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[manipulative]

( ACTION | AUDIO | MIRROR | TEXT | VIDEO | VASILKA )

CALLING: KATERINA PETROVA ▓

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[audio]

[shorthair]

[The alternate universe was complicated for Clementine, because her life was far better in that alternate world than it actually is. She was happier. She had more fun. Living wasn't as difficult for her even if she was used to survival even then. More than anything, she had so many friends who she could count on, who she could trust. It's those relationships at Hogwarts which stick with her most, and it's why she's been seeking those people out even though she knows no one will be exactly the same (just like her).]

Hi. This is Clementine. Maybe this is weird. I don't know what people are supposed to do after Events like that one. [It wasn't real but it felt real at the time, and she cares.] I'm just doing what I want, and I wanted to get in touch with you. Do you remember me from that other life?

[audio]

[manipulative]

[ it'd be easy to simply say no. it'd leave katherine alone and at peace, but she's found that peacefulness had been attached to loneliness. the event had only brought about what she'd been running from for five hundred years — she has nothing but her shadow, the one familiar shape that's been twisted out of it, to keep her company. ]

[ she remembers clementine easily. the girl had made her laugh, and had made her feel as though she had a purpose in hogwarts. it'd made her feel … almost human, in a sense, and katherine isn't so sure of what to do with those feelings in her hands. but she finds herself wanting to answer. ]

[ when she decides to tap into that girl she'd been for the event — katerina petrova — her voice is as warm as it had been then, but it's more throaty than before. ]

Have you been making up any good stories lately?

[ yes, clementine, she remembers you fondly. ]

[audio]

[shorthair]

[clementine smiles at the familiar voice and at the fact she responds at all (she didn't have to, clementine is aware of that too).

it's different than what she remembers but similar, familiar. no one is going to be the exact same people they were in that other universe, world, life. she was free from walkers and endless loss and betrayal. a lightness had been in her heart which clementine doesn't think she's ever felt before (as a child before the apocalypse, she was completely innocent so she was completely free from any heaviness. the girl at hogwarts had some darkness, something a bit heavy but also light too as if she could still see the meaning between right and wrong, because it mattered).]

No, not since I've been back. I've only ever made up stories like that with you.

It was more fun than I've had in a long time. You think Wonderland needs stories made up about it too?

[audio]

[manipulative]

[ she laughs. ] Have you read the book? Wonderland could use a few stories to bring it back down to earth.

[ wonderland's a little mad, and while that's enjoyable for those who wish to be whisked off to an incredibly crazy world, katherine isn't one of them. she likes her mundane little towns locked away in the darkest unseen corners of the map. but that's only because she's never had anyone to tell her stories, made up or autobiographical, to. ]

It could actually use a few. Some of the things those characters say on the network is incredibly uninspired.

[ she's quiet for a moment, before she says, more quietly, ] I had fun, too.

[audio]

[shorthair]

[clementine smiles, warm, quiet.] No. I watched the cartoon, but I never got a chance to read the book. I should since I'm here.

[she didn't consider it, and it seems so stupid that she didn't. she thinks about reading for survival because of that event, because of her conversation with katherine then. she's used to survival being action (movement, violence, hiding, lying, pretending, sneaking). but in wonderland, it gets more complicated. information (even fiction) can be useful.]

They're strange and unhelpful. If we can't figure out what their deal is, we can make up our own. I like that better.

[she sort of wants to hit them until they say something that means something.] We should do it here too so it can be real for us. I mean, it felt real, but...

[audio]

[manipulative]

[ a lot of things begin to feel not real when you've lived for over five centuries. events begin to blur, people become forgotten — katherine sometimes feels as though she's not quite present. her feet never quite touch the ground, given how fast she continues to run. even now, in wonderland, she's running from something — and clementine brings it all back for her, even if she doesn't quite know it herself. ]

[ katherine's used to being mean, and in turn, she's used to people not quite wanting to get to know her. unless she's gone out of her way to purposefully elicit such a reaction, she's often alone — and quite not well-received by anyone who comes to know her. ]

[ a part of her wonders how long it'll take for clementine to see that. but she locks that thought away. ]

You can borrow mine. Unless you enjoy taking from the closet, then you should be incredibly picky about the edition and cover you choose. [ it's only the best for katherine pierce, after all. she's had a head start on clementine; five hundred years, living during the author's time — she's read every edition with every cover to simply pass the time. ]

[ she thinks to leave it there, but something within her leaps forward, and her voice is much lower, ] It was real. If you want it to be. Wonderland shouldn't ever be given the power to determine that.

[audio]

[shorthair]

[clementine smiles a little at that. she didn't even know about their being different editions of the book, but it's good to know before she headed off to the library or the closet and then tried to figure out which was the best version to read. she figures it can't be like the cartoon she saw, because none of it seems like that.

the queen on the other side of the mirror seems much more real, much more human in her edges than the overacting which happened in animation. she wants the right version.]

