reached Lex’s doot it felt like he was willing the thick carpet to stick his shoes fast.
A thing whine worked through his throat when he stopped in front of the door. He didn’t have to go in, he was just going to say his piece, pat Lex on the head and leave. It was all it needed and nothing more. Will squared his shoulders and rapped his knuckle sharply on the door. When it took Lex more than thirty seconds to scramble the door - likely he had to swallow down the twizzler he was guzzling like an anaconda - Will knocked again. He eyed the peephole in the door, a faint frown springing up lines between his brows. Just as he was about to save his ego and give in, it opened. To …. distinctly not Lex.
Clearing his throat, Will went to lift a hand to wave the woman off. Either Lex was slipperier than he’d given the little snake credit for or he was a worse detective. ”I’m sorry, I must have the wrong room. You have seen a young man around - twenty or so, looks like he’s on a permanent sugar rush, about yay high…” He’d have pulled his badge just to prove it wasn’t a nefarious request but for most the sight of a badge meant instant silence. Nobody wanted to be the canary, singing to the police.
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WINTER BEATON
Psychic
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Curator's Assistant
Status:
Single
Played by:
Jodi
I’m part heaven and equal parts hell
Last seen Sept 20, 2024 17:10:30 GMT
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Post by WINTER BEATON on Sept 23, 2022 9:08:09 GMT
The van was her home but damn the bed in the hotel was comfortable, although she’d always been the type of person who could fall asleep on a bed of nails with various aircrafts taking off over her head. Her childhood bedroom hadn’t exactly been cosy. Winter tried her best to make it nice with various posters glued to the wall and over the years she collected different pieces of furniture from people’s front yards, but every night she would lie down on a thin mattress with police sirens wailing outside throughout the night. Sometimes when Lex was out, doing whatever the fuck he did, she would lie on her bed in silence. The gunshots, no sirens, no music blaring downstairs from another of her dad’s famous parties. The only thing she could hear was the occasional footsteps outside the room or a car drive past. From the moment she was born it was a given that she would be an orphan by the age of twenty. Neither parent were fit to look after her so it was down to whoever died last. Her dad battled through years of addiction, leaving whoever was in the house at the time to look after Winter. Most of the time it was Lori who would pick her up off the dirty floor, feed her, shower her and dress her in fresh clothing. Other times it was women who had lost their children to CPS and wanted to feel like a mom again for five minutes. She was passed around like a toy until she was old enough to climb up into the cupboards for food, run the bath for herself and operate the washing machine. Lori stuck around though, making sure Winter wasn’t completely neglected by her dad. She wanted to hate every single bone in her dad’s body, but a part of her felt sorry for him. His addiction was a disease and he failed to get the help she needed. Meanwhile Lex was on the run from his dad and from the conversations the pair had the man didn’t seem half bad. Lex was lucky with his upbringing, but so lucky that he couldn’t see it. The only thing the two had in common was the fact they were both psychics, yet they were friends. Well, Winter would describe them as friends but Lex would probably say Winter is just some girl he hitched a ride with to Mystic Falls and he had zero concern about her at all, which she knew wasn’t true. If he didn’t give a shit about her he wouldn’t have stepped forward at the Founders Day party. Underneath the walls he had built, she could tell Lex had a good heart, but it would take someone forever to get to it. Lex had the hotel room early that morning with his laptop tucked safely into his bag and no mention as to where he was going meaning Winter to starfish on her bed, watch trash television and order room service. Since she had a job now she could actually afford to pay someone to bring her pizza to her bed, plus she managed to bag some dollars at the carnival. She flicked furiously through the channels, biting down on another slice of pizza, until something caught her eye. “Perfect.” She shuffled down into the covers, bringing them up to her chin as 90 Day Fiance started, but within seconds of getting comfortable there was a tap at the door. She groaned as she threw the covers back dramatically and climbed out of bed, looking around the room for a jumper to throw on over her t-shirt, but the person knocked again. “Calm down, I'm coming.” Talk about being impatient. She reached over and grabbed Lex’s hoodie off the back of a chair before throwing it on. Winter unlocked the door, pulling it open quickly with one hand as the other brushed her hair from her face. “Yes?” She leaned against the door, observing the man carefully. Her eyes drifted as the man motioned how tall the man he was looking for was. “Looks like he’s a walking advert for Apple or Samsung? Lex?” Lex literally had some kind of technology device glued to him at all times. Winter nodded and opened the door further to invite the man inside. “Come in if you want… unless you’re like an enemy of Lex’s then you can stay outside.” She was on the verge of warning the man she had a taser and gun stashed in the bedroom as well, in case he tried any funny business. WILLIAM CARNEGIE |
