Rosalind chained him to a chair.
She lit a candle and periodically poured some hot wax on his hands while she waited for him to wake up, building up the layers over his fingers and essentially sticking his palms to the chair, immobile.
She'd reattached his head and put his heart back in his chest, humming to herself while Ruby and Bonnie sat on the couch, staring at her in disbelief. Ruby seemed to want to avert her gaze, but simply couldn't.
"There we go," cooed Rosalind as he started to twitch, his eyelids fluttering until he awoke completely. "Hello there."
"Kinky," said Kai, glancing down at his hands. He tugged, realizing he couldn't easily move them. "I always did want to get wax play off of my sexual bucket list..."
"Hmm..." Rosalind leaned over him, holding the armrests. "I don't think you're going to like the way I play."
He tilted his head back to look at her. "My type of girl. My guess is the feeling is mutual?"
She scrunched up her nose, faking pity. "I'm not attracted to men. Sucks for you. Things will get much more sucky unless you answer my questions."
"An answer for an answer," prompted Kai. "I ask first. Who are you?"
"Rosalind," she replied. "Vampire-wolf hybrid sired by Niklaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid himself. He also happens to be my best friend. See, my bite won't hurt you beyond some blood loss, but the rest of me is just as lethal. Question one... how did you know we were here?"
He glanced at Ruby. "She has your face. And the same name you gave to your kid. My guess is, this is her."
Ruby blew air out of her mouth and stared at the floor. "Maybe."
"That's a yes. Hmm. So, this proves you would pull off brown hair, Ru-Ru."
"I told you I had it for a long time."
"You had no evidence, I couldn't trust you were telling the truth."
Rosalind dug a finger into his arm, making him turn his attention back to her. "Thank you," she said, withdrawing her finger and using the blood to trace an 'R' on his forehead. "Answer my question."
"Gut feeling," he said. "Started to head here and I came across some magical objects. Did the one spell I made when we came here... one that would let me count how many people were present in this world. I counted three dots in Mystic Falls." He nodded to Ruby. "Her idea, actually. Your mommy knows a lot about magic for someone who isn't a witch. Do they know about us, Ru-Ru?"
"Don't need to know," said Rosalind, assuming that they must have slept together once or twice, out of hatred and boredom. "All I care about is the fact you hurt her, and now, I'm going to hurt you."
"Nice way to bond with your kid," commented Kai. "Have her torture anyone that lays a finger on you."
"I didn't ask her to do this," noted Ruby. "But it's surprisingly comforting."
"Ruby and I aren't very similar in our ideas for punishing people," said Rosalind, scraping her nail hard enough on his cheek that it split open. "She's a good vampire, like my girlfriend and another friend of mine. They're perfect examples of what vampires should be. Me? I have a lot of bad parts. I'm the prime example of what vampires shouldn't be. And nowadays, I let them shine instead of suppressing them. You'll get to be the lucky recipient if you don't comply. Your turn to ask a question."
Kai ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek, causing more blood to leak out of where she cut him. "Who's your companion?"
Rosalind glanced at Bonnie. "My friend, we'll call her 'B' for now. What were your intentions for us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" said Kai boredly. "Seriously, why waste a perfectly good chance to ask a question on something like that?"
"Just answer me." She pressed on his collarbone, shattering a small portion of it. "Don't make me lose my patience."
He rolled his eyes. "Well, since you're not able to put two and two together, I would obviously see why you're here, and if you didn't pose any benefit to me, I'd kill you."
Rosalind hummed. "Yeah, you're right, that was a waste of a question. Your turn."
"How did you get to this prison world?"
The hybrid shrugged. "We're not really sure about that. We died as the Other Side fell apart, except, somehow, woke up here instead of in Hell or in peace."
His eyes lit up with malice. "So you're not linked to this world."
"Probably not. But if you kill us, you will never get out. Which brings us to the most important subject at hand... escaping this hellhole. Where is the Ascendant?"
Kai looked completely serious as he said, "Don't know. I need to do a Locator Spell. Who's willing to donate magic?"
"No need," said Bonnie. "I can do a Locator Spell."
Kai's lips curled upward. "You know, you're really pretty."
Bonnie stared at him. "How about something useful, so I can do the spell?"
"Okay. Bring me a can opener, a shower drain, a grinding wheel, jam, a pocket knife, volume 'O' of the encyclopedia, a nail, and a black marker. Got all that?"
