“Ric!” 

Alaric stopped in his tracks. It was the voice he had been dreading all day. He turned, smiling - not too wide, seeing as he was pretending to have bad news to deliver, but not too small as he had nothing pressing on his mind.

“Dorian. I was just on my way to see you.”

Dorian glanced down. “With no crossbow in your hands, I see.”

“Let’s talk in my office.”

“That’s perfect, actually, because I have a visitor waiting for you there.”

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t like the sound of that. Dorian opened the double doors.

“Ric, you remember Agent Clarke.” 

Sure enough, Clarke sat on one of the cushioned chairs inside. 

“What is this?” Alaric eyed the hunter nervously.

“An intervention, let’s call it.” Clarke stood and offered a hand. He slowly retracted it when Alaric made it clear that the only way he was touching him was if he was escorting him out of the school.

“You let a hunter into a school full of young supernaturals?” Alaric demanded. 

Dorian swallowed heavily, but Clarke jumped in before he could answer.

“Not a hunter. Hunters just hunt supernaturals for the sake of ridding the earth of magic. I only take down the bad ones - the rippers, the dark witches, the killer wolves. I don’t hunt. I serve justice.”

Alaric narrowed his eyes. This guy couldn’t be real. “That’s a nice speech, but you still kill kids and this is a school.”

“I also agreed to turn a blind eye to anything I saw here as an expense for stopping Hope Mikaelson.”

“Which brings us to our question: Where is she, Ric?” Dorian stared expectantly. For a moment, Alaric wondered if he should even try to lie.

“That’s what I was coming to tell you,” Alaric said. “I went after her last night. I thought I could take her by surprise before the pageant. I underestimated her. She got away. She’s probably halfway to New Orleans by now.”

“That’s it? Just like that you’ve changed your mind?” It didn’t seem like Dorian was buying it.

“You gave me one last chance, and I … I gave her one last chance, and she didn’t take it. It’s out of my hands now. You have my … blessing -” He practically choked the word out, trying to make it believable, “- to do what it takes to stop her.”

Dorian still didn’t move a muscle. “You’re sure?” 

“Are you standing around waiting for me to change my mind? I thought this is what you wanted: me on board with your plan.”

“I meant, are you sure she got away?” 

“Where else would she be?” He must’ve said it just right - equal parts sarcasm and regret. As if he really was cut up about her getting away. 

“Fine.” Dorian finally broke. “We’d better get moving. She’s already got a huge lead on us.”