the literal problem !

"i'm so sorry, did you want some whipped cream on that?" jessica asked in a friendly tone, looking over at the customer. the diner had the genius idea of having a stall in this years market for hot beverages, and though it was busy and good for business, it meant that it was bad for the redhead, having been left alone for hours at this point. "we've just been real busy is all."

       katherine's brows furrow,  she pauses  -  and blinks in surprise when she realizes she's never actually  had  whipped cream.  in all her 500 plus years on this earth,  trying the creamy treat wasn't a priority.   "think it's possible to get some on the side, actually? i don't want it touching my drink. in case i don't like it."   it's a surprisingly  ...  wholesome of katherine.  but whatever.  it's not like anyone she knows is watching her drink hot chocolate.   //  @jcssicahamby.

"hats aren't really my thing." there was an insistance in the woman as she looked at the salesman - an old man, who clearly had a penchant for knitting the most obnoxiously festive hats she'd ever seen. "but i'm sure you're buying one - right?" she nudged the stranger beside her, looking pointedly in the hats directions in an attempt to distract the man from herself.

          "i can't help it if i look good in everything i touch."   easy shrug from the brunette,  she chooses a deep maroon,  embroidered with gold and amethyst.  it's an elegant twist on what elena usually wears;  and well,  she's mortal now  -  getting cold during winter is a mortal thing,  no ?  "besides, how else am i supposed to imitate my sister if we don't have matching beanies?"  she asks,  referring to elena as her sister  -  because honestly ?  it's easier than explaining when she doesn't rehash her past.  //  @sirendancer.

"are you spending christmas with your family?" he is doing his best to appear engaged , willing to consume himself in conversation. in truth , his mind has wandered, consumed by the fear of uncertainty. he had a feeling, that things are settled, but only for so long, almost the feeling of calm before the storm. "i am not a big christmas person , perhaps because christmas is no longer the same as it used to be."

          "i'm related to your sister, not you - which, thank god; at least some of us are decent looking - so if this is an invite to a gilbert family party, i'm afraid i'll have to decline."   sarcasm drips from red velvet lips,  a lazy look in deep eyes,  one boring comment from him away from rolling them to the moon and back.   "maybe i'll steal her from you. have a girl's night. roast our taste in men. have a real bonding moment."  //  @hunterled.

        "you know what? that's a good thing. my stalkers have never ended up well in the past."   mostly tortured,  bloody,  crying for mercy.  but she's not exactly a lenient type of woman,  so they'll have to do more than just beg for her to let someone go.   "ah, strong girl. we'll see."   and she leaves it at that,  because saying too much has never been one of her bad habits.   "i've been around the world. i'm betting this is nothing i haven't seen. i'm older than i look."   and subtle in this town ?  katherine is not.  // @witchyfayex.

" you make it sound as if you have some grand, notorious reputation. " flicks her a sly smile to demonstrate precisely how much he finds that enticing more than worrisome. " tell me more. " waves a hand to summon those drinks while he's at it.

          "you got it right. a man who listens, i'm so impressed. reputation by taylor swift? i know her. she basically wrote it about me."   it's a blatant lie;  but katherine has a feeling if the singer-song writer ever met her ?  she'd write songs about katherine.  it's just the type of woman she is.  "tell me what you want to know. it feels like i have centuries of history."  she's not trying to be subtle,  but she does want him to put in the effort to digging.  //  @vnecks.

       katherine pierce doesn't do well with distress.  unless she's playing it.  which she does more often than not,  and usually ends with bloodshed  ( not hers, though - so that's always a bonus ! ).  but she's starting from scratch in this god forsaken town,  so it's best she not show her true personality for a hot minute,  right ?   ( nora would say different, she thinks; but nora's not with her right now, so. )   "the woes of being so dependent on your phone. even i'm not immune to it."   she is,  but brows will furrow sympathetically towards the younger boy,  feigned concern over her features.    "but i've been here for a hot minute. where you trying to get to?"

it took everything from the blonde not to smack the pout off of katherine's lips. her nose wrinkled at the nickname, immediately taking a disliking to it. not that she wanted anything from the other woman, unless it was her leaving town. "i'll take any time of hell from others than a second of time with you." she commented, her voice a sickly sweet tone despite her words. "if i were you i'd find another town to leech on to."