"I got it," said Ruby, who actually knew where stuff was around the house.
"Have you ever been to the White House?" said Kai as Rosalind began to pace in front of him, waiting. "'Cause I have. Ru-Ru went with me. We broke into the Oval Office and she took a picture of me at the window, looking all JFK. But then, I was like, 'Wait— how are we going to get these photos developed?' And—"
Rosalind caught his chin, stopping his mouth from moving. "And what is the relevance of this story, pray tell?"
He motioned with his eyes for her to release him. She did, and he said, "To see how long it would take you to snap on me. Temper's going to get you in trouble, Ro-Ro."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not, Ro-Ro?"
Rosalind's jaw tightened. "You know, I have no problem killing you on repeat."
Kai smirked. "You are bad at keeping your cool. If you keep torturing me, I'll get mad, and then I won't want to help you. What kind of person needs to have that explained to them?"
"I don't need anything explained to me," said Rosalind. "What I need is to get out of here. All of us can get out if all of us contribute somehow. If you aren't being helpful, we can easily leave you behind when we go."
"It's going to be hard to do that without the Ascendant. Which you need my help to find. See how this could be a problem for you?"
She shoved her hand back in his chest, squeezing his heart. "See how easily I can cause you pain?" she said with fake sweetness. "I can just go into your mind and pluck out information about the Ascendant, and we'll figure out how to find it on our own. We've been through worse things, solved more difficult problems." She withdrew her hand and bit into her wrist to heal him. "Oh, come on..." she noticed he was managing a chuckle as she forced him to drink. "You like this, don't you?"
"All this pain doesn't really do anything other than turn me on," said Kai, winking at her. "You seem fun, you know."
"Unless you're willing to bend over for me, it's not happening. Tell me, have you ever been a bottom before?"
"No. But I always try new things."
Bonnie groaned, waving her hand as if to tell Rosalind to change the subject. It was unnecessary, as Ruby returned with a small basket full of the supplies Kai wanted.
"Here." Ruby put the basket on his lap. "Now, show us what you needed all this for."
"Can't show you with my hands wax-glued to the armrests," he said, batting his eyelashes at Rosalind.
She was aggressive as she ripped his hands off, and began to peel the wax away. He let out a series of groans, none sounding discomforted. "Thank you," he said mockingly. He reached into the basket, withdrawing the jam and popping the lid. He dipped two fingers in and started to eat.
"Ew," said Bonnie. "I'm pretty sure spoons were a thing in 1994."
"I'm pretty sure your opinions weren't a thing in 1994," Kai shot back. "Don't start now."
Bonnie rolled her eyes and moved further away.
"Let's go over what we know," said Rosalind. "We need special blood, a witch, an Ascendant, and the eclipse. We've got everything covered aside from the Ascendant."
Kai started to fiddle with all the items in the basket. "Talk about something else," he prompted. "I need to be entertained while I work. I want to know about you two." He gestured between Ruby and Rosalind with the can opener. "A vampire-hybrid mother-daughter duo. And yet, you're not all touchy with each other. Forehead kisses and the like, you know, stuff moms are supposed to do."
"I'm not a touchy person," said Rosalind.
"Me neither," admitted Ruby. "Didn't grow up with physical touch as a love language in any way. It was just for discipline, not for caressing."
Kai started to put the different items together. "Well, if you didn't look almost exactly alike, I'd never think you guys were related. You're really different. Ru-Ru told me she couldn't even kill crickets in the real world, she had to catch and release. Ro-Ro, on the other hand... I'm pretty sure crickets are extinct in the real world, along with a few other species and several hundreds of people."
"My kill count is not that high," said Rosalind thoughtfully. "I lost count, but it's definitely more than ten."
"Tell me about them."
