[He lost her attention briefly at the delicate flutter of his thumb over her knuckles and the soft gentleness of his voice. These sensations she has felt before, but with her hearing heightened and touch more vivid for her, she's swimming in the midst of him. Her smile spreads, indulgent and happy, spoiled by his presence and the attention he is giving her.
Slowly, the pieces of information come back to her. She's able to find her footing there and follow the walkway towards his point. She hadn't considered where she would live or what she would do. All of this had happened so rapidly, that she had faltered only on the changes that happened to her body. She didn't know how her dragons might respond or what she would do with herself.]
What price do you imagine you must pay? [He can't afford to keep Elena as his enemy, Elena cannot afford to keep him as an enemy, and Daenerys had no wish for either of them to be enemies. There was enough danger here without adding to it, and whether they wanted it or not, they were bound, the three of them through this predicament. Elena was her sire and Klaus...that bond was harder to define.]
You wish me to stay with you? Is that what you are asking me?
I wish you to be safe. ( the words are spoken with a determined gravity. he watched the slow spread of her smile with a flicker of primal interest; like a soft brush of breath on the back of his neck, his skin prickled. she is exquisite and beautiful, that much is true, and he is certain the fabricated bond between them has little influence on his attraction, but he would be a fool to let sentiment sway him now.
no, klaus wields such things like a weapon, and he does so now, for he recognizes her preoccupation for what it is: the overwhelming vitality and vividness of each sensation, each emotion. he speaks with a candid harshness, despite the melody of his words. he implores her to listen. if he pleases her, all the better; he's content to seduce her attention.
it does not matter where she lives. it matters that she understands. ) To not invoke the scrutiny and violence that our kind often do, by those threatened by our power. ( for her good, but also for his own. for the others here he cares to protect. it may be true elena has outed herself and not faced opposition, but if bodies start piling up because a new vampire cannot control herself, that is bound to change. ) I wish you control over your impulses and the overwhelming tide of your emotions, which I promise will be many and difficult to curb. ( he speaks with certainty, with intimacy. the horror of those experiences are in his eyes. his hand tightens around hers, folding her fingers with his. ) Being a vampire is not for the feint at heart.
And I do not believe you are feint at heart, love, but I suspect that even as a human, your passion and power were something to behold, and you are just as likely to destroy what you love as you are to protect it. ( she is a woman who rides dragons. there's something wild in her blood.
as for the rest: ) The price I will pay Elena is mercy. The price she will owe is humility. All I ask for is peace. ( he doesn't add: or else. )
( Klaus speaks as if he knows Elena can hear him. She's reminded of all the times he appeared charming. But, she knows he can turn on a dime. He speaks in his flowery prose, keeping Dany enthralled, she assumes. She agrees with some of what he says and even with the undercurrent of hostility Dany might not pick up on.
Maybe she isn't Klaus' enemy. Maybe Klaus isn't hers. The way he puts it so plainly, however, puts everything else into perspective. Mikael or not, they are not allies. Even in this, it's a means to an end. Klaus is her means and peace is his.
Elena hears the 'or else' loud and clear. She gets it. Klaus' price is Elena backing down. Not making Klaus a problem. But, Elena never planned on setting her sights on Klaus. She had other things to worry about.
Stefan.
His speech reminds her of other speeches he's made, and one Caroline had told her about once. Promising to show her New Orleans. Or Paris. And the darkest parts of herself. If she all ready had this bond with Klaus, Dany would be a handful. But, the minute Elena fed Dany her blood, she became her responsibility. )
You get your peace.
( She says it knowing Klaus can hear her, and Dany can not. She sets her phone down beside her. )
But, I want her to stay here. At least, at first. Those are my terms, Klaus.
( klaus hears elena. he does so, and he understands her — but he cannot and will not dictate nor discourage daenerys from whatever she might choose. elena is her sire, but klaus is certainly more of her equal.
and truth be told, it matters little to klaus what dany decides — as long as she's under someone's wing. if elena's, there's certainly less work for him. he knows he will inevitably be needed, regardless.
his gaze flickers to the side for a moment, ears perked to elena's response. for her benefit, and for dany's, he adds, ) It's your choice.
[Whether knowing to or not, his warning about what she had become uprooted the already embedded fears of who she is and who her father was. Her dragons were at the very center of it and she knows how easy it would be to become a monster. That choice was made all the more sharp because of her new state, a state clearly influenced by more powerful emotions and urges than she had faced before.
She doesn't hear Elena or notice any change in Klaus, her focus centered by the path before her. Who she became with this, what she intended to do with this power, it was no different a struggle than she had faced before. Now though, it seemed everything was made more dangerous.]
I have no desire to destroy anything. ['Dragons plant no trees'. Those words were still fresh. All they needed was a thought and she could hear Jorah speak it again. Dragons might be of fire and blood, but that was never how she wished to rule and it was no different now, even with these new changes in her body.
She could be fierce, strong and frightening, but she was did not wish to destroy what she cared for.]
My decision shouldn't be made lightly. Where I go, who I stay with, it will impact what I do going forward. I can't decide this rashly.
