multiversallogs | ( what a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness )

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( what a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness )

Who: Ilde Decima and Isobel Saltzman. SPECIAL GUEST STAR: Cinderella.
What: Walk of shame, breakfast, HEY YOU WITH THE FACE. Texting Cindy.
Where: Queequeg's.
When: Sukkardi morning.
Notes: Two separate threads!
Warnings: Stay tuned, I'll edit if necessary.

A vampire's kitchen is not exactly ... well, it's useless, to put not too fine a point on it. Ilde drinks a glass of water while she finds all of her clothes, debating cafés - she can stop somewhere before she catches a train back to Raven's Gate, probably - then jumps in the shower, changes her bandage, and is already on her way out the door and thinking about texting Cindy when she gets Isobel's message, which slightly alters her plans. Queequeg's means a light breakfast, but it was already going to be light and they do have orange juice, in amongst the obscene number of coffee variants.

(Most of which are a little too much for her system, unfairly.)

She walks most of the way, catches the El briefly and texts Cindy while she's at it (Is it a walk of shame if I'm pleased with myself?), and she's up on the deck with orange juice and a sandwich by mid-morning.

This conversation is going to be interesting, she thinks; she's just not sure what kind, yet.

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"Sonja and I are; there are others. The first trip into the fog was- testing." Testing the boundaries, learning what worked and what didn't; they have elsewheres to be, and even if Ilde has slightly mixed feelings about this city (about what she could get here, that she might not have another chance at-), her first loyalty is, always, to Sonja and their cause.

New York won't assault itself.

"Our cohort is newer. The whole city was made like this- but there are generations, now, of people whose ancestors arrived like we did." She grimaces, briefly. The older cohorts are less likely to be as actively seeking a way out, though Ilde doesn't discard the notion that there might be some among them worth cultivating for the purpose.

Edited 2011-08-08 17:37 (UTC)

So there's a resistance here, too, and Isobel is more than certain Katherine won't be a part of it. Katherine has no reason to want to go back to Mystic Falls and as far as Isobel's concerned, neither of them should. Too much is at stake over there. Way too much for their safety.

Isobel doesn't like the idea of generations being pulled here. Her eyebrows arch up only a little bit, barely belying her unease.

"All the more information to pull from them should we need it."

Generations mean more people to coerce information from, more people to satisfy Isobel's burning desire for information. It's like a researcher's paradise.

"What I'd like to know is how." How do they come here and why. What's the purpose of dealing with them?

On a different hand, Isobel's wondering how much more Ilde will be willing to tell her, how much more there is to tell at all. And in some respects, Isobel herself is starting to feel antsy sitting there.

"You've been most helpful, Ilde." And she has. The other woman has given Isobel many answers she wasn't sure she would get. If there's something Ilde wants in return, now's the time to ask. Isobel won't offer.

It's so easy to get this from Ilde because she so wants to be that - helpful, needful, good. Wanted, needed, useful. Just underneath that careful stillness, she's a mess and just a little too easy to manipulate. It'd be worse if she didn't have Sonja to traipse around behind, and it colours a great deal of the choices she makes. Helping Isobel makes sense because Isobel is important to Katherine, but she's done enough to satisfy that impulse; she doesn't feel obliged to warn her about what might happen if she makes too many mistakes in this city.

(It isn't all conscious, but it certainly makes life interesting.)

She smiles, though; the conversation has unwound her, to a degree, from where she'd tightened up earlier. She does just plain like to be able to answer questions, to have information and reasoned out opinions. Things that make sense appeal, it's why she's so fond