Rosalind sat on the couch and crossed her legs. "Let's see, the first one was Toby. That's how I triggered my curse. I stabbed a piece of glass into his throat. Next, my friend Alaric. It's complicated, but he was dying, and he needed to be killed by a supernatural so that he could come back all healed, so I stabbed him in the heart. Then, these two Founder's Council members, I snapped one's neck by hitting him really hard with a gun, then I tore the other one's head clean off. They helped kidnap my girl, and I was in a mood. Let's see, I killed seventeen random people when I had my humanity off, mostly drained them of blood or decapitated them for stupid reasons, I guess I had a phase where that was my favorite way to kill. Oh, and I can't forget Professor Atticus Shane, who manipulated 'B' here to use a dangerous bit of magic. I decapitated him, too. I had a clean streak for over six months where I didn't kill anyone, then I got back on the saddle by killing Katherine Piece, the evil dopelgänger bitch who tried to possess my girlfriend's body. Then, I killed my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend's innocent doppelgänger, Tom Avery, by snapping his neck. But he was already comatose so he didn't feel a thing. I killed a Traveler passengered in some bank guy after my girlfriend was kidnapped and missing for four days. And then, I drove a car into a building and caused an explosion to carry out the mass murder of... probably over thirty Travelers so that we could resurrect some people; that's how we ended up here. Then, just a few hours ago, I killed you by decapitating you and removing your heart. I would have killed a lot more people when my humanity was off if my girlfriend and 'B' hadn't figured out a good way to get my humanity back on. So, people I remember totals twenty-six. Then, adding the thirty or so travelers... somewhere in the mid-fifties or maybe even in the sixties."
Kai let out a hearty laugh, and pointed at Rosalind while looking at Ruby. "And you thought I was bad for killing my four siblings."
Ruby huffed. "It was different, they were kids."
"It's really not that different, Ru-Ru. Your daughter is a lot more fun than you."
She hissed, "Can you just get to the point? What the hell are you doing with all that crap in your hands, anyway?"
He rolled his eyes. "Buzzkill." He showed a strange contraption he'd built with all the random parts. "This is what the Ascendant looks like. The last time we had it was in the Pacific Northwest— Oregon."
"Let's skip to the chase," said Ruby. "The Ascendant belonged to his family. He grew up in Portland. You had it when we parted ways in Portland, so it's probably there if you didn't take it traveling wherever the hell you were before this." She pointed to where he'd opened the encyclopedia to show a map of Oregon. "Bonnie, use—"
Kai gasped dramatically. "Bonnie. That is a pretty name."
"Stop flirting with her," said Rosalind. "If that can even be considered flirting. You're clearly making her uncomfortable."
"Wow, so the fifty-plus killer is giving me advice on how to not be creepy and make people uncomfortable? Ironic."
"Whatever," said Bonnie, taking the encyclopedia. "I'll do a Locator Spell."
Kai motioned for her to hold out the encyclopedia. He took the pocket knife, pricking his finger and dripping the blood on the map. "Here's a little blood to get you started. Tell me when you've had enough," he said, looking up at Bonnie as if trying to seduce her with his gaze.
Her cheeks reddened. "Enough," she said, pulling the book away. She went to set it on the table, taking some decorative candles and placing them around it, then lighting them with a wave of her hand.
Bonnie began to chant, "Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem. Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem...." The blood remained immobile. "It doesn't feel right. Maybe I need a bigger map?"
"Maybe he's just lying and it's not even in Oregon anymore," said Ruby. "Rosalind, do you remember where—?"
"Got it." She sped away, and returned with a few rolls of paper, bringing out a map of the United States. "With any luck, he didn't lose it in the middle of nowhere."
Kai got to his feet. "You guys are talking too much. Bonnie won't be able to concentrate. Just ignore them... pretend they're a white-noise machine. That's how I used to tune out my siblings. I grew up with a ton of little sisters and brothers. You know, all of them constantly yammering." He stood directly beside Bonnie. "But it taught me how to focus..."
Rosalind yanked him away by the neck of his jacket. "Give her some room, weirdo."
Bonnie tried again. "Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem. Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem." The blood began to move from Oregon, right to Mystic Falls.
Kai frowned. "The spell's moving towards Virginia. That can't be right."
"Alright, fess up," said Ruby. "You have it on you!"
"She's right," said Bonnie when Kai tried to shake his head. "It feels so... close..." she put her hand on Kai's chest pocket, causing the candle flames to flare up. "It's right there."
Kai feigned surprise, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the real Ascendant. "Very good."
Bonnie scowled. "You know, you could have just shown us the Ascendant to begin with"
"Yeah, but I wanted to feel your hand on my chest."
"There's something not right about you..."
Kai smirked. "It was just a little test. To make sure Bonnie's magic was precise enough for the spell. I do believe you're ready. Pack your bags— we're going home tomorrow, as soon as the eclipse hits."
"One more thing," said Rosalind. "What's the deal with focusing the power of the eclipse?"
