ℙ the ninth;

[eternityalone]

[ETA: Once the Salvatores left, Katherine filtered this from anyone from Mystic Falls.]

[It is an important choice she made when she came back from Mystic Falls to find herself not exactly 'far away' from Klaus, but far enough that she felt it is safe to risk this sort of choice. Now though, even with all of her choices made and goals set for the future, she's still keeping ever mindful of the things she's left behind.]

A while ago, I posed a question to the castle about what someone might want to learn - if they were given the opportunity. [It was anonymous and not the only question she asked, either.]

At the time, most of you weren't really interested. It's a shame that most of you didn't look beyond your own lives. I suppose I could've been more specific, but I was mostly curious what the answers would be.

Hardly anyone thought about their own education, which is what I had been aiming for. [Her tone isn't quite dismissive, but there is the slightest edge of disapproval that she hasn't been able to remove.] I think we all have a lot we could learn from people who are right here in the castle.

In fact, I'm sure there are plenty of people right now who would actually enjoy teaching something about their world or who they are back home. I know I'm curious about most of the things here. Experiences, history of worlds I'll never get a chance to go to.

It's something I've been thinking about a lot since I arrived here. It's why I've spent the last few months renovating an old mansion in the city, with the help of the local townspeople. [Not a single one was compelled either. Also, those paying attention will hear her tone shift to something actually genuine. It's hard to break habits, but she's going to take a breath and just say it.]

The plan is for it to be a place where we can all learn more about each other and teach whatever skills we have to offer, but I'm hardly capable of teaching everything and I'd like to know if there are other residents here who are interested in helping me out with this. [If you were in front of her, you'd see the face in her icon. Expectant. Curious. Hopeful.]

I'll honestly take anyone interested.

[With that, she grabs her pen and sets up a filter for Morgana]





Morgana ]

We should talk.

----

Comments

[scinlae]

[ She blinks, that certainly explains the plant that line the walls she found Damon in when Wesley had a hold of it. She never really asked what they were before she set them alight.

She takes the vial, tilting her head as Katherine continues. The last comment, however, causes her to close her hand around the vial and look up at her. ]

I have none I care for enough to tell them of this. [ That ties in with her own news. ]

[eternityalone]

[It's almost a turn of balance to think that Katherine going home has opened her eyes to things and allowed her to try and let people in and for Morgana it seems the opposite is true. Katherine sips at her drink and nods.]

You're free to do as you choose, but I know that this place can create new allies where there were none before. [She gives a slight nod, as if to say that she considers Morgana one of her allies.]

[scinlae]

[ She finds herself smiling despite herself, the meaning behind her words and nod not being lost on her. What better ally could she ask for then Katherine, a vampire of measurable power. ]

Indeed. [ Leaning back in the chair she opens her hand to look at the vial again, such a small thing. ]

Tell me, how much do you know of the Arthurian Legends?

[eternityalone]

I'm aware that the man behind the legend is here in the castle. [She'd seen his entries before and she's aware of Gwaine being his knight and she was able to draw lines from her, but she wasn't sure how much of it was "Legend" and how much was fact.]

[scinlae]

They were simply stories to us, nothing more. They had no bearing on our lives. Until recently. [ She tilts her head. ]

Many things changed, the years has tempered us both. I am not longer the girl scared of her power, I have grown and am now powerful in my own right. I am the last High Priestess of the Old Religion, although that title may mean nothing to you, it is only given to the most powerful of sorceresses that still follow the old ways.

You considered me worthy of your honesty and so I shall give you mine in return. [ A beat. ] Many would call me a monster, of that I have no doubts, I have killed and burned my way through Camelot to take what is mine.

[eternityalone]

[Katherine nods as she listens, taking small sips of her drink as Morgana recounts her story. It doesn't come as a complete surprise, knowing what she does of the legends, but there is something to be said about hearing it first hand, of being trusted enough to hear it first hand.

The two of them have a great deal in common and it's nice to know that somethings are easier to come by when it comes to the truth.]

May I ask if you have gotten what is yours?

[scinlae]

[ There is anger in her expression and flash of guilt quickly smothered. ]

Temporarily. [ She cannot count Uther's death as something she actively sought, as much as she hated him. But the throne is another story. ]

Arthur has extreme luck in inspiring confidence and retaking Camelot. [ Subconsciously her free hand drifts to her right side where now only a scar remains, the only evidence of her near demise. ]

[eternityalone]

[Katherines sees the reaction, but she won't respond nor acknowledge it. She knows what it is to have your emotions betray you. She worked hard to keep that away from herself, but allowing them in has been a very large adjustment.]

