a wolf's bane

🔮 → fire going in front of her, she tried desperately to commune with any of the spirits, the ancestors, the witches that came after her, all to no avail, only silence returning her please and she sighed in frustration as she sat in front of the nearly pointless fire. standing up, prepared to extinguish the flames she heard someone in the darkness. "can i help you?" a halfhearted offer considering she couldn't even help herself.

🌙 — "you're a witch, aren't you?" she accused. her experience with them was limited, and only through her connection with her sire.. but she could tell the other was trying to do something weird.

✨ → "Well, the answer was going to be Anne Boleyn, but I see you're looking for a more personal answer." the heretic remarked, looking at the wolf curiously. "All you need to know is I'm here to have a good time and enjoy my anniversary."

🌙 — "That's not ominous at all. Are you here with Klaus?" Cutting to the chase because, well, Evan didn't have the patience that all these other, older and more frigid creatures of the night. "Because if so, then I really don't care what you're doing."

"i'm sure i will." something that clearly troubles her—or perhaps that's simply his entire existence to blame—but he's never bothered to learn or go into too much detail about the depths and reasons for her spite. she should count herself lucky, of course, but he supposes you can't please everyone. with a smile, he replies, "look at you, with such a sweet compliment. i'd return it, but i can't seem to recall you being anyone's favorite, much less do i have the slightest idea who it is you're supposed to be." he looks her over. "someone's dead or blood-soaked bride?"

🌙 — "no one who would waste their breath telling you, surely." evan had a life, after all. a whole happy community that was ripped away from her because she had to die—and the person she left behind, she missed being her, every day. "ah, uncultured. why am i not surprised," she continued to mock. despite the obvious, she rolled her eyes and threw the demon dog a bone. "it's from a movie. cult classic."

"what else was that going to get out of me?" the nickname, too, sounds like something that could be mocking if it weren't for the hybrid's tone. the lack of a smirk or a punchline. she's all mixed signals, apparently. "look, is klaus planning something else tonight? just tell me that and let me warn my friends, if that's what's going on again."

🌙 — evan smiled. "you tell me." everyone seemed hung up on this girl, and the wolf didn't have any context for it. half of it was because she lacked interest, most of the time. it had merely been piqued at the sight of her—and the night was one for firsts. "i'd get out," was all she could offer. if there were plans, she had earned herself a freeze out from the rest of the gang. "no one's safe while he's here." but elena already knew that, surely. "unless.. you're planning something."

🌙 — "i'm sure you'll make up for it—if you haven't already." it was cute, that he believed it was his body count alone that infuriated her. of course, like brianna, he believed the little family he'd collected was all moonlight and bloody rainbows. "the growling is compulsory. you'd know a little something about that, wouldn't you?" then she smiled, only just then taking notice of his outfit. "a fan favorite. just like you."

🌙 — Her hand moves to touch the dagger; shielding it from eyes as well as needing to feel the tangibility of the situation. The promise. "I'm already dead, Damon." It was a compulsory statement. She inhaled deep, and shook her head. Her tone taking a softer edge. "This life isn't for everyone," she began, sounding a bit more like her self as she continued. "We can't all blossom into beautiful vampire flowers like you." Don't pull it back out. She nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

"Now that's the kind of greeting I can get used to. The pretty brother - at least you know who you're speaking with." Kol couldn't keep the grin off of his lips. "You can't reclaim something you've never lost, pet. Are you enjoying the festivities?" He asked, gesturing to their surroundings. "Are they to your liking?"

🌙 — "Right. Eternal baby face." It wasn't a compliment, per se, but she wasn't rescinding her previously generous comment either. "Not really, but I'm giving it a fair shot. Might as well make getting cute worth it. What about you?"

"Just because I don't challenge him or pick fights with him at any given opportunity like you doesn't mean I'm kissing his ass. You're just looking for reasons to hate him at this point. Tell me something, Evan - what has he done to you, besides turning you into a hybrid? What's the awful, godforsaken, heinous crime that he's committed against you that makes you think he's the devil incarnate?" Brianna crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze steely and cold. "Then it looks like you're stuck here then, now doesn't it? So either get used to it or don't - but stop bitching to me about it."

🌙 — "Done to me? Is that what I'm supposed to be now—a bloodthirsty killer and self-serving cunt? Sorry, my conscience is still intact." Brianna could be right with this one. Klaus treated his pretties with something masquerading as respect, as most of them were at his beck and call. That's what leaders like him needed. "Fine. Done. I won't be here when your dreamland goes up in flames either. Mark those words."

"literally everyone seems to think so, so i guess i do." elena lifts her hands in the universal gesture for oh, well, what can i do? and does her best not to look too wildly frustrated over being confronted with all her numerous issues even by mostly-strangers. (thinks she does recognize her as one of the hybrids who arrived with klaus that miserable night. wonderful.) she's supposed to have a good time tonight. "sorry for not seeing the appeal of caging myself in my room forever and hoping the monsters won't find me there."

🌙 — "woof. feisty." evan wasn't mocking her, despite the word choice. maybe she didn't expect a bark back, or maybe it was exactly what she was wanting. if the girl could show an ounce of backbone, then just maybe she could handle what was to come. "you do you, warrior princess."

"oh my god, stop flirting with me, i'll get all shy." extremely cute to find out how much him and katherine's ex have in common, though. kai lifts his hands, palms out, an insincere demonstration of peace. "newsflash: we don't talk to each other anymore. we'll just talk to all the same people and wait for the it's okay to be gay bravery to kick in, finally cut out the middlewoman." then he drops his hands, considers her more seriously. "what bullshit is it you think i'm pulling? the circle jerk needs to know if this is actually a twinning moment or just a lazy misunderstanding."

🌙 — she scoffed. evan hadn't the faintest idea what he was going on about. beyond the whole obvious, polycule love triangle thing they had going on, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. it seemed on par for vampires, culturally. their falling out, however, she hadn't caught a whiff of. her eyes narrowed, and she really did know he was trying to pull information from her. "if you aren't hitting on me, then it's a misunderstanding. if you are, i will tell you what i always tell damon—bug off, loser."