I want to borrow yours. The right one. Can I come get it now? [she doesn't know where katherine is. a part of her wanted to find her in person instead of going to her like this, but she wasn't sure how she'd be received. some people weren't handling coming back from hogwarts very well. she's... one of them, but the relationships still hold meaning to her whether or not they should.

her throat locks up at the words. she needed to hear them more than she could express, more than she even knew. it matters if it's real, and it matters to her even if she doesn't live it anymore.]

I want it to be. It was real, and it matters. It's just... not mine anymore. I'm not that girl.

TEXT. | 💃

[interpersonal]

[ elena has looked everywhere.

everywhere, of course, except the one place she likely should be looking. she's resisted it, despite her instincts telling her that she's right. problem is, she can only resist for so long. elena's capital sin is not pride, and she does love her little furball. they've bonded a lot ok, don't judge. ]

Have you seen my cat?

TEXT. | 💃

[manipulative]

[ what are the chances of elena texting her again if katherine doesn't reply? ]

[ she thinks she has more of a chance being elected president tomorrow. ]

No.

[ she didn't even look. oops. ]

TEXT. | 💃

[interpersonal]

[ u g h.

damn you, iskra. ]

You really mean that? [ with katherine, elena can never be too sure, but maybe her instincts were wrong. at least, she can hope. ]

TEXT. | 💃

[manipulative]

[ … no. ]

[ if katherine turns her head, she'll find the black cat she remembers a little too well sitting and staring at another cat katherine doesn't know at all. she's lying on her bed, a book in front of her, and all she wants to do is forget she hadn't minded having books before her and ink staining her fingertips. ]

Does your cat have your name on it?

[ petty katerina lines are a go!!! ]

TEXT. | 💃

[interpersonal]

[ this part of the conversation will hurt her very soul.

that stupid cat is lucky elena loves it so much. elena nearly pinches the bridge of her nose, and closes her eyes against the graphic visual of katherine laughing at her for this. katherine, not katerina. it wasn't real, and it will do her good to remember katherine would not think twice about skinning her alive. ]

The cat won't answer to her name anymore, only Iskra.

TEXT. | 💃

[manipulative]

[ "ugh." ]

[ katherine doesn't even say the stupid cat's name to know. of course it's elena's cat. that's the way her life rolls itself out, isn't it? she gets her windswept wild looking thing of a feline monster from a previous life that should never have existed, and it attracts elena's things. ]

[ she wants neither. the black cat can get lost and the other cat that had once been an owl can follow suit. ]

I have to hand it to myself, I do know how to name things.

[ let's opt for a non-answer. ]

TEXT. | 💃

[interpersonal]

[ before this event, elena didn't know a lick of bulgarian. now that it's finished, she isn't anywhere close to being fluent, but she can understand it. certain things stick with her, like how much she loved lamb stew, and how their pets wouldn't listen to anything unless it was spoken in the petrova mother tongue. it's nothing elena ever thought about if she could help it. she is a gilbert. she rejected the petrova legacy, along with the flemming legacy, long ago.

it leads to a life of running. it leads to vampirism. all things elena does not want.

and now she's damnably curious, in spite of herself. now she wonders where she truly came from. ]

You're not going to tell me, are you? [ she doesn't even know katherine's room number. ]

text; backdated to 11/24

[stefanged]

[After the hell that had been the mindscape, Stefan can't exactly say he wants to be the one telling Katherine - but he also knows that if he doesn't, he doesn't know who would:]

Damon went home for a week. Sounds like he's lived through more of the future. I don't know what, and I don't think I want to know what.

Just thought you should know.

[Then a long pause, before:] Happy Thanksgiving.

text;

[manipulative]

[ truthfully, katherine's not sure what to make of stefan's message. no one's quite kept her in the loop — or informed her there's a loop to be kept in — so having the salvatore who hates her with every fibre of his being open a door and invite her in is a kindness she doesn't understand. it's a mystery she wishes to unravel, but with her fingers delicate instead of rough. ]

[ one day she'll be able to reconcile the stefan she knows with this one, and everything that's happened to him without her being there to watch over. ]

[ she thinks of how she can benefit from this — damon has future knowledge at his disposal she could use, but at the same time, she doubts it of its authenticity, and even his ability to narrate and remember objectively — but she lets those thoughts go. what she ends up wanting to know does surprise her just a little. ]

How are you handling it?

text;

[stefanged]

[That wasn't the response he expected.

Then again, Stefan isn't sure what he expected. All he has is Damon's less than flattering depiction, and after a whole conversation with her, he can't say it's entirely accurate. His brother meant well. His brother meant very, very well - but he was also biased, with a jade-tinted lens that made everything so much darker.]

Okay, I guess. He's different? Good different, so far.

Caroline invited me to a dinner, so I can't skip out on it, but are you free right now?
This might be better to talk about in-person.

text;

[manipulative]

[ "good different" is only the tip top of an iceberg katherine doubts is good. she doesn't think to say anything, though. she's had one hundred years to understand damon's psyche, to know that things that appear peachy for him aren't. it's something stefan would know, but a part of her is glad that he doesn't for now. let him bask in damon returning and it being a good thing. he deserves that much. ]

[ she thinks to decline him as she dislikes this holiday with a passion, and she thinks to give him a sharp, mean quip about caroline forbes, but katherine bites her tongue. if caroline wishes to hold a thanksgiving dinner, let her have that humanity seep in. katherine's only jealous she hasn't had anyone to share food and thanks with for far too long. (it's of her own doing, that much she knows.) ]

I can spare an hour or two for you.