I imagine so. They don't call them the Arthurian legends for the hell of it. [She exhales and tips her head.] And here? Are you planning on claiming anything here?

[scinlae]

[ Ever since her return to Paradisa Morgana's feels have been betraying her. It has only gotten worse as time wore on. The wall surrounding everything is starting to crumble and once it does, she will be smothered. ]

Here? [ She shrugs, appearing as flippant as possible. ] As it stands there is nothing worth claiming. Besides, I no longer have an army at my back and I am no fool.

[eternityalone]

It does give the two worlds a very different perspective. I spent half a century running from Klaus, keeping on step ahead of him when I could. I end up here and he's not even a slight concern.

[She sets her drink down and leans in closer against the table.] I'm building a school. Well, I've built it and over the past few months I've been asking the castle... the ones that are more powerful than most others - the ones that would serve as a danger to the castle population if they've considered how to protect others from themselves.

Hardly any of them have even considered the castle the enemy here, that it can twist them into much worse than they imagined. They have no plan, no recourse for when these things happen.

My intention with the school is to help them. To provide them an outlet to control their own dangers. To educate the rest of the castle on just how dangerous they can be. It'll remove the power from the castle and give me a lovely list of people who are far more powerful than I could ever imagine.

People with power who will trust me. [she smiles a bit, reaching for her glass again as she leans back in her chair.] In case, I should ever need someone of their skills.

[scinlae]

[ She laughs, mirth quickly overcoming her other traitorous emotions. ]

That is quite the scheme, as helpful as it is sly.

[eternityalone]

Since arriving here, I've been painted as the villain to those that knew me. All of them waiting for me to do something, to have a scheme of some sort. They all kept waiting and watching. It was amusing to see them all set me up to be the bad guy without even raising a finger.

Truthfully, they helped me more by allowing me to prove their accusations wrong. There are a few that still look to me to make some huge power play, [LANA.] but even this isn't fool proof. It's information and in this place everyone around me seems to crave more information -- to the point that they aren't even aware of what that information will provide.

I don't trust that you'd give your weaknesses to the castle at whole, but I do have plans to reveal mine. I want to make it exceptionally hard for others from my world to gain ground in this place.

I would however like to count on our mutual respect for each other to provide an alliance of sorts. Should either of us need help, we'll know who we can trust. [Katherine here is talking purely in theory. If she was to have her control taken away from her, she'd sooner be taken down by a witch than a stake. The headache is a bitch, but it's better than dust.]

[scinlae]

An alliance I can provide. Whenever you need me, whether it be conscious or not, I will aid you. [ The implication is there, underneath her calm tone, that should it ever come to it; she would be willing to stop Katherine. ]

[eternityalone]

[Katherine nods, feeling a bit of relief in that unsaid moment.]

In my world, a witch was the one who brought the first vampires into the world. The Original witch was Mikael's wife, Esther. While I was home, I sought to find Mikael, thinking he'd be able to stop Klaus.

He'd been trapped - something no one thought possible, in a mausoleum. He had been dessicated. All of the blood that actually kept him alive, pulled from him through very powerful magic.

I'm not sure if this is possible again and I don't even know how it happened in the first place, but it's something that is worth looking into.

[scinlae]

[ She tilts her head, her curiosity certainly piqued. ]

I can only imagine the power required for such a thing. It would be difficult to achieve, but I would not call it impossible. [ Morgana is not the sort to simply abandon something like this because it appears hard. ]

Indeed looking into it will benefit us.

[eternityalone]

There's another witch here. Bonnie Bennett, she's from my world. She might be ... difficult to bring into this, but I know she'd be of value. If not her, then at the very least her Grimoire. I'm positive the castle can reproduce it if I'm specific enough.

If that's something you'd be interested in.

[scinlae]

Her Grimoire would be more use to me than the witch herself.

[eternityalone]

I'll see what I can do.

[scinlae]

Wonderful.

[eternityalone]

[Katherine finishes her drink.]

I'll let you know when I have the book -- until then?

[scinlae]

Until then. [ With a smile Morgana gets to her feet, regards the other woman once more before turning to leave. ]