Saltwater Bound
Always & Forever
After being invited in, Isabella followed Jeremy inside. As he went upstairs, Damon and Isabella stayed in the living room, turning to each other with wide eyes and raised eyebrows when the yelling started. “Few things you should know,” Damon whispered as the conversation upstairs continued. “One, I stash emergency bloodbags in their fridge.” He gestured towards the kitchen. “Back of the veggie drawer. Two, Elena is… wait, do you know what a doppelganger is? Well, never mind, it’s pretty self-explanatory once you see her. She’s Katherine’s doppelganger. The Katherine,” he concluded, still whispering.
Isabella stared at him in stunned silence. That did explain why Klaus had used her for the ritual, but it was still baffling. “That’s insane. How did you meet?” she whispered back, but before Damon could answer, footsteps came down the stairs and the spitting image of Katherine Pierce walked into the Gilbert's living room, holding a half-open Eastpak stuffed with clothes. The girl stopped in her tracks when she saw the two dark-haired vampires.
"Elena, Isabella. Izzy, Elena," Damon said. He gave his girlfriend a light nudge and she took a hesitant step towards Isabella, hand extended but with a wary look in her eyes.
Isabella brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, smiled and shook Elena’s hand. "Hi. I'm actually an old friend of Damon's. I know that's not comforting information to most people," Isabella paused to send Damon a sweet smile when an indignant "hey!" left his lips, "but since you're dating him, I figured I'd lead with that. He can vouch for me. I don't like violence and your brother sincerely doesn't have anything to worry about from me." Isabella took a deep breath, contemplating how to balance being graphic with being very clear. "That said… if Klaus or his lackeys appear to be a direct threat to either of us, I will make them regret it."
"All right, Warrior Princess, let's not scare the nice human lady," Damon said as he quickly moved forward and petted Isabella’s shoulder, half scared that his old friend was going to go into gory details. "Elena - any questions for the nice vampire lady or your brother, or are we good to go?"
Klaus shook his head when Denise asked about the possibility of his siblings suddenly jumping out of their caskets, but then realized he'd probably done a lackluster job of explaining what desiccating actually entailed. "Desiccation is what occurs when regular vampires do not feed, or if they are forcibly drained of blood. It's slow, painful, and only ends when someone feeds you. However..." Klaus walked over to one of the caskets and casually threw open the lid.
"As my older brother Elijah here demonstrates, he has been desiccated by means of a dagger. When this particular dagger is dipped in the ashes of the white oak tree that gave us immortality, and planted in an Original's heart..." He gestured towards Elijah's face, grey and covered in veins. "This happens. And stays as such, until the dagger is pulled back out."
Klaus stared at his favorite brother for another moment before closing the casket again, after which he accompanied Denise back to the living room. "So no, absolutely no need to worry about my brothers or sister escaping their current situation and unleashing their wrath. Rest assured it will only be you, me and perhaps a few of my hybrid minions around," he added with a smirk as he sat down on his old, worn-in leather couch. "I hope you don't mind, I had my dinner while you were away. I was unsure whether or not it would be unsettling to watch - or maybe it's child's play compared to what you see in hell."
Curiously, the hybrid stared at Denise. Demons genuinely looked just like humans – like vampires. He wondered if this had been her human body, or if this was a suit she'd snatched up somewhere. However, he was also unsure regarding the etiquette when it came to asking about a demon’s true identity: from what he understood, they were highly private. Probably smart, considering that a hunter could use personal information against them. Thus, he decided to let her divulge her own secrets on her own terms, when it suited her. "So what would you like to do this fine evening? Dive into the demonology books? Raid my safe for jewellery and scrolls on the ritual to open hell? Live it up in Mystic Falls?" Klaus spread his arms and leaned back into the couch. "I'm up for anything."
Isabella stared at him in stunned silence. That did explain why Klaus had used her for the ritual, but it was still baffling. “That’s insane. How did you meet?” she whispered back, but before Damon could answer, footsteps came down the stairs and the spitting image of Katherine Pierce walked into the Gilbert's living room, holding a half-open Eastpak stuffed with clothes. The girl stopped in her tracks when she saw the two dark-haired vampires.
"Elena, Isabella. Izzy, Elena," Damon said. He gave his girlfriend a light nudge and she took a hesitant step towards Isabella, hand extended but with a wary look in her eyes.
Isabella brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, smiled and shook Elena’s hand. "Hi. I'm actually an old friend of Damon's. I know that's not comforting information to most people," Isabella paused to send Damon a sweet smile when an indignant "hey!" left his lips, "but since you're dating him, I figured I'd lead with that. He can vouch for me. I don't like violence and your brother sincerely doesn't have anything to worry about from me." Isabella took a deep breath, contemplating how to balance being graphic with being very clear. "That said… if Klaus or his lackeys appear to be a direct threat to either of us, I will make them regret it."
"All right, Warrior Princess, let's not scare the nice human lady," Damon said as he quickly moved forward and petted Isabella’s shoulder, half scared that his old friend was going to go into gory details. "Elena - any questions for the nice vampire lady or your brother, or are we good to go?"
Klaus shook his head when Denise asked about the possibility of his siblings suddenly jumping out of their caskets, but then realized he'd probably done a lackluster job of explaining what desiccating actually entailed. "Desiccation is what occurs when regular vampires do not feed, or if they are forcibly drained of blood. It's slow, painful, and only ends when someone feeds you. However..." Klaus walked over to one of the caskets and casually threw open the lid.
"As my older brother Elijah here demonstrates, he has been desiccated by means of a dagger. When this particular dagger is dipped in the ashes of the white oak tree that gave us immortality, and planted in an Original's heart..." He gestured towards Elijah's face, grey and covered in veins. "This happens. And stays as such, until the dagger is pulled back out."
Klaus stared at his favorite brother for another moment before closing the casket again, after which he accompanied Denise back to the living room. "So no, absolutely no need to worry about my brothers or sister escaping their current situation and unleashing their wrath. Rest assured it will only be you, me and perhaps a few of my hybrid minions around," he added with a smirk as he sat down on his old, worn-in leather couch. "I hope you don't mind, I had my dinner while you were away. I was unsure whether or not it would be unsettling to watch - or maybe it's child's play compared to what you see in hell."
Curiously, the hybrid stared at Denise. Demons genuinely looked just like humans – like vampires. He wondered if this had been her human body, or if this was a suit she'd snatched up somewhere. However, he was also unsure regarding the etiquette when it came to asking about a demon’s true identity: from what he understood, they were highly private. Probably smart, considering that a hunter could use personal information against them. Thus, he decided to let her divulge her own secrets on her own terms, when it suited her. "So what would you like to do this fine evening? Dive into the demonology books? Raid my safe for jewellery and scrolls on the ritual to open hell? Live it up in Mystic Falls?" Klaus spread his arms and leaned back into the couch. "I'm up for anything."