paradisa | ℙ the third;

[She picked up the tensing, and truthfully, Katherine is upset that she kept it from Lilah for so long, but she wasn't sure where their relationship would go and she didn't want to burn a bridge so quickly.]

I've been here, avoiding most of the people from home, because they seem to all believe I have some nefarious plan. Which is ironic, since up until earlier this week I didn't have one. In fact, my plan had been to just let them thing I had a plan and see what sort of wild things they came up with.

They aren't as creative as I thought.

Most people rarely are.

[she's still digesting the "vampire" news. Not that she hasn't seen stranger in Smallville, but ... still]

Especially when it's something beyond what they're capable of.

[she's had that frustration with Clark in the past]

[The vampire news isn't that surprising to Lilah. But she's worked at Wolfram and Hart for years now.]

Yes. They often seem to lack imagination when it comes to things they wouldn't do.

[Which is probably why Angel had always been better at figuring her out than the rest of his little gang. There's little he hasn't done from his time as Angelus.]

Well, I don't lack imagination and I have survived for far longer than all of the vampires that are from my world here. I was born in the fifteenth century and I've learned exactly how to ensure that when there is a reason to be the last one standing, that you are the last one standing.

It's why I've decided to trust the two of you with this, with the truth. Of course, before I continue -- if you have questions, concerns -- I'd like to address them now.

[raises her hand just slightly]

I'm not entirely familiar with vampires. Should I assume that Dracula was accurate, or am I misinterpreting?

Dracula is... more fictionalized and dramatic. I can eat garlic, actually considering I spent most of my first years in America with an Italian family, I'm quite fond of it. [Those Salvatore men can cook.]

I can't walk out in the daytime, the sun does indeed give me a bit more photo-sensitivity. I don't burst into flames, but it does burn and I will blister. Prolonged exposure does cause too much damage for my blood to heal me. I have a necklace, others have a ring that has been spelled to protect me from the sunlight. [Her hand touches to the pendant.]

I drink blood, human blood is preferred. It helps keep my strength up and it allows the rest of my body to function as though I'm still alive. My heart beats, my lungs expand - I can eat and drink and enjoy everything anyone else can. I can drink from animals, but it's not exactly pleasant and it's not as effective in keeping everything the way it should be.

[She gestures toward the table where there's a glass of blood, though the glass is dark and you'd have to look to see.] I keep my drinking habits to myself and I haven't fed from a live human since I arrived. It seems vampires that had been here prior had made quite an impression on the population.

Suffice it to say, it wouldn't have been smart to just start tapping a vein and indulging.

[She takes a breath and cross the room, her steps full of confidence and pride. She picks up a small vial of clear liquid.]

There is a concentrated dose of vervain. It's an herb and it's not pleasant to vampires. It can burn our skin, prevent our compulsion, and it makes blood intolerable if it's ingested. I've requested it from the castle in this form, since I can't really handle the plant as easily.

This herb, [She pauses, because this is a grand gesture that Katherine is making. She's putting herself at risk because even if she has been ingesting vervain for years, she's not nearly to the point where she is immune to it. She's taking a risk in hopes that it will pay off.] - this is the most important thing that you can take away from this meeting. Even if you don't want to trust me and don't feel like you can benefit from a mutual understanding and a concerted effort to improve things around here -- I'm still giving you this.

Consider it... a token of my appreciation.

Compulsion is a vampire's strongest ability. Whatever we tell you to do -- you will do. [She meets Tess's gaze with an unwavering stare.]

Without a second of hesitation. Without this, your worst fear isn't our ability to drain you dry and leave you for dead -- [She exhales, turning on heel to move toward the empty glasses on the table, beside her own. Her tone shifting to slightly more casual.] Because here, you'll just come back.

It's that we can keep you alive and keep you silent.

You'd be stupid not to trust her on that. [Lilah doesn't explain how she knows. She's not going to regale them with the stories of how Damon kept her under his thrall for months. Forcing her to allow him to feed on her.

Among other things.

Lilah isn't a victim. She isn't the type to whine about her problems, but she feels it's necessary to let Katherine know she knows what she's being told already. Because it lets the other woman know what else she might know too.

After all, she had been with Wesley, had helped with Wesley's torture. She knows how to make vampires from their world hurt.]

I've been drinking vervain for months, myself.

[files away all this information on vampires for her own purposes -- it's a lot, and the biologist in her is curious, but she keeps that to herself for now. Instead, she focuses on the important things]

How frequently do you need to drink it?

