MOONS.
026. | ❛ you'd be surprised what i do for love. ❜

Meanwhile, Luna has just rushed outside the tomb to find the cemetery full of fog and lit candles. Vincent walks toward her from the opposite direction, and she looks relieved to see him

"Where have you been?"

Vincent raises one finger to his lips in a shushing gesture before he replies in a low voice.

"We're not alone."

"How is that even possible? What happened to the boundary spell?"

"That's all good when you're trying to keep out a vampire. This feels like something different."

Luna suddenly hears someone approaching and looks behind Vincent as the rest of the Sisters (excluding Davina), all in their black cloaks, approach them. Vincent turns so that he can address them with as much authority as he can muster, raising a hand both to stop them from coming closer and to block Luna from getting any closer to them as well.

"This here is hallowed ground, home to the nine covens of New Orleans. Y'all need to be on y'all's way."

For a moment, it appears as though the Ancestors lent Vincent their power, but the Sisters quickly throw both Vincent and Luna against the wall of the nearby tomb, nearly dislocating Vincent's shoulder in the process. Vincent looks at Luna anxiously

"Okay, I'm gonna give you one guess what they're here for, Luna."

Luna looks down at the wooden knight in her hand and grips it tightly.

"Either they're gonna kill you, or Klaus will for losing that thing. You need to go."

"No. What about you?"Vincent looks at her exasperatedly.

"Go. Run. Now!"

Luna reluctantly leaves him behind and does as she's told, while Vincent prepares to fight against the Sisters. However, when Luna rushes into a tomb to hide, she's caught by Madison. Luna takes one look at her and frowns.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Does it really matter? You know what I've come for. Hand it over."

Luna clutches onto the wooden knight even tighter behind her back, but otherwise doesn't move, and Madison gives her a hard look.

"I'm not going to ask twice."

When Luna still doesn't give her the knight, Madison snaps her fingers, which breaks her left ankle. Luna screams in pain and falls to the floor, but continues to take the torture rather than giving her the knight.

Madison breaks her other leg, and Luna rolls onto her side while she tries to come up with another plan. Madison smiles gleefully, mildly impressed by Luna's fortitude

"You have a high tolerance for pain. Let's see how high."

Madison flicks her wrist again, breaking Luna's arms and wrists until the knight falls out of her hand, allowing Madison to summon it toward her. When Luna sees her pick it up off the ground, she cries out in horror.

"No, no!"

While Madison is distracted by looking at the wooden knight, Luna rolls over, grabs a light bulb from the briefcase of dark objects, and smashes it onto the ground. Whatever the dark object is meant to do, it seems to be causing an earsplitting noise that causes Madison to shriek in pain. Luna desperately crawls toward her to take the knight back, but Madison manages to push through the pain in order to cast a spell to get out of there.

"De tu me ne zhan fen!"

A huge burst of wind blows through the tomb, and Luna ducks her head to avoid being hit with any projectiles. After a moment, she finally lifts her head to find that Madison and the white oak are both gone, and she starts to cry when she realizes just how badly she has screwed up.
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Klaus has just awakened from his broken-neck-nap and has caught up with Luna and Vincent, who he is currently yelling at furiously.

"You realize this is your doing? Your attempt to manipulate me played right into our enemies' hands!"

"And I said I'm sorry."

"Your apologies won't bring back what's been lost!"

"Then shut up and let Vincent track down that witch!"

Vincent, who has had about enough of Luna and Klaus' bickering for the day, stands and gets ready to leave, causing Klaus to call after him threateningly.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I want to find her just as much as you do, but I cannot concentrate, not with this pointless bickering."

"Well, then, by all means, please, go, attend to your task."

Vincent goes to leave, but when Luna is about to follow him, Klaus stops her.

"You, however, are not going to leave my sight!"

Klaus and Luna are still in the tomb in the cemetery, where they are continuing to bicker as they have done all day.

"What were you thinking? Did it occur to you the immense danger you placed yourself in? You were almost killed!"

"I would have been. Thank God I had my dark objects."

Klaus, clearly upset by everything that has happened today, paces back and forth across the room, and Luna sighs.

"The amount of vulnerability you're feeling right now, Klaus... that's what I deal with all the time. Why do you think I'm so desperate to protect myself? If you had just given me what I asked for..."

Klaus looks appalled by this response,"Do not blame me."

"I took a calculated risk, yes. Did it blow up in my face? Yes. And I am sorry. I am. But if you had just listened to me, we wouldn't be here right now."

Suddenly, Luna's phone starts to ring in her pocket, but she ignores it in favor of finishing her speech. The more it rings, the more annoyed Klaus becomes.

"It's the same story with you, Klaus. For a thousand years you-you control, you manipulate, you do whatever you need to do to get your way. And I'm not gonna be a part of it anymore. I don't care how high the risk is."

"Answer your bloody phone, would you?"

Luna sighs and answers her phone by snapping at the caller on the other end of the line.

"What?"

Luna immediately shuts up and listens when she realizes Davina is calling her,"Luna, you have to listen to me. One of the Strix witches knows where you are and she knows that you have the white oak."

"You're a little late, kiddo. She already took it, which means... I guess the Strix have it now."

"No, you don't understand. When she got inside my head, I got inside hers. She's not working for the Strix."

Only Luna and Klaus hear what come next, but when Luna's eyes widen, it becomes clear who has been pulling the strings this whole time
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Klaus and Luna have just returned home to Luna's apartment, where Klaus once again confronts her about the stunt she just pulled.

"I have killed many, many people for far less than what you've done."

"What do you want me to say, Klaus? Thank you for not killing me?"

"You're in the throes of a metamorphosis you cannot possibly comprehend. One that has clearly impaired your judgment."

Luna gives him a hard look, clearly not happy with how Klaus is treating her either,"I may not yet know who I am, or what I am, but I do know I will never live in fear of anyone again. Ever. You'd be surprised what I'd do for love."

Luna turns away from him, and Klaus looks both sad and disappointed by what has happened since Luna turned,"You could have trusted me."

Klaus turns and leaves the room before Luna can respond, and she doesn't realize that he's left until she turns to apologize,"Klaus..."