lord i did it for myself

🃏 ― “I appreciate you saying so, thank you. It is easy to feel.. small.. in a time like this.” Niko wasn’t one to have self esteem issues, even when it came to the more disappointing choices in his past. He was a powerful witch, and a cunning man; this town would be no match for him if it served him to align against it. That being said, he was thrown into a situation he could not control, with a life not entirely his. “Do you miss it?  Your home.” An innocent question, in his eyes, or at least a safe one. He recognized the hollow look she wore.

“I dream many nights that my feet to return to the soil I was raised on.” Eye’s flicker to his, seeing the understanding matched in his eyes. “But I can’t return, so I don’t let it take any hold of me in the waking hours. If I hadn’t left I wouldn’t have met you, and that would be a shame in my eyes.” There wasn’t a single decision she would have changed thus far, no line she wouldn’t be willing to cross again, so she supposed missing a place she was never meant to stay in was awfully sentimental of her. The power flowing through her veins worth any ache in her chest. “Now, would you like to split a basket of fries with me?”

🃏 ― Niko’s smile was the same bittersweet. He hadn’t expected that response, but he was no stranger to the sentiment. He does not skip a beat. “We cannot choose which we get, even from cards.” He had seen the cruel irony of readings, and it didn’t matter what the fortune, their honesty came in many different shades. “Can I?” he posed, but it is rhetorical, and a smile crept into his words. “Mystic Falls is unlike any place I heard of. I think it has me beat.” 

...

“Even my home...” Her voice lost an ounce of it’s softness, and only for a moment when she thought of the home she had been cast out of. “...was never quite like this place.” Here every side of the scale was an extreme, making it oh so easy for shades of grey to exist calmly. “A tiny town enough to beat you? Somehow I doubt that.”

lizzie gave her a smile, she enjoyed this teacher above all others. it wasn’t to say they weren’t great as well, but she had almost an understanding of beatrice and saw parts of herself with her, though the other was much more strong willed, the type of person lizzie wanted to be. “do you want to go through the maze with me? i heard it’s supposed to have some pretty good jump scares.” 

“i would love to, let me just inform Mr Nikolai...” beatrice’s eyes floated over to her original companion, giving him a short wave pointing towards the maze, then returned to the girl’s gaze. “i’m not easily frightened into action, let’s see if they can spook me.” motioning for the witch to lead the way.

🃏 ― “You sure?  They are not always kind.” His warning was legitimate, but the delivery of it was warm and not lacking in encouragement. “I am curious when the interesting wears off. Would I be considered normal then?” He would never be normal, no, but in a town lousy with the supernatural… he could feel less alone. It wasn’t every century found others like him that weren’t against or for him. They were all neutral, and he was a nobody. 

Beatrice’s smile was less bright, but no less true, a flicker of her darker nature for just a moment. “I would prefer an honest blade to the throat than a kind poison any day.” Squeezing his arm she let herself study his face for a moment as he spoke, as they walked towards the increasingly appealing smell of fried food. “Can you not be both? A normal man who works at a school who can hold an interesting conversation with a normal women who is his co-worker.” 

“so it does.” usually, lizzie was more of pastle pops of color but she couldn’t deny red was a nice color on nearly everyone. “oh the sweets are amazing, that’s the first thing mg and i did when we got here was tackle that.” the younger witch laughed, but she was thankful she hadn’t gotten the powdered sugar all over herself. “i am having fun, it’s nice to just be for once.” 

...

“i’m glad you kids get to be kids for a night.” and she was, as much as she believed power was best used when you had it, she also felt her heart tighten for the kids of the school, who were forced to be adults because the rest of the world didn’t care about their childhood. beatrice would return to treating them like the powerful supernaturals they were in the morning.

Considering how events in Mystic Falls tended to turn to disaster at the drop of a hat, the evening was rather tame all things considered. The Bennett had just started to allow herself to relax when the other witch approached and introduced herself.. “Nice to meet you, Beatrice.” the witch replied, offering her hand to the teacher. “I’m sure it’s long overdue.”

Beatrice felt another pang of half guilt as she took the other’s hand. She knew they both we’re too aware of the pattern of the town to fully believe the night would stay full of screams of only delight and so wouldn’t blame her if she hadn’t been warm. “I’m sure you’re busy having fun I don’t want to invade your time.”

hearing her name the blonde turned up, a smile crossing her face as the older woman greeted her. “ms. cloutier, can i just say your heels are iconic.” lizzie started, her wardrobe was better than most of the teachers at their school. “are you enjoying yourself so far? i heard the mirror house is pretty trippy.” 

Bea’s smile was the directed down at her shoes, while she didn’t much mind if she was in fashion with the younger generation it was always a boon to her ego when she did. “Thank you, a little bit of red goes a long way.” She waved her hand absently towards the crowd. “We haven’t quite made it to any attractions, too busy eating everything bad for you. But how are you dear? Having fun?”

🃏 ― Niko was still learning the ever massive ‘fried food’ category, but so far he was interested in the high-fat, heavy-sugar foods of the twenty-first century. It left him more than a little excited to see what the carnival had to offer. “No, not like this. I have seen traveling shows, crossed paths with them.” Witches, like her and himself. “But they were much different than this. Still, I met amazing people. They showed me how they read cards.” Not entirely a lie ― witches had in fact taught him the way of tarot reading, it had just been his family.

Beatrice had politely detached herself from her current company, her eyes catching a flash of a silver blue sweater as they walked past some of the picnic tables. Technically she had never met the other woman, but was familiar with her as the headmistresses good friend. While she knew she had no obligation to introduce herself and even that the other witch may not want to be approached, she held a great level of respect for the Bennett “Bonnie Bennett right? I’m Beatrice Cloutier I’m a teacher at the school and friend of Caroline’s”

   Beatrice had politely detached herself from her current company, her eyes catching a flash of a silver blue sweater as they walked past some of the picnic tables. Technically she had never met the other woman, but was familiar with her as the headmistresses good friend. While she knew she had no obligation to introduce herself and even that the other witch may not want to be approached, she held a great level of respect for the Bennett. "Bonnie Bennett right? I’m Beatrice Cloutier I’m a teacher at the school and friend of Caroline’s” 

🃏 ― “Thank you,” the recently appointed groundskeeper warmly replied. The staff at the school was filled with a wide array of decent folk, all special and magnificent in their own right. Beatrice was one of the more patient of the bunch, and he was happy to have her ask him to the carnival. “Me too. You make a beautiful date.” He hooked his arm in hers. “Where to first?”