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WILLIAM CARNEGIE
Warlock
Posts: 168
Age:
32
Occupation:
Detective/Art Thief
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Zoey Washington
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 29, 2024 20:13:54 GMT
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Post by WILLIAM CARNEGIE on Oct 11, 2022 20:05:00 GMT
Lex was obvious. He likely thought that playing the man in the chair – a ridiculous term when he often did as much harm as good, with his mouth leading the charge – made him mysterious, but he was anything but. An overgrown teenager with daddy issues clustered so thick around him it was a wonder people looking at him could see anything past them. The fact that he hadn’t handed over their guest to his father when he’d broken in made it clear how little regard Lex had for his old man. It should’ve had the two of them bonding, but instead the boy (and Lex was one, even if he would choke on his twizzlers over the accusation) just got under the superhero’s skin.
Unfortunately this particular itch couldn’t be solved with a dose of antibiotics. Lex was going to seize on the thank you he gave him and remind him – until he ran from the room with his fingers in his ears like the overgrown child Lex turned him into with a frustrating ease – endlessly of how he needed him. Will would’ve argued it with every breath in his lungs, probably still would, despite the fact that he was sure Zoey would’ve died without Lex and all his damn issues.
It wasn’t so fun having a mirror turned on his own life, was it?
Will refused to glanced at the ones that were scattered amongst the art work on the walls, the ones that threw back all the light and the gloss to make the place seem bigger, more impressive. He didn’t want to see that congested look on his own face, the red that would be creeping up out of his collar, where his distaste threatened to choke him, or the tension in his shoulders that he couldn’t lose. Lex was the only one who knew the truth of what had happened in that warehouse, how Zoey had been duped into going there. He hadn’t even been able to sit her down and admit it, despite the times he’d wanted to just as badly as he'd wanted to avoid doing this. After all that had happened Zoey deserved the truth, and someone more than the coward she’d married.
The thought only seemed to tighten the noose around his throat. It was lucky that he got a word out at all when the door opened and a young woman answered the door instead. Getting the wrong room would’ve given him a reprieve, a reason to bolt. Perhaps Lex had conned him into believing he had tracked the little weasel down to his lair – he’d spring out of the alcove by the elevators with a dramatic ah-ha!, crowing about this until he wanted to throw himself and Lex down the elevator shaft. Will was almost tempted to glance over his shoulder to spoil the surprise, but the girl had already addressed him, leaning against the door in a hoodie that looked … familiar.
Civility saved him from staring and frowning over it. He imagined the girl had enough of that on a daily basis, the looks that had immediately had him dismissing any idea that this was Lex’s room the sort of thing that was both a blessing and a curse. Will mimed out Lex’s height, perhaps pulling the gesture by an inch or two out of sheer bitterness, but not much. It seemed, it was enough. Shit. He made a sound low in his throat as she immediately identified him. ”Unfortunately that’s the one.” There was a wry note to his voice, enough, perhaps, to have the girl sitting on the fence over whether or not to invite him in.
Glancing down the hallway finally, Will stepped forward, into the room. Well, more of a room than he’d expected. It wasn’t a suite, although he presumed that Lex’s trust fund would’ve paid for one if it was available. ”I’m not an enemy,” he promised. Although the fact that she’d even brought the word up had him wondering who else’s business Lex had stuck his nose into. He could’ve pulled his badge, put her at ease, but Will slipped his hands into his pockets instead – all the better not to rifle through Lex’s things. ”Has he managed to unplug himself for five minutes, or is he lurking somewhere?” he asked, winging one dark brow.
