ᚾᛁᚲᚢᛚᚨᛋ

Simone de Beauvoir, from Diary of a Philosophy Student: Volume 1, 1926-1927; May 21st, 1927

i have felt you like a serpent crawling in my body.

love is inferior to you.

i am an appetite. nothing more.

you are my affliction.

even now we are fated.

you know nothing of him.

your passion is bound to me.

you cannot love.

i cannot be sated without you.

we must remain calm.

you know i love you both.

why do you hate me?

you have never liked me.

search everything.

this is madness!

i must see them!

don't touch me. i am not to be touched.

our love was supposed to be sacred.

kiss me.

i need no salvation.

you will put an end to all of this?

come to me.

hear my call.

you are not for the living.

do you swear it?

what's that, my love?

there is nothing to be afraid of.

take off your shoes.

i wish i could stay, my love.

i really must be off.

come in, come in.

i thank you for considering me.

you are too generous.

it will be a great adventure for you.

why have you killed these beautiful flowers?

let us put them in water.

forgive me.

throw them out.

you cannot leave.

i must tell you my dream.

please, no more of your childhood memories.

never speak these things aloud.

it is a foolish dream.

everything is well.

when i return, i will finally make something of myself.

i love you too much.

it's worth celebrating your adventure!

i envy you.

it's crushing, [name]. crushing.

i cannot resist her.

not another word.

do take care of [name].

there is a monster in the room.

we have each other.

you're hurting me.

i am proud of you.

please keep safe.

have you so little faith in me?

i promise.

remember, it's all for us.

you bring trouble with you.

i only wish to stay one night.

i have an audience at the castle.

leave here.

you are late.

i wish you to do as i request.

it's nothing.

come by the fire.

why ever did you bring that here?

you must put that away.

what might we do for you?

that was yesterday.

do you ever feel at times as if you were not a person?

we all feel out of sorts.

look at the sea!

i am not mad.

forgive me. everything i say sounds so childish.

how careless of me.

you are fortunate in your love.

i fear i am taken ill.

if it continues, let me know.

i have received nothing of any kind.

still no trace of him.

for heaven's sake, you cannot leave.

a moment longer... please.

i cannot resist you, my love.

can you tell me your name?

he is coming.

why haven't you told me?

i must leave!

i sensed something.

you look tired.

would you describe them to me?

tell me what you can. from the beginning.

this is no delusion.

the blood is the life.

i feared i'd never see you again.

what the devil is this?

it is past three o'clock in the morning!

forgive me for the troubles i have caused you.

get off me. give me room. i can't breathe.

you frightened me.

may i stay with you tonight?

thank you for loving me.

our spirits are one, so too shall be our flesh.

         a   stranger’s   name.   it   wasn’t   as   if   rebekah   wasn’t   used   to   walking   BLIND   into   danger   at   klaus’s   side,   she'd   done   it   more   times   than   she   could   count,   but   she   wasn't   about   to   argue   with   him   either.   not   this   time,   so   she   watched   him   in   silence   as   he   spoke,   her   expression   unreadable   but   clearly   attentive.   a   witch   more   powerful   than   their   mother..   now   that   was   serious..   dangerous   -   potentially   catastrophic.   still,   if   niklaus   had   already   made   up   his   mind,   there   was   little   point   in   protesting.   ❝   if   you   believe   this   is   the   right   course.. though i do wonder what happened to that bishop..   ❞   she   murmured,   trailing   off   with   a   faint   hum.   her   arms   uncrossed,   and   she   gave   a   graceful   shrug   of   her   shoulders,   rising   from   where   she’d   been   half-perched.

         ❝   washington?   ❞   she   repeats,   already   sounding   brighter   and   almost   amused.   ❝   lovely.   i’m   sure   i’ll   find   some   charming   little   shops   to   keep   me   entertained.   ❞   the   implication   that   she   would   be   footing   the   bill   was   unspoken   but   unmistakable,   also   a   lie.   she   turned   as   if   to   leave,   her   mind   already   on   packing   when   she   passed   klaus   and   suddenly   stopped   in   her   tracks.   her   brows   pulled   together   in   suspicion   as   she   reached   out   with   one   perfectly   manicured   finger   to   press   against   his   shoulder.   ❝   wait   a   minute,   ❞   she’s   narrowing   her   eyes   at   him.   ❝   you’re   not   sleeping   with   her,   are   you?   please   tell   me   that’s   not   the   grand   strategy   here.   ❞

klaus rolls his eyes playfully, glad for the change of topic, even if it centered around rebekah's fashion inclinations. he already knows it will be his pocket that pays for her shopping sprees, so he makes a mental note to give her his card before she steals it. keep the illusion of free will alive. but then, the conversation takes another turn. one he didn't necessarily want to entertain.