"Right," said Kai, narrowing his eyes. "We have to find where it's focused and create a circle of light, preferably underground. When we find where the eclipse will happen directly overhead, in alignment with the Gemini constellation, we can use the light of the eclipse to shine down and activate the Ascendant. Anyone standing in the circle of light holding the Ascendant gets to go home. Come on, have none of you portal-jumped through an eclipse before?" He nudged Ruby in the ribs, causing her to scoot away. "You were unconscious when we came in, so you don't count."
"Wait," said Bonnie. "What's the spell? I should spend the night practicing if we're expected to leave tomorrow."
Kai smiled. "When the time comes."
"Is it possible to get out without being exactly below the eclipse?" said Rosalind. "We have a Traveler spell to worry about in Mystic Falls. If we come back to the real world within the borders and the spell is still there, Ruby and I might be killed."
"It could work," said Kai. "Won't know until I test it tomorrow."
Rosalind hummed, then snapped his neck.
"Thank fuck," said Ruby, shaking her head. "He was getting on my nerves!"
"I don't want to let him out of the prison world," said Bonnie. "I don't trust him."
"I don't know about leaving him behind, though," said Rosalind. "What if he gets out anyway and comes after us?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I know he's an awful person and is really obnoxious, but... everyone deserves to be free. He's suffered here, too. Before we parted ways, I actually thought he might be more tender. The problem with him is that he's a sociopath, he can't care. But there were times when we felt safe with each other. I haven't forgotten that. He wants to destroy the Gemini Coven, so he'll be out of our hair once we're in the real world. We can also just... kill him there, if he becomes a problem."
"Sure," said Rosalind. "One last thing, though. The cure. I want to get it before we leave."
"Right," said Bonnie. "But... how? Will you go alone so Ruby and I can stay here to watch Kai? I don't know how well that'll go. I wanted to go see where it was."
"Me, too," said Ruby. "And we can't leave him unattended. He regenerates each time he's killed, and there's no telling what he'll do if he's left alone. We might have to find him again, he could lose the Ascendant, I don't know."
"Then we take him with us," said Rosalind. "Get to packing, because we're all going on a road trip."
She stayed watching Kai while the two other women packed a bag. They traded so that Rosalind could gather some of her stuff, and find a suburban comfortable and big enough for the drive up to Nova Scotia. She planned to stay up all night planning the route and some stops ahead of time. It would have been easier to take a plane, but she didn't know how to fly one. Kai probably would, but she didn't trust him. If the plane crashed, she and Bonnie could die permanently.
Kai woke up as they were eating dinner. Rosalind had taught Bonnie and Ruby how to make Mexican rice, beans, and taco meat.
"Eating without me, I see," said Kai, sniffing as he entered the dining room.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ruby sarcastically, causing Rosalind to snicker. "Were you hungry? We finished everything already."
"Starving me isn't going to get rid of me," noted Kai, going to the refrigerator. He started to make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after a few moments of contemplation. "Wow, you all really don't like me. I was expecting at least one person would be fun. You guys are boring. Why don't we spice things up?"
He'd passed by Bonnie to sit at the table with them, and abruptly grabbed her, siphoning and swiping his hand out to make the wooden chair at the end shatter to pieces. He had the wood fly at Ruby and Rosalind, who were both able to catch the first few pieces. Then, one landed right in Rosalind's heart when she left her chest unguarded whilst trying to keep Bonnie from being hit in the face.
She woke up about a minute later with Bonnie kneeling over her. Rosalind got to her feet angrily, glaring at Kai, who was now seated and eating peacefully. What stunned her was that Ruby was covering her mouth, eyes filled with tears.
"What the hell did I miss?" said Rosalind, confused.
"I-I forgot that wouldn't kill you," said Ruby meekly. "I thought— I thought he'd killed you permanently. You're not linked to the world, and I don't know that much about hybrids, and I just knew vampires die being stakes and..." she hiccuped, "you're not dead. I'm being ridiculous."
Kai yawned loudly. "Ru-Ru, you're disturbing a perfectly good meal."
"Speak again, and you're losing your eating privileges," snapped Rosalind. She made to speak more gently to the girl across from her, "Ruby, I'm fine. He can't kill me permanently, he doesn't know how to, and he doesn't have the ability to."
Kai licked his fingers of the peanut butter smeared on them. "So, you don't use a daylight ring like other vampires and you can't die being staked by wood. You're going to be a thorn in our sides for a good while, aren't you?"
"You'll learn to love me," said Rosalind cheekily. "Everyone does."