─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆ : *. NOT A DATE
( chapter three ─ act one )
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Rory sat on the floor in the back of The Night Owl, rubbing her temples as she nursed her headache. The luncheon with the Greens had gone according to the plan, it was all-in-all a great success. But it lasted dreadfully long and the Greens weren't exactly the most lively people. And they kept dragging the whole ordeal out an awfully long time to keep Rory and Alek there.
As soon as it was over, Rory asked her driver to take her to the small bookstore she found earlier in the week. Whatever break she had in her schedule, she was going to spend it here. She just neeed a few minutes of peace and quiet before going to her next appointment. But when she once again felt an odd sensation running down her spine, the witch realized that tranquility would be the last thing she was going to get.
"Something on your mind, love?" The witch groaned, recognizing Klaus' voice.
"I swear to God-" Rory muttered darkly, looking up to see the Original standing in front of her.
"So, I have a question for you. Well, actually multiple questions," Klaus continued, ignoring the look of annoyance on Rory's face. "And maybe this conversation would be better if we moved to one of the seating areas. This floor surely can't be clean as it presents itself to be."
"You're right," Rory replied, getting up onto her feet. "This conversation would be a lot better if I just get up and leave right now."
Rory attempted to walk around him, only for the vampire to grab her arm and pull her back towards him. "You're not going anywhere until you answer my questions."
"I am leaving and I am not telling you anything. Now, let me go."
Klaus stared at her for a moment, completely baffled. "Are you giving me orders?"
"Each time I see you, you get more and more perceptive."
"Tell me what you know," He suddenly demanded, staring into her eyes as his pupils dilated.
"What do you think you're doing?" Rory asked while attempting to free herself.
"Why aren't you ..." Klaus began to ask, wondering why the compulsion wasn't working until realizing the answer. "Vervain."
"Your perceptiveness manages to blow me away."
"So, that means you've heard of me and my family before, haven't you? You know, don't you?"
"The only thing I know is that you are becoming a pain in my -"
"Now is not the time for your wit."
"Incorrect. Every opportunity that presents itself for my wit to come into play is a perfect time for it to be used."
Klaus narrowed his eyes. "I have other ways of getting information out of you, you know."
"Yes, your stalking method. And just how effective is proving for you, Klaus?"
"It's doing just fine, Rory."
The witch smiled upon hearing her name out of the vampire's mouth. "Fine. What is it that you desperately want to know?"
"Everything." Rory raised an eyebrow at his response. "I like to be very thorough."
"Not here or now though. I have a schedule that I have to keep, and this dalliance isn't a part of it."
Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Dalliance? Is that what this is now?"
But Rory continued, ignoring what the vampire just said. "There's a nice restaurant around the corner from here, Étoiles Filantes. We'll meet there around 8. Don't be late."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're asking me out on a date."
"Keep dreaming, Klaus," Rory replied with a tight smile, yanking her arm out of the vampire's grasp and walking away.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *
Klaus neared the restaurant that Rory instructed him to meet her at, Étoiles Filantes. The restaurant was a large building and apparently popular due to the line forming outside of its doors. After vamp speeding to the front of the line, Klaus entered the restaurant that was nothing short of spectacular.
The wide space was filled with many tables, where guests dressed to the nines sat. The thick drapes covered the windows that allowed the guests to have privacy. The light emitting from the candle-shaped lights bounced off the glittering chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which paired perfectly with the actual candles placed sparsely around the room. Clearly, this was a restaurant for the high-end of society.
Following the scent of her blood, Klaus made his way toward the back of the restaurant. As he expected, Rory was already sitting there, waiting for him. Her hair was curled, a portion of her hair pulled over to one side and held together by a diamond hairpin. It paired well with the diamond earrings and the diamond bracelet on her wrist. And since the light blue dress that she was wearing was rather plain, it allowed the jewelry she was wearing to truly shine.
But what shocked him was what Rory was doing. Her body was turned to one side to face the window, her eyes going from the scene outside and then back to the sketchbook on the table in front of her. The pencil in her hand moved steadily across the paper as she drew, trying to draw the scene in front of her. She was even more interesting to him now.
"You're on time." Klaus was startled at the sound of Rory's voice, though she made no attempt to look over at him.
The vampire took a seat across from her. "I'm a very punctual person."
"With a knack for stalking." The witch finally turned around in her seat so that she was facing Klaus, setting her pencil down and closing the book. "Well, I'm here. What do you want to know?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm a nobody."
"That's clearly a lie considering you were given a tour of Begonia Community Center and have enough money to dine here."
"Well, yes. I suppose you have a point," Rory muttered, unable to disagree with him. "I'm related to a somebody, making me a somebody by association."
Klaus took notice of how carefully Rory answered his question, but said nothing of it. "So, you know why I'm here, but why are you here exactly?"
"I'm curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"But satisfaction brought it back."
"So, that's why you're here? You wish to be satisfied?" Rory's eyes met Klaus' from across the table, studying his face carefully. She glanced down, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip. Rory then quickly looked away in hopes that he didn't notice, but he clearly did by the way his mouth lifted in a smirk. Damn him and his attractive face.
Rory cleared her throat, attempting to get the conversation back on track. "So, why is a nice vampire like you interested in a silly, old witch like me?"
Klaus chuckled, knowing that nice isn't a word that most people would use to describe him. "I like to satisfy my desires, one of which is to know everything about the world around me."
Rory raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back by his boldness. "So, that's why you're here? You see something you desire?"
"That I made quite clear."
