𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

Damon, sensing my subtle nonverbal response, decides to pull over, deciding it's best to give me a break.  "Alright, we're stopping for a few minutes. Everyone stretch your legs." Kai, woken up from his brief nap by the sudden stop, looks around disoriented. He slowly lifts his head off my shoulder and looks at the car door, having no idea how to open it. "Umm... how do you get out of this thing?"

Kai, still half-asleep and unfamiliar with cars, looks around cluelessly, seemingly lost "Is there some kind of magic button I'm supposed to press or something?" Kai, still struggling to figure out how to open the car door normally, gets the idea to siphon magic from me to help him get out.  "Hey, can I borrow some of your magic for a sec?"

me, noticing Kai's intentions, protests and try to pull my arm back, "Hey, I don't think-" But Kai, not taking no for an answer, quickly grabs my arm and begins siphoning my magic anyway, tapping into my power to open the car door.

me, feeling Kai siphon my magic without consent, i pull my arm away and gently push his hand off the door.  "Wait, not like that-"i then proceed to show Kai the proper way to open a car door, pointing out the button that releases the lock. Kai, feeling a bit embarrassed for not knowing something so simple, can't help but crack a sarcastic remark.  "Ah, so that's what that button was for. I thought it was just some random decoration."

me, still slightly annoyed by Kai's earlier action, respond with a hint of sarcasm. "Yeah, congrats. You can now successfully open a door. Want a trophy?" Kai, feeling a bit disgruntled by my sarcastic response, exits the car and leans against it, sitting down beside the vehicle while trying to maintain his composure.

Damon, noticing Kai leaning against the car, approaches and gives him a playful shove, pushing him away from the vehicle.  "Hey, no touching the car, smartass." Kai, fully embracing his childlike demeanor, copies Damon's serious expression and tone, trying to mimic him like a kid playing dress up. "Hey, no... no touching the car, smartass." He tries his best to copy Damon's expression but ultimately just ends up looking like a grumpy child throwing a tantrum.

The basement is dimly lit, and Hope and Jasmine sit tied up to chairs, unable to move. Hope, looking around the room for any way to escape, speaks up.  "There has to be something we can do to get free. We can't just sit here and wait for someone to come rescue us."

Upstairs, Kol and Klaus are locked in an intense argument, their voices echoing through the house. "This is your fault, Klau,  If you hadn't started this whole merge nonsense, we wouldn't be in this situation"  "Oh, and I suppose it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you agreed to go along with it too, hm?"

Kol, fed up with Klaus's blame shifting, snaps back at him. "Oh, right, because it's all my responsibility to watch over _your_ children, right? Maybe you should have paid a bit more attention to your own family instead of starting another one of your ridiculous schemes."

Klaus, not taking kindly to Kol's remark, responds with a hard punch right to his face.  "Don't you dare bring my children into this!" Kol, rubbing his jaw where Klaus had punched him, stands up defiantly, meeting Klaus's gaze with a determined look. "Hey, that was completely uncalled for! And you have no right to bring up my nieces and nephews into this argument. It's not their fault this whole merge nonsense is happening!"