( desire is a complex thing. she may not desire to destroy anything, not truly. not with all her heart and soul and mind. not now. but desire is complex, and it is also a fickle thing. with the heightened emotions of a vampire and a crippling, overwhelming blood-thirst to contend, she might feel differently moment-to-moment. she undoubtedly will.
she's also quite right. she shouldn't decide this rashly. he's glad to the level-headed answer, but he would be naive to think it will stop her from slipping in the long run. they all do, eventually. she may even come to like it. he certainly has.
klaus nods, both in acquiescence and understanding, and leans back, his hand slipping away from hers. ) Elena. ( he calls her back, his voice barely louder than a moment ago, as if he were still addressing dany. )
( Elena sets her Fluid back down, having been given the go ahead to return. Even though, this is her house, she knows better than to defy Klaus' terms. She keeps her distance, she listens, she speaks when she decides she needs to. And, she returns when she can.
Elena steps back into the room. )
Dany, I'm not going to tell you what to do. Or, who to live with. But, I can say I'll always be there for you. And I'm sorry that this happened, but that whatever you need, I want to be there. It means something to me. Being a vampire isn't easy, but, it's being around others, and having a support system that matters. ( She turns, when she speaks of him. ) Klaus has done this longer than me. And, he knows more than me. I would never tell you who to go to for answers. But, if you would want to, you have a place here as long as you like.
I understand that you both wish to look after me. [She kept her hand in Klaus's hold, even as Elena rejoined them. The sudden shift in the room was difficult to mistake. Neither of them really cared much for each other, and this alliance was likely only for her benefit. What she would prefer would be a place where all like them could reside, so that she could learn more from many others, but it seemed unlikely. Vampires, like dragons, were territorial and bad blood ran deep.] I still have a home of my own and wherever I go, I am not going alone.
I have three children to look after that are growing larger. They have their own hunger that needs to be controlled.
[She shivered, suddenly afraid for how they would respond to her. Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. Would they fear her now? Would she be nothing more than a predator in their eyes? She had feared being a monster before, but now even her humanity and being was tainted by this sudden change.]
Not only do I have to learn to train my dragons quickly, I must train myself.
( yep, elena, you really stepped in it this time!!
is the look on klaus' face as he nonchalantly shrugs, brows lifting and the corner of his lips tipping down in time.
he gets up and mosies on over to a desk in a corner, grabbing a spare sheet of paper and uncapping a pen. ) May I suggest she feeds sooner rather than later? Best she experience the real thing under controlled circumstances for the first time. ( he leans over the paper to start scratching away. ) Away from her dragons, might I add.
( How is the first person Elena turns this tethered to Klaus. Literally?? She sets that aside, and addresses what Klaus puts out. It's almost as if she anticipates his assumption of how she'd react. )
As much as I hate the idea, no, Klaus. You're not wrong. The only other people in this neighborhood are sleepers and Betties. ( She thinks. ) Is - a Betty a person. ( A dream person? ) I guess - we'll find out. ( To Daenerys. ) I'll be back.
( She thinks about thanking Klaus, pauses even as she thinks about it. But, instead, she continues on her mission leaving Klaus and Dany alone.
( he has no idea how elena might react. she's a vampire now, far longer than last he's seen her, and no doubt has fed on her share of humans. and while he doubts elena gilbert relishes the experience as a rule, she has always been practical.
he also didn't come here to babysit, and considering elena's eager for the responsibility... he speaks up before she leaves the room, holding the paper he was writing on aloft. ) As thrilling as the prospect sounds, I wasn't intending to stay for dinner. And unless you'd like to revisit the terms of our deal, I believe you're forgetting something. ( the spell in his hands, he means )
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no subject
Slowly, the pieces of information come back to her. She's able to find her footing there and follow the walkway towards his point. She hadn't considered where she would live or what she would do. All of this had happened so rapidly, that she had faltered only on the changes that happened to her body. She didn't know how her dragons might respond or what she would do with herself.]
What price do you imagine you must pay? [He can't afford to keep Elena as his enemy, Elena cannot afford to keep him as an enemy, and Daenerys had no wish for either of them to be enemies. There was enough danger here without adding to it, and whether they wanted it or not, they were bound, the three of them through this predicament. Elena was her sire and Klaus...that bond was harder to define.]
You wish me to stay with you? Is that what you are asking me?
no subject
no, klaus wields such things like a weapon, and he does so now, for he recognizes her preoccupation for what it is: the overwhelming vitality and vividness of each sensation, each emotion. he speaks with a candid harshness, despite the melody of his words. he implores her to listen. if he pleases her, all the better; he's content to seduce her attention.
it does not matter where she lives. it matters that she understands. ) To not invoke the scrutiny and violence that our kind often do, by those threatened by our power. ( for her good, but also for his own. for the others here he cares to protect. it may be true elena has outed herself and not faced opposition, but if bodies start piling up because a new vampire cannot control herself, that is bound to change. ) I wish you control over your impulses and the overwhelming tide of your emotions, which I promise will be many and difficult to curb. ( he speaks with certainty, with intimacy. the horror of those experiences are in his eyes. his hand tightens around hers, folding her fingers with his. ) Being a vampire is not for the feint at heart.