Civility, he reminded himself. Will pulled his right hand from his pocket and offered it to the girl. A self-deprecating smile curled onto his face, although there was an edge of pride to it. Lex had proven that keeping his mouth shut was an impossibility. ”William Carnegie. You could call me a friend of Lex’s.” Lex likely wouldn’t though. He hadn’t radiated an ounce of friendliness since Lex had stuck his nose into business that didn’t concern him, trying to help in a way that screamed that he was being anything but … until he’d pulled off a miracle. Ugh. Just the thought of it continued to gall him.
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WINTER BEATON
Psychic
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Curator's Assistant
Status:
Single
Played by:
Jodi
I’m part heaven and equal parts hell
Last seen Sept 20, 2024 17:10:30 GMT
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Post by WINTER BEATON on Nov 18, 2022 17:25:28 GMT
It was surprising that Winter had been murdered yet given her tendency to run away with everyone and anyone. It wasn’t as if she was naive either. She knew exactly what type of people were hiding in the darkness, waiting to pounce on her. She’d seen enough of those people standing on the street corners in Seattle, looking for their next fix or their next victim to rob whilst pressing a gun into their side. They tried it a few times with Winter until it was apparent she had absolutely nothing on her worth any value. Some of the addicts would get pissed at her when she offered up her homework from her school bag or bag of chips. Lex wasn’t a bad person though, she could sense that. He wasn’t going to pull a gun on her and rob her blind so she felt perfectly comfortable falling asleep in a single bed inches away from his bed every night, knowing he wasn’t going to try and kill her in her sleep. He was far too preoccupied with his big adventure with his new friend anyway. There was a mixture of being serious and joking when she asked the male if he was an enemy of Lex’s, but it was unlikely. The boy pissed off a lot of people, but not to the extent that they were going to come knocking at his hotel room door. As for Winter, she couldn’t recall a single person who was her enemy. To have enemies meant she would have to care enough about what someone thought about her which wasn’t going to happen. Being bullied through school helped her grow a thick skin that was virtually impenetrable when it came to people's opinions of her. The concern that this man was an enemy quickly washed away as she remembered the pizza that was sitting on her bed and going cold with each passing second she spent hoovering at the door speaking with the male. “I’ll have to take your word on that.” She shrugged casually before breaking into a small smile. The stranger was familiar with Lex’s total addiction to the internet. “He’s headed out somewhere but I’m not sure where… he’s a secretive boy.” It had taken her months to pry information from Lex about himself, even now she wasn’t sure she’d got a full picture of him. There were still pieces missing, but whatever. On their journey to Mystic Falls she filled the silence with stories about her childhood, her parents and the fair, whilst Lex would offer up the bare minimum in return.
This is Will!— her face brightened up as her features softened. “So you’re Will.” God, Lex never told her how good looking Will was. Sadly he was far too old for her, but it didn’t stop her from admiring his handsome face. Her eyes fell down on his extended hand for a second. He was offering her a handshake. Skin on skin contact, which could lead to a whole sea of horrible images in her head about Will’s future. No, she had to get past this fear of her. She quickly rubbed the grease off her right hand using Lex’s hoodie before holding her hand out to shake Will’s hand. “Come in.” She held the door open for Will to enter the room then made her way back over to her bed, settling back into the dent she’d left from sitting in bed the majority of the day. “Interesting you say friend because whenever I refer to Lex as my friend he gets all pissed. It’s like he’s allergic to having friends or something.” She reached into the pizza box, pulling another slice out. “Do you want a slice?” She offered the box to Will before taking a bite of her slice. It was still warm. “Sooooo. You and Lex. Business partners yeah?” She had zero idea about what kind of relationship Will and Lex had. It was a total stab in the dark but she spoke with confidence. WILLIAM CARNEGIE |
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WILLIAM CARNEGIE
Warlock
Posts: 168
Age:
32
Occupation:
Detective/Art Thief
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Zoey Washington
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 29, 2024 20:13:54 GMT
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Post by WILLIAM CARNEGIE on Dec 17, 2022 19:52:41 GMT
Secretive? Will felt that tension pull tight around his chest as though he’d strained his lungs bellowing out a laugh, but the sound hadn’t emerged at all. If Lex hadn’t been secretive the entire town would’ve heard the truth about what had happened out at the factory by now and he’d have been looking at his ex-wife through the bars of a cell instead of from just inches away as he hovered over her, trying to impress his urge to help onto her (without letting an ounce of guilt show on a face that she always seemed to strip bare). Lex might not have been able to stop his mouth from running when he was helping, to the point where he’d actually threatened to remove that flapping muscle from his mouth if he said one more word about Zoey, but it seemed as though he’d wisely known when to stop it.