             "oh man, you're really twisting my heart into a million tiny pieces."   sarcasm drips from soft lips,  because someone from mystic falls hating her ?  the sky is blue.  roses are red.  grass is green.  you get the picture.  it's hardly anything new or interesting for the brunette.  twirls her hair around her finger,  head tilts to the side.   "or what, lexi? you'll turn me into a vampire again? try to kill me? lord knows i've never managed to stay dead, even if i wanted to."

“  i  wouldn’t  call  trying  to  kill  me  every  chance  you  get  ...  ”  eyes  will  narrow  at  her  doppelgänger  .  “  exciting  .  ”  arms  fold  across  her  chest  .  elena  finds  no  surprise  in  katherine’s  appearance  .  it’s  to  be  expected  .  always  plotting  .  always  wreaking  havoc  no  matter  the  consequences  .  “  guess  it’s  not  a  surprise  that  you  can’t  stay  dead  .  ”  /  @vigilanthrine

       katherine considers being a doppelganger a curse;  and it's not just because all the intricate spinning parts of the literal curse,  no.  but it's because the same face is doomed to meet some sort of tragedy;  so shouldn't she be kinder ?   no.  katherine pierce had last patience for kindness a  very  long time ago.   "you mean attempting to stay alive didn't keep your heart pounding? it didn't continue to remind you you could still feel when you had to catch your breath?"   of course,  as per usual,  katherine is taking far too much credit and sugar coating words,  in her own katherine-way.  but she doesn't think she's wrong,  either.   "sounds like excitement to me."   just.  you know.  not fun.   "same goes for you, i guess. turns out, i'd rather see my own face than the salvatores'. try telling that to me 300 years ago."

           "are you following me? that's cute."   really,  when wouldn't katherine be self involved ?  in a matter of fact,  if she's not obsessed with herself,  you should be concerned.  that's when something is certainly wrong with the status of this planet.   "but i should warn you, people who catch feelings for me almost always regret it."   not that she'll do anything to stop it,  like,  ever.  katherine pierce has always liked to play the game.   "maybe i should be concerned for what lurks around town,"   katherine comments,  referencing her advice from the night they met.

“  and  we  will  .  ”  eyes  shift  from  the  night  sky  to  katherine  .  “  hasn’t  anyone  ever  told  you  that  patience  is  a  virtue  ?  ”  was  there  something  about  the  meteor  showers  that  could  aid  in  their  magic  ?  honestly  ,  nora  really  couldn’t  tell  you  exactly  what  it  is  .  but  it’s  an  astrological  event  !  it’s  gotta  have  some  benefit  .  and  was  this  a  ploy  to  spend  more  time  with  the  other  witch  ?  maybe  .  “  when’s  the  last  time  you  took  a  moment  for  yourself  ,  katherine  ?  like  really  took  a  moment  ?  just  lay  down  with  me  .  ”  pats  the  spot  on  the  blanket  next  to  her  .  “  it’s  not  that  bad  ,  i  promise  .  ”  /  @vigilanthrine

        there's a pause and she scoffs.   "i'm patient."   nora knows she's lying,  and so does katherine;  but she'll say it to make herself feel better anyway.  alas,  she's trying to be cool,  to be chill.  her vampirism doesn't exist anymore,  so she needs to like  -  take care of her body and not overexert herself,  emotions included.  it's not an easy task.  at least,  she thinks to herself,  it's the day after the shower  -  so there's less people around,  and she and nora can simply  ...  be one with the star energy,  or some witchy rumors as such.  katherine's not that well versed in it.   "fine!"   and though she huffs,  the traveller plops herself down next to the brunette,  thighs touching as she stays close,  for the tempers are lowering and she's not exactly a vampire anymore.  she sits in silence,  letting minutes pass,  listening to the beat of her own heart,  and watching the twinkle of the night sky.   "since i came back? i haven't."   she's always on edge,  and being mortal again doesn't exactly help,  either.