Found any places a cat wouldn't want to appear in? I'm currently in hiding.

text;

[stefanged]

If your cat's anything like the other pets I've seen, they're not big fans of the gardens.

[He's never going to be Alesci - he won't remember those dazzling forest lights - but Caroline had mentioned how empty the grounds had felt. Even a mischievous cat wouldn't dare follow them around.]

Meet me in five minutes in the entrance hall?

text → action;

[manipulative]

[ katherine hopes stefan's right. vasilka simply won't leave her alone, and she has an inkling as to why. ]

Let's hope for the best and that she is. Or else my Thanksgiving wish hasn't been granted.

See you then, Stefan.

[ katherine won't admit she goes through an elaborate plan of trying to outrun her cat (vasilka has to be in the shadows, lurking around somewhere) before she winds up in the entrance hall. she doesn't speed through the corridors, allowing time for her heels to click against the floor. she doesn't hear the soft padding of a cat following her either, leaving her to breathe a little easier knowing that reminder of everything she's lost isn't to be found somewhere close by. ]

action;

[stefanged]

[As he promised, he arrives in the entrance hall in exactly five minutes, with a traditional picnic basket in his hands. Stefan doesn't have all his memories: he can't recall her favorite dishes, so he's opted for a basket filled with traditional Thanksgiving goodies and a bottle of vintage red wine for the road, and draped with a traditional plaid blanket for them to sit on.

(Oh, and he might've snuck in a thermos filled with masala chai. Because even Stefan can't escape the love for his favorite drink when it's chilly outside!)

He gives her a small, but genuine, smile as he tilts his head towards the door.]

Hey. I'm glad you could make it.

backdated to Christmas

[easily]

[Rebekah still doesn't like Katherine all that much but begrudgingly she has to admit the other woman had helped keep her alive in Hell. So with that in mind on Christmas morning Katherine will find a box with a pair of heels in it, replacing the ones she had to ditch while they were on the run.

There's no note and if Katherine ever tries to call her on it she'll deny it.

But that's a thing that has happened now.]

[manipulative]

[ contrary to how she's allowed others to perceive her, katherine isn't the type to look a gifted horse in the mouth. she doesn't return the favour to rebekah with any material gift to reciprocate (though she does think on it, considering jewellery, shoes herself, before she determines perhaps it's not the best path to take, despite it eating her up inside that the balance has been tipped in someone else's favour). instead, she sees it for what it is: an olive branch. ]

[ she thinks back on any passing thought elijah's shared with her of rebekah, and when she works her way through her rolodex of information she's collected, she thinks the best gift she can give rebekah is something she can't quite hold in her hands or wear. it's a chance, the same one she's given to katherine; she's not her enemy, and she doesn't think to allow rebekah to inherit it, especially not after how she'd behaved in hell. elijah had been right about her; rebekah isn't as uncomfortably sharp and unlikeable as the rest of them. ]

[ all katherine leaves behind, in neat cursive on a small piece of paper slipped beneath her door, is Thank you. ]

[ she doesn't throw out the shoes. ]

birthday present delivery »

[stefanged]

[ He'll admit, being stuck in a snowstorm with her and Vasilka was far from ideal. Souji had warned him about it and yet, he'd found himself huddling beside her, as if they were regular humans with an incessant need to take shelter and stay warm.

But in the midst of the glaring and the arguing, a realization had emerged: this was how she was spending her birthday. With him. In the middle of a raging, howling snowstorm. God, Stefan couldn't have planned anything worse.

When Katherine opens her door, she'll find a gift bag. Inside, she'll find a simple silver crescent moon necklace, with a kitten sitting along the bottom edge. No note, unfortunately - he doesn't know what he'd say, much less why he would decide to give her a gift. ]

birthday present delivery »

[manipulative]

[ katherine doesn't expect anything on her birthday. how can she when she keeps it hidden under lock and key? there's been no birthday celebrations for a long time, and although she tells herself that's fine with her, she recalls being katerina petrova with friends and family, being celebrated and loved on that very day. she'd like it. she knows she would like it, too, if things were different. ]

[ it doesn't take a genius to know who this has to be from. only those from home know of her birthday, and she doubts anyone who had been her confidante when she'd been a slytherin witch remembers. although memories have been slotted into place, stefan still behaves in the only way stefan knows how — with kindness, even if it feels a little sharp at times. ]

[ katherine fingers the necklace and ignores vasilka walking beside her, brushing up against her arm as she sits on her bed. she thinks on how to retaliate, on what this could possibly mean, how it could be a play — but she knows, in the end, it's not. and that's what drives her insane. ]

[ she doesn't send a note of thanks. that isn't how she and stefan work anymore. instead, after spending the entire day in a quiet ball of her own unease and anger, she decides to clasp it around her neck. ]

[ it's jewellery. it doesn't mean anything. ]