[Mmmm... Lilah. Such secrets.

Tess, should it ever come up, Katherine will more than gladly allow you to take blood samples.]

It cycles out of your body within twenty-four hours. It should be a daily ritual. You can request the vials or you can request the plant. Boil it down. Create your own dosage that you're comfortable with.

[She takes the vials, three of them, and pours them into the three empty glasses. She pours white wine into the glasses over it and hands it over to each of them. The third glass, she takes and lifts up.]

Since I left England, in the fifteenth century I've been ingesting vervain every day. Like you, I needed to be able to protect myself from someone more powerful than me. I needed an advantage. I'm not immune, I doubt I'd ever be, but I can tolerate it more than others of my kind.

I still can't compel those on it, but I can't be compelled either if I take it. It can't be used to take me down. I'm telling you so that you know.

A toast to the truth. [She lifts her glass up, hoping they join her.]

[there's a pause as Tess swirled the glass in her hand and before raising it to Katherine and taking a sip. She is a rather large fan of the truth, after all. And it wouldn't be a hard thing to add to her daily routine]

To the truth.

I mix it in with my morning coffee, myself. [That way she never forgets to take it. Not that she could.

Still, she smiles and takes the glass of wine. At least Katherine is offering them full disclosure, and way to protect themselves (even if it was one she was already doing). That was more than could be said from her dealings with the other vampires of Mystic Falls.]

To truth.

[As the women drink, Katherine takes a breath and goes to drink hers as well. It makes her wince, stepping away from the other two for a moment, coughing as she feels the vervain make its way down her throat, burning as it travels. She clenches her fist at her side for a moment as she swallows again, this time clearing her throat and exhaling.]

Now, I've given you a lot of information and I want to let you know that I have plans for this city. There's a lot of reliance on the castle, a lot of people being unsure of what exactly they can do for themselves and whatever help they find with making their way here seems scattered and not organized. There's room for improvement and there is always room for someone to provide a way to better the lives of others.

Granted, my ways aren't always the kindest and I have survived far worse than a magic castle.

I propose a partnership. One that puts our best interests forward and promotes us to the role of being someone they can rely on. Those that thought I was planning on becoming an enemy within these walls will have to look much harder.

[she has to admit, this might just be what she's looking for. An opportunity to be useful, but still have a small amount of power. It's not much, but it's a start.

Then again, Katherine is a vampire and that might be the kind of thing that Clark and Oliver would frown upon. It's a complicated, and she needs some time to consider]

Do we need to decide now?

[Katherine shakes her head, still feeling a bit of the vervain in her stomach.]

No, of course not. I've basically given you a lot of information in one sitting, I'd never expect someone to sign on the dotted line so soon. As I said, the vervain, the truth - it was an offer toward trust.

I'll give you both some time to think about this and if you have questions, feel free to ask.

[Lilah smirks a little to herself at the mention of Katherine's means not always being the kindest. Neither were her own, most of the time. And she's been itching for a project, something to throw herself into. A year here has made her restless. This might be just what she was looking for.

As far as questions though, she only had one.]

And of all the people in the castle, what made us the two you decided to reach out to for this project?

[Such a smart girl, Lilah. This is exactly why she's selected the two women in front of her.]

Because you think to ask questions like that, when you know perfectly well just how capable you are. There are people here who settle for what they have, but then there are others who are willing to work hard, to do whatever it takes to do better for themselves and in a magic castle you can do it the easy way and wish for things -- or you can try to earn it.

I believe you both want to earn it. I'm willing to help provide that chance.

[nods as she listens to this. her questions were more out of curiosity than anything else, and could be asked later. she didn't want her host to feel like a specimen she's studying.]

[Lilah nods, satisfied with Katherine's answer. She doesn't really have any other questions at the moment. She's already rather familiar with the vampires from that world.]

Earning things has always been more satisfying then just getting them.

Then I'll give you time to think about it and perhaps I'll earn your trust and your partnership in the future.

[She'll nod and go to swap out her champagne, because drinking the vervain was a gesture, not something she planned on choking down for the rest of the evening.

[nods as she takes another ship of her champagne]

I think that offer is more than reasonable.

It certainly is something worthy of consideration. [She muses, taking a sip of her own champagne now.]

Well, we can enjoy the rest of the evening. I have champagne and there's food as well. There's no point in letting it go to waste.

It would be a shame to let it go to waste.

It would. It isn't wise to be wasteful.

Then we'll enjoy the evening.

[AND THEY DO.]

ℙ the third;

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