         he   spoke   with   such   certainty   that   it   was   hard   not   to   believe   him   and   nearly   impossible   to   hold   onto   the   panic   that   settled   when   he   first   broke   the   news.   her   thoughts   began   to   settle,   klaus’   confidence   had   a   way   of   making   space   for   clarity,   even   if   it   came   in   crumbs   she   had   to   piece   together   as   he   spoke.

         she   gave   a   small   nod   to   show   that   she   was   following   his   train   of   thought   while   perched   halfway   on   the   arm   of   the   couch   beside   her,   arms   crossed   tightly   over   her   chest.   NO   OBJECTIONS   —   until   he   casually   mentioned   knowing   a   certain   outcast   in   the   witch   community.   ❝   you   do?   who?   ❞    eyebrows   raised   with   a   sharp   and   inquisitive   look.    ❝   and   how   well   do   you   know   her..   as   in,   how   much   is   she   actually   willing   to   help?   ❞    there   was   a   bit   of   doubt   in   her   voice,   if   this   turned   into   another   feud   and   this   time   with   a   witch   dabbling   in   dark   magic,   she’d   rather   know   now.   she   couldn’t   imagine   who   klaus   might   be   referring   to   but   then   again,   he   always   had   a   trick   up   his   sleeve.   so   really,   she   shouldn’t   be   surprised.

       she  drew  a  short  but  audible  breath,  her  chin  high,  though  the  weight  of  what  her  brother  had  just  proposed  pressed  heavily  in  her  chest.  still,  she  believed  her  reaction  was  warranted,  any  minimally  sane  person  would  be  reeling.  her  eyes  locked  onto  niklaus,  although  there  was  no  defiance  in  them,  just  the  need  to  understand  the  depth  of  the  madness  he  was  about  to  spill.   ❝  alright  then,  let’s  hear  what  sort  of  lunacy  you’ve  cooked  up  this  time.  ❞        she  gave  a  nod  to  signal  that  she  agrees,  he  was  right,  no  matter  how  wretched  the  plan  was  about  to  sound,  they  were  already  cornered  by  michael  as  was.  her  voice  wearier  now.  ❝  fine,  you’re  right.  it’s  just..  it’s  such  a  bloody  impossible  plan.  if  it  involves  witches,  no  witch  in  her  right  mind  would  help  an  original  —  not  unless  you  forced  her  hand.  ❞ 

       her  ears  perked  up  at  the  mention  of  a  possibility,  the  feeling  of  chasing  another  dead  end  was  starting  to  fade.  but  then  it  clicked.  she  understood  what  he  meant  and  instantly  wished  she  hadn’t.  ❝  the tree  that  can  kill  an  original? ❞  her  voice  cut  through  the  air.  ❝  have  you  gone  completely  mad,  nik?  i’ve  got  a  thousand  questions.  how  would  we  even  pull  that  off?  wouldn’t  it  be  just  as  dangerous  for  us?  and  how  exactly  is  this  easier  than  just  talking  for  once? ❞

       she  didn’t  wait  for  answers.  the  idea  hit  too  fast,  too  hard.  she  spun,  pacing  like  a  storm  building  in  a  bottle.  ❝  if  it  falls  into  the  wrong  hands,  and  let’s  not  pretend  we  don’t  have  more  enemies  than  friends,  they’d  burn  the  world  down  just  to  use  it  against  us. ❞  she  stops to look at  him  dead  in  the  eye. ❝  we’d  be  prey. ❞

he doesn't. yet. he'll have to figure out the logistics. there is a small chance the witches will agree to resurrect the ancient root, let alone allow him free reign with it. and rebekah is right. in the wrong hands, it could be as dangerous to them as it would be to mikael. but that's if it falls into the wrong hands.

"What the hell," she mumbles, peering down her nose at the teacher's notes, which could have been penned in an asylum. Then, her mouth shrugs; he's not as bland as his home décor suggests.

"you're quite adept at that, aren't you? all these years we've spent at the backs of each other's minds." katherine implementing various strategies to escape him, and klaus - to find her.

and not knowing what he is planning to do next makes it all the worse. but if klaus is lucifer, bonnie will be azrael, and if klaus seeks to harm elena, bonnie will bring death upon him like divine punishment.

"it's simple, really." there klaus stands, so still there's not even a twitch of a muscle. he is a shadow looming over the room, the only flicker of life in his eyes that of the candlelight reflecting in them. "i want elena gilbert. unfortunately," for him and for everyone involved, "she's quite popular these days."

elena gilbert's friends have loyalty that would be commendable, if it didn't put a kink in his own plans. and if they are ready to die for her, klaus would happily let them. there's too many pieces on this chessboard as is.

She hums, staring blankly at the high school teacher's sorry excuse for a feature wall. Katherine has been stuck in some mind-numbing holding places in her time, but having Klaus as her jailer is a new low.