And I do not believe you are feint at heart, love, but I suspect that even as a human, your passion and power were something to behold, and you are just as likely to destroy what you love as you are to protect it. ( she is a woman who rides dragons. there's something wild in her blood.
as for the rest: ) The price I will pay Elena is mercy. The price she will owe is humility. All I ask for is peace. ( he doesn't add: or else. )
no subject
Maybe she isn't Klaus' enemy. Maybe Klaus isn't hers. The way he puts it so plainly, however, puts everything else into perspective. Mikael or not, they are not allies. Even in this, it's a means to an end. Klaus is her means and peace is his.
Elena hears the 'or else' loud and clear. She gets it. Klaus' price is Elena backing down. Not making Klaus a problem. But, Elena never planned on setting her sights on Klaus. She had other things to worry about.
Stefan.
His speech reminds her of other speeches he's made, and one Caroline had told her about once. Promising to show her New Orleans. Or Paris. And the darkest parts of herself. If she all ready had this bond with Klaus, Dany would be a handful. But, the minute Elena fed Dany her blood, she became her responsibility. )
You get your peace.
( She says it knowing Klaus can hear her, and Dany can not. She sets her phone down beside her. )
But, I want her to stay here. At least, at first. Those are my terms, Klaus.
no subject
and truth be told, it matters little to klaus what dany decides — as long as she's under someone's wing. if elena's, there's certainly less work for him. he knows he will inevitably be needed, regardless.
his gaze flickers to the side for a moment, ears perked to elena's response. for her benefit, and for dany's, he adds, ) It's your choice.
no subject
She doesn't hear Elena or notice any change in Klaus, her focus centered by the path before her. Who she became with this, what she intended to do with this power, it was no different a struggle than she had faced before. Now though, it seemed everything was made more dangerous.]
I have no desire to destroy anything. ['Dragons plant no trees'. Those words were still fresh. All they needed was a thought and she could hear Jorah speak it again. Dragons might be of fire and blood, but that was never how she wished to rule and it was no different now, even with these new changes in her body.
She could be fierce, strong and frightening, but she was did not wish to destroy what she cared for.]
My decision shouldn't be made lightly. Where I go, who I stay with, it will impact what I do going forward. I can't decide this rashly.
no subject
she's also quite right. she shouldn't decide this rashly. he's glad to the level-headed answer, but he would be naive to think it will stop her from slipping in the long run. they all do, eventually. she may even come to like it. he certainly has.
klaus nods, both in acquiescence and understanding, and leans back, his hand slipping away from hers. ) Elena. ( he calls her back, his voice barely louder than a moment ago, as if he were still addressing dany. )
no subject
Elena steps back into the room. )
Dany, I'm not going to tell you what to do. Or, who to live with. But, I can say I'll always be there for you. And I'm sorry that this happened, but that whatever you need, I want to be there. It means something to me. Being a vampire isn't easy, but, it's being around others, and having a support system that matters. ( She turns, when she speaks of him. ) Klaus has done this longer than me. And, he knows more than me. I would never tell you who to go to for answers. But, if you would want to, you have a place here as long as you like.
no subject
I have three children to look after that are growing larger. They have their own hunger that needs to be controlled.
[She shivered, suddenly afraid for how they would respond to her. Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. Would they fear her now? Would she be nothing more than a predator in their eyes? She had feared being a monster before, but now even her humanity and being was tainted by this sudden change.]
Not only do I have to learn to train my dragons quickly, I must train myself.
I need to learn quickly.
no subject
Children?
( Elena turned a mother? Her throat is dry, a lump she can't escape dropping but then -- )
Dragons..
( That lands with a thud. She looks to Klaus. ) Dragons?
no subject
is the look on klaus' face as he nonchalantly shrugs, brows lifting and the corner of his lips tipping down in time.
he gets up and mosies on over to a desk in a corner, grabbing a spare sheet of paper and uncapping a pen. ) May I suggest she feeds sooner rather than later? Best she experience the real thing under controlled circumstances for the first time. ( he leans over the paper to start scratching away. ) Away from her dragons, might I add.
no subject
As much as I hate the idea, no, Klaus. You're not wrong. The only other people in this neighborhood are sleepers and Betties. ( She thinks. ) Is - a Betty a person. ( A dream person? ) I guess - we'll find out. ( To Daenerys. ) I'll be back.
( She thinks about thanking Klaus, pauses even as she thinks about it. But, instead, she continues on her mission leaving Klaus and Dany alone.
Which she doesn't like either. )
no subject
he also didn't come here to babysit, and considering elena's eager for the responsibility... he speaks up before she leaves the room, holding the paper he was writing on aloft. ) As thrilling as the prospect sounds, I wasn't intending to stay for dinner. And unless you'd like to revisit the terms of our deal, I believe you're forgetting something. ( the spell in his hands, he means )
no subject
Thank you.
( He can leave now. )