Will made a sound that might have been agreement, but was more akin to dubiousness. Perhaps tagging Lex the way he had done Zoey’s phone that day would’ve been a smart move – although he was fairly sure he didn’t want to get to know what Lex was up to when he wasn’t chomping and crowing down a phoneline. ”I’m sure Lex would vouch for me if he wasn’t … out,” Will murmured, wondering if Lex would swallow his tongue at the sight of their positions reversed. Him nosing back into the boy’s life instead of the other way around.
Nosing was what he did as he continued to surreptitiously study the girl. That was Lex’s hoodie, undoubtedly stolen the same way Zoey would take things of his – although would Lex feel that same warmth suffusing his heart at the sight of someone he loved wrapped up in a part of them. He pictured Zoey swallowed up by one of his shirts or sweaters, the same warmth in her chest as she caught the scent of him on them. Lex was probably incapable of such deep feelings of love and affection. ”Perhaps I should’ve called ahead,” Will admitted. That would’ve given Lex a heads up though and opened him up to the sort of enquiries and ego that would’ve left him feeling like he would have to vomit up that gratitude.
The words remained trapped in his throat as he introduced himself. Blue eyes narrowed faintly as the girl seemed to stare at his hand as though he was carrying a weapon in the other, ready to swing it at her the moment she took his. He had to bite back the ‘oh God, he’s said something’ as she started to wipe her fingers off. Shaking hers, Will managed to look faintly chagrined as he released her hand. ”That’s a worrying sign,” he told her lightly, as he followed her into the … surprisingly neat space. Not the trash filled hovel he thought Lex might’ve turned the place into, candy wrappers scattered around him like confetti. He dragged his gaze up from the pizza box on one of two beds, tilting his head slightly as he offered the girl another of those small smiles. ”Him mentioning me.” Lord only knew what Lex had said about him, not spreading the truth to the rest of the town didn’t mean he’d been discrete with everybody.
Awkwardly, Will hovered there at the end of the beds as the girl settled back onto one, reaching into the pizza box that was filling the room with the scent of hot grease and cheese. That probably meant that the other bed was Lex’s, and something to be avoided at all costs, but Will sank gingerly down on the end of it, for want of a better place to settle. ”I imagine he’s probably chase off any that might have become one before. Lex is somewhat of an … acquired taste.” Like goat’s cheese or oysters. Adjusting his coat around him Will went to give the place a once over again, but she was offering up the box. Leaning forward, he eyed it critically. Pizza might not’ve looked like it fit into his cordon bleu diet, but there was something unbeatable about a slice of pizza on a cold day in New York – walking arm and arm with Zoey, slices folded in their free hands, taking bites of stringy cheese and pepperoni hot and greasy enough to leave a trail running down your wrist.
Clearing his throat, Will took a slice, nodding his thanks at her. It wasn’t New York pizza, but it was still decent. He took a bite off the end, almost choking on it as she asked about their ‘partnership’. Will blotted his mouth with the back of his hand, twisting his head like he would ward the idea off. ”I’m not quite sure if that would be how I’d put it. I suppose that’s the way Lex did?” Of course he had. Another brag – business with a high class detective, a boon for him. ”I didn’t catch your name before…” Will started. It was hard to run a check on someone without one … unless he wanted to steal away with a pizza box to check fingerprints and see if Lex had opened his mouth to someone who would really set his life to crumbling.