ughhhh someone kill katherine for good already ! " i never said i think you're the biggest problem, you're just the biggest pain in the ass. you bat your eyelashes at the biggest problem and blow it a kiss and ask it if it's single. " not that her hoeness would care even then if biggest problem was single. that'd just be called a challenge for her. " are you ? self aware ? is that what we're calling delusional now ? i just figured something, something, nine lives. fingers crossed really hard that this is number nine ! " he should be reconsidering even talking to her like this, painfully and vulnerably human, but the idea of backing down with his tail between his legs sounds about as appealing as katherine planting a big one on him again. not happening. " i really love being the one to break this to you, but you're not a healed and new woman. you're the same woman trying on the exact same outfit you wore last season and trying to pawn it off like you just bought it. nobody's believing you, and you're unanimously being voted off the island. "

      bambi eyes blink,  sweetest smile on her lips,  and there's a  reason  why she's gotten away with so much,  isn't there ?  elena,  too  -  ALL  the doppelgangers have beauty on their side;  katherine's simply one ot the few who's chosen to use it to her advantage,  and armor all the same.    "my feelings are so hurt, damon! i think i might actually cry myself to sleep. oh, whatever shall i do?"   of course,  the words are over excentuated,  loud,  high pitched,  and it would take a newborn child to not realize it's sarcasm dripping from her saccharine painted lips.  she knows it won't do anything to him,  but she can still have fun  irritating  him,  no ?   "i've always been self aware,"   she says in a sing-song voice,  twirling her hair around her finger,  lips curving up even more sharply.   "i just prioritized self preservation. you should try it, no? you've always worn that soft heart of yours on your sleeve. how's that going for you?"   one would think the softer salvatore was stefan;  and in a way,  maybe he was.  but the emotional one was always damon.  blinks,  head tilting to the side.   "----- ... have you been watching love island with your second chance at life?"   and see,  this is why she says he has no self preservation skills.

he's almost positive that there's a rather drastic minority of people who were actually rooting for katherine pierce of all people. he felt some sympathy for her, knowing the hell his family had put her through over the years. finn was often empathetic for the plight of those affected by niklaus' rage, given he too had faced his brother's heinous ways. " reformation means nothing in the eyes of those you've hurt. " finn offers, though he doubts she'll consider his sound advice. " niklaus doesn't forgive and forget, katerina. i'm sure plenty of others share the same sentiment. "

         she doesn't like  PITY.  sympathy ?  she doesn't mind that;  she'll take it and run with it,  milk it for all it's worth,  perhaps even give her best teary eyes to those who offer comfort.  katherine knows how to use everything to her advantage,  and she always will.   "the majority of those i hurt are long dead. and i've made peace with myself."   which is most certainly a lie;  a lie to him,  a lie to herself  -  katherine pierce has never been at peace with anything,  and she doubts she ever will be.   "and neither do i. i certainly never forgot what he and elijah tried with me."   she only spent 500 years on the run.  she rolls her eyes,  hair blows in the wind.   "besides, isn't he a family man now? i'm sure he has bigger concerns than someone who spoiled his first attempt at become the original hybrid."   and yes,  she says the last words mockingly.

indifference prompts him to toss the bracelet over his shoulder. oh, well. he tried. " careful, that almost sounded like a compliment. why don't i buy you a drink, then ? " if only because there's something bewitching about a catty woman uptight about her fashion sense. sue him.

       he's surely playing with fire;  but she's always loved to play  games  in her free time,  so what's to stop katherine pierce around this time ?   she even giggles in amusement,  the bracelet falling with a dull clang.  "told you it was worthless. and careful, word has it around here that my compliments are more like curses."   which,  give her a little more time with her own personal hybrid,  and it may even come true.  

        brow furrows and katherine pierce is surely  disappointed,  for she was under the impression the blonde was a good,  fun time.  and this brunette certainly hates being wrong !   "oh, lex."  and even the theatrical pout 'pon her painted lips isn't the worst she can do,  nor the most annoying she can be !  and trust katherine,  she is a pro.   "there's so many of ... our types here, and you think there's not going to be a flash of hell around the corner?"   and she flashes her own grin,  as if she's got the camera to the underworld in the palm of her hand.  and maybe she does.