All the cards

10

"Hayley, this is Mal." I introduced. "Mal, Hayley, and Hope."
"Uh, hey." Hayley greeted.
"Mal is Aria's brother."
"Wait, is he the one that makes Klaus look innocent?" She asked.
"Who's Klaus?" Mal asked.
"One of my brothers."
"Huh."
"No need to look pleased. Your past is nothing to be proud of." I chided, and he rolled his eyes.
"What kind of past are we talking about?"
"Think Klaus, except minus the parents issue but add a deep resentment to family and multiply paranoia by ten."
"That's... not a good combination."
"Yeah, well, Aria and I gave him amnesia and made him live a bunch of whole new lives as different people."
"Twenty five if we count the ones with an untimely death."
"You know, I bet Lia might be a little less mad at you if you described all your deaths to her with all the gruesome details."
"I'm not that desperate."
"Sure you're not."
"Wait, this is from when you were human? How?" Hayley asked.
"It's a lot more complicated than that. It's more than just from when we were human. It's a really long story. But he's different now. I mean, he's lived so many lives as so many other people, never remembering his past lives. Those experiences changed him."
"Allegedly." Aria said.
"Make that two plus ones. Or is that called a plus two?" I said to Hayley.
"I'm not staying that long." Aria said.
"The two of you need to work this out."
"No, we don't. I'm not just going to forget everything because unlike you I'm not blind to his-"
"Lia." I cut her off. "Not in front of the kids. And either the two of you talk or I will lock you in the same room for the rest of eternity."
"Thanks, but no thanks." She disappeared.
"Yeah, she's gonna hate me forever." He said.
"You sound cut up." Hayley said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Family is complicated in our family."
"I'm starting to thing family is complicated when you're supernatural period."
"Yes, but no family is as complicated as mine. Trust me, I've been through enough of them to know."
"He's being dramatic." I said.
"Why exactly are we going shopping?"
"I'm gonna go meet the man who has had a crush on our Amity for, what, a thousand years?"
"Ha ha." I rolled my eyes.
"This wouldn't happen to be that Tristan fellow, would it?"
"Go away, Mal."
"You wish."
"If you don't go away, I'm going to kill you and you'd have to wait eighteen years, at least, to do anything."
"Like reincarnation?" Hayley asked.
"More like a curse. I've been cursed to live out several human lives."
"Granted, you absolutely deserved it and more."
"Yes, yes. I was a horrible deviant. A menace to society. I should've been locked in a box and thrown out into the ocean." We walked into a formal store.
"You're mistaking me for Lia."
"So why do you call her Lia? I thought her name was Aria?"
"Aria isn't her real name."
"Oh."
"It's a long story."
"I'm sensing a pattern."
"I just have to talk to all of my siblings first, you know."
"Yeah, no. That's okay. Are you absolutely sure you can't go to the party tonight?"
"You have to go." Mal added.
"I am not going. I plan to never see Tristan again."
"No no. You are not a coward." Mal stood.
"I'm not a coward. I just have no interest in seeing him. I have better things to do with my time."
"Like what?"
"Help Davina bring Kol back."
"You can take a night off." Mal said. "And I'll be your escort."
"That would be perfect." Hayley said,
"No absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"Uh, one- You are not the kind of person who would behave at a formal event."
"I could be. I've changed, remember?"
"You've changed, sure. But you're still the same mischievous cheeky boy you've always been. That's one thing about you that'll never change."
"I'd behave, for the chance to meet this Tristan."
"Reason number two, Elijah would probably prefer him alive."
"So?"
"So you'd probably kill him ten minutes in."
"Ten minutes?"
"You're right, that's generous."
"I haven't done any killing in centuries. I don't plan to break my streak."
"Reason number three, seeing as Hayley's going, I'll just stay behind with the kids."
"No no. Jackson's staying with Hope, and I'm sure he would love to look after Izzy too. You have no excuses Amity."
"Then how about, I don't want to go."
"Irrelevant." Mal shrugged.
"I'm not going."
"You have no reason to stay at home. It's a party. There will probably be food and alcohol."
"I try to stay away from alcohol."
"It's a chance to stick it to Tristan."
"I don't care about Tristan. I really don't. I haven't given him a second thought since I last saw him a thousand years ago."
"Well you might not care, but he cares about you."
"No he doesn't. And I see no reason to stroke his ego by showing up."
"You'd be deflating it by showing up with another guy. And by making a point not to show up, you're really giving it a lot more thought." We'd picked out a few dresses, and walked over to the dressing rooms so Hayley could try them on.
"I'm not going."
"Don't you want mommy to go?" Mal cooed at Izzy. "Yes you do. See, even your son thinks you should go."
"Oh, come on Amity. Besides with all the whole prophecy thing, getting on Tristan's good side might be a good thing." Hayley called out.
"How?"
"They keep talking about a weapon, right? What if Tristan was lying and he's the one who has it?"
"Well then, I'm sure you and Elijah can handle it together." Hope giggled, hearing her mother's voice though unable to actually see her. "Speaking of, does Jackson know you're going with Elijah?"
"Yes, he does. Another reason I need you there. Things are... awkward, at best, between Elijah and I. I need you there Amity."
"Hayley-"
"I went to deliver a simple message and it got weird fast. Please? As my best friend?"
"Low blow, Hayley."
"Come on. We're sisters in this whole kid stuff, remember? Plus you need a night out. Desperately."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do. With the amount of stress on you, raising your son, your mother being alive, this prophecy, bringing back Kol, trying to repair your family-"
"-not to mention Lia and I."
"You never stop helping everyone else, Amity. Take one night off before you go back to being a workaholic." Hayley stepped out, wearing a beautiful mermaid dress.
"Wow."
"Help me zip it up?"
"Sure." Mal walked over.
"Thanks."
"You look gorgeous."
"Yeah, but it's so tight, I can barely move. I need something more freeing."
"Okay." Mal unzipped her and she walked into the changing rooms again.
"Anyways, Amity, please come. Jackson can look after the kids and you can point out anyone you might know."
"I won't know many."
"So you'll come?"
"Sure, but I have conditions. Mainly for you Mal. No killing, no messing with the guests at the party. No purposefully getting on anyone's nerves especially Elijah's. You will behave like a perfectly acceptable member of society. You will be friendly, you will be smiling, and you will listen to every word I say. Deal?"
"I promise." He said.
"Good."
"Now you find a dress." Hayley stepped out in a gorgeous red dress.
"That looks perfect." I told her.
"Really?"
"Definitely."
"You look good." Mal smirked and she walked back in to change in to her normal clothes.
"Ignore him." I said.
"Okay, time to find you a dress."
"I was thinking, maybe something purple. It would go with your... complexion." Hayley teased, walking out in her normal clothes.
"Hayley!" I groaned.