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WINTER BEATON
Psychic
Posts: 72
Age:
22
Occupation:
Curator's Assistant
Status:
Single
Played by:
Jodi
I’m part heaven and equal parts hell
Last seen Sept 20, 2024 17:10:30 GMT
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Post by WINTER BEATON on Jan 6, 2023 11:30:06 GMT
Sometimes Lex’s life seemed so cool compared to her own. For starters, he could transport inside an actual computer and do shit in there like steal people’s personal details or gather information on them. Winter thought her abilities were pretty cool, infact she thought they were the standard abilities that were gifted out to all psychics at birth until she met Lex and realised it expanded way beyond telling the future. But the whole diving into a cell phone sounded so much better. However, without her being able to see into the past and future the pair wouldn’t have even become friends in the first place. Lex would grumble it wasn’t that big of a deal but if they hadn’t who else would have driven Lex to Mystic Falls? After all, he was a passenger princess who complained about the driver’s choice of music and slept the first half of every single journey because he didn’t like mornings. God, she would love to take him to her old house in Seattle just to open his mind a little. Sleeping was impossible there sometimes as her dad would have all his friends around for a party. Not even celebrating anything in particular, just partying until the afternoon the following day. Sometimes she would come home from school and they would still be going. Lex wasn’t there to vouch for the man, so Winter had to make her own assumption about him. A quick glance up and down didn’t reveal much, but he didn’t look like he was carrying a weapon or anything. Wouldn’t be good for the business of the hotel if Lex came home and Winter was lying on the bed with a bull-shaped wound on her forehead. She merely shrugged at Will’s suggestion, “I’m sure Lex would have hurried me out the room before you came round.” Mixing business with pleasure didn’t seem like something Lex would like. Probably wanted to keep those to arm's length apart. Any concerns she had about the mysterious handsome man quickly settled when he introduced himself and she shook his hand. Although she was happier about the fact she didn’t have any visions. She moved back inside the hotel room, returning to her bed. Together the pair of them mentioned keeping the room tidy, although Winter didn’t really have a lot of belongings to bring to the space. Living out the back of her car, then a van she was forced to live that minimalist lifestyle influencers blog about. Capsize wardrobe she heard someone call it once. “Nah nothing like that. He’s mentioned you a few times and said he came to Mystic Falls to see you… so I guess you’re the reason I’m here.” Along with an offer from Lex to get away from the fair and go on a little trip. The awkwardness emanated from Will, like he didn’t know what to do with himself. It wasn’t like they had a cosy living room he could sit in or a kitchen. Just a basic hotel room. He chose to sit on Lex’s bed though, which was a brave option. Winter would dust the creases off later. She let out a hearty laugh at his comment, “Very acquired, but I think there’s a nice person beneath all his bullshit.” Think. The theory had yet to be fully tested, but if he was such as asshole she wouldn’t have stuck around for so long. She watched as he eyed the pizza carefully as if she had sprinkled it with poison even though she was sat there eating her own piece. Nonetheless, he took a piece and Winter shut the box again, tossing it on the bedside table. Okay so they weren’t business partners and even though Will referred to Lex as a friend she doubted they were actually friends. “He said he was here on a sorta business trip. I was just putting two and two together.” Did she really care that much that she was going to sit there and grill Will? No. It was Lex’s personal business and he didn’t pry around in hers so she did the same for him. “Winter… Beaton.” Only offering her surname because he did the same for her. WILLIAM CARNEGIE - wanna wrap up with yours? |
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WILLIAM CARNEGIE
Warlock
Posts: 168
Age:
32
Occupation:
Detective/Art Thief
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Zoey Washington
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 29, 2024 20:13:54 GMT
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Post by WILLIAM CARNEGIE on Jan 13, 2023 18:51:04 GMT
The girl opening the door had revealed more about Lex than breaking into his father’s home had. Turning up in Mystic Falls afterwards Lex had revealed his skill with technology, his foul habit of chomping his way towards diabetes, his inability to accept boundaries and, perhaps the worst, the size of an ego that was as big as Lex himself. As a detective he should have been able to dig deeper, but Will had yet to. He wouldn’t blame it on Zoey being in town, although her arrival had knocked his life here off track in ways he’d never imagined. He wouldn’t blame it on not looking a gift horse in the mouth either, because until Lex had helped to save Zoey’s life he hadn’t been one. It had perhaps been more a resistance to giving the boy any more credence than he deserved. Lex wasn’t a friend. He wasn’t a business partner, although it seemed as though he’d told the girl here that he was. He was a pain in the behind that had suddenly been revealed to have all sorts of hidden depths and Will wasn’t so sure he liked it.