The witch looked down, a blush overtaking her features. She turned back as the waiter came to the table. After placing their orders, the two sat there in awkward silence. Rory downed the water in her glass in front of her, but still her face remained hot from Klaus' comment.
Rory cleared her throat, attempting to focus on the topic at hand. "So, you wish to know everyone and everything, fine. But what does that have to do with me?"
"Because you, my dear, are an anomaly." The witch froze at Klaus' words, something which he was quick to notice. "You say that you are a witch, yet no witch has ever been able to do what you did the other night."
"So, you've never met anyone like me before."
"Exactly." He paused for a moment, the double meaning to his words slowly weighing in on both of them. "And that despite your attempts at persuading yourself otherwise, you are a somebody in this world. Given that fact, you're also somebody that I would've met or at least been aware of, especially given the great power you possess. But I've never seen nor heard of you before, meaning someone went through a lot of trouble to keep you hidden." Klaus then leaned forward, his eyes slowly focused on the woman in front of him. "So, who are you really, Aurelia Piper?"
The witch forced herself to smile, swallowing her nervousness and fear that arose. "I suppose I'm somebody you want something from, Klaus. Do I have that right?"
"The only thing I want is to know you." Klaus glanced at the sketchbook resting on the corner of the table. One of the best ways to know someone was by finding out their interests. "Why were you drawing earlier?"
"Because I have a love for art. I like to draw and sketch in my free time." Rory also noticed the way Klaus' expression changed, he was clearly judging her for her artistic pursuits. "And I take it that you do as well."
"I like to paint." Klaus then gestured to the sketchbook, "You'll have to show me what it is once you're done."
"If only you were so lucky." Rory smiled at the way Klaus chuckled at her response. "Am I going to see one of your paintings?"
"If only you were so lucky."
"Neither one of us are lucky enough to see the works of the other. What are we going to do about this?"
"Get lucky, I suppose."
"Really?" The expression on Klaus' face was one full of shock and playfulness, his head clearly filling with impure thoughts. "I didn't think that's what would be happening tonight, but if-"
"Shut up, Klaus."
"You are the one who started it," He grumbled childishly, causing Rory to roll her eyes.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *
Rory entered Dark Raven after her dinner with Klaus, her mind elsewhere as she walked. Dinner was actually a lovely experience, far more enjoyable than she ever thought it would be. She enjoyed their game of cat and mouse, the small banter in between moments of pleasant conversation as they got to know each other. And it was clear that he enjoyed it as well.
But Klaus was also onto her. He was absolutely right in his deduction, scarily accurate and precise after only knowing her for a few short moments. And that was a problem, a situation with the potential to become an all-out disaster. The reason why she and Aleksei rebranded themselves as the Piper family during their stay in Pairs was so they could hide in plain sight.
It gave them a cover, a chance to get away from their hectic, normal lives since they were away from home. But, of course, there was still work to be done, and Rory and Alek were expected to do their bit. Thus, everyone who needed to know already knew, and Klaus surely wasn't on that list nor was he ever expected to be put on the list.
And Rory couldn't imagine what would happen if Karsh and Ileana found out just how close Klaus was to discovering the truth because she allowed him to do so. Or worse yet, if her parents and grandparents found out what she had done, then she would be royally screwed.
"Oh, hello, Rory." Her aunt's voice caused the young girl to stop in her tracks. "Did you have a nice time at dinner?"
"Yes, I did."
Ileana laughed lightly at the reply. "You sound surprised, darling."
"I am, but in a pleasant way. It was a far more enjoyable experience than I originally anticipated."
"Well, that's nice, isn't it?" The way Rory robotically nodded only made Ileana more concerned. "Why don't you go to your room? You look like you could use a lie down."
Rory walked up the stairs to her room, ready for a nice, hot shower and a long night's sleep. But as she sat down in front of her vanity and began taking off her jewelry, the door opened. In walked her cousin, and she could tell by the look on his face that he wanted something.
"So, you were absent from dinner today," Alek began, leaning against the wall as Rory continued getting her things ready for bed.
"If you must know, I went out for dinner, Alek, at Étoiles Filantes."
"Really? And who were you meeting there?"
"No one," the witch replied instantly, hoping not to give herself away. She then hastily turned around to face him. "And what is that supposed to mean? Why can't I go out for dinner by myself?"
"Come on, Rory. Going out for dinner is one thing, but going out for dinner at Étoiles Filantes is quite another. That is not a place that one simply goes to on their own."
"Well, I did go on my own and I had a great time," Rory insisted, turning back around to face the mirror as she began to remove her makeup.
"Oh, come on. Can't you just tell me who they were, Rory? Must I really get it out of you?"
"I'm not going to tell you anyone because there was no one."
Surprised at how uncompromising and stubborn his cousin was being, he groaned. "Come on, Rory. I won't tell a soul, you know that. Why are you acting like this to me?" At Rory's silence, Alek threw his hands into the air in frustration. "Fine, don't tell me but I will find out eventually. And when I do, my silence will come with a price."
Rory waved her hand, one of her pillows from her bed launching itself at the fairy and hitting Alek in the face. "Get out of my room, Alek."
"I love you too," grumbled Alek, tossing the pillow back onto the bed.
When the fairy finally did leave the room, Rory put her head into her hands with a groan. She thought that she had everything in control but tonight proved anything, it was that she wasn't the one with the power here. Klaus had somehow spun everything in his favor. He knew that something she was hiding, and something told Rory that Klaus isn't the type of person to give up. He wasn't going to stop until he found out the truth, something which Rory couldn't allow. She had to find a way to truly take control of the situation and to steer this thing in the right direction for both of their sakes.