He hummed his amusement in agreement to the girl’s observation. Perhaps Lex would’ve liked to publicly gloat, but in this case it would have meant revealing more of what he’d kept hidden away here in the room that was undoubtedly being paid for with his father’s money. ”It certainly seems as though he’d prefer to keep us compartmentalised.” The same way he had Lex nad Zoey. Two parts of his life that he hadn’t wanted to bring together – it would have been too close, chances too high that Lex would open his mouth about something too great. Zoey had already placed a toe across the line between the worlds he lived between, Lex doing the same would break the barrier completely.
Lex would probably say he was breaking one by following Winter into their hotel room, but he wouldn’t have had a legal leg to stand on. This wasn’t hacking a cell phone or illegal listening into phone calls – both of which he imagined he could have made a charge stick with against Lex – it was being invited into a shared space. Winter ruled here, Will thought, at least he’d rather believe that she kept the place tidy than Lex did. ”Not so worrying then,” Will said, his voice a little lighter as the corners of his mouth quirked up. ”His visit was … unexpected, but I suppose for you something good came from it.” At least he presumed it was something good. Other than being Lex’s friend, he had no real read on the girl herself. That could all change with a dive into the system with what he did have on her, with the tech skills that would leave Lex laughing til he cried.
It was all the better to connect with her here, on Lex’s bed, in the inner sanctum so to speak. Technology could make your life a thousand times easier , apparently, but it was never going to be any substitute for using the computer of your own mind. Asking questions, watching for reactions – like the laugh that spilled out of her as he called Lex an acquired taste. ”Really?” Will asked rhetorically, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice as he raised his brows at her. He paused for a moment, his expression pinching as he tried to imagine Lex being nice. He had helped save Zoey though, had hindered the rescue in some ways, but he’d sounded the alarm first, had given him enough of a read on the place that he could take the men who had lured her there down, had killed the last one. Nice perhaps was stretching it – especially since Lex had crossed a line with what he’d said about their marriage – but he’d come today because he was grateful to him and those words were going to have to be ripped from his throat at some point.
At least there was pizza to get him through the wait – undoubtedly it wouldn’t be half as good as his favourite spot in New York, but what in Mystic Falls was? Will glanced aside as the box was tossed down, frowned at his slice as he looked back. There was plenty of latitude for Lex to try and up his role in the thefts and he wouldn’t have put it beyond him to ruin the possibility of a reputation for being nice by bragging about it all. Will made a low, dubious sound and took another, smaller bite of the pizza. Not bad, palatable enough to use as a prop for the moment at least.
”It’s business of a sort, but we’re certainly not partners,” Will said, his tone clipped. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Winter. I suppose business is why I came looking for Lex today and why I’ll stick around until he comes back.” There was no question about whether it was good for her. He’d press if he had to, although Will suspected that seeing the two of them interact was going to be reason enough for Winter to tolerate him hovering there. There was always a delight in seeing animals in the zoo, wasn’t there? The gorilla facing off against the far smaller chimp, showing him categorically who was boss. Seeing himself remaining for the long haul, Will sighed and clamped the pizza slice in his teeth to shrug his coat off. He guessed he was going to have a witness to his humiliation after all.
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hope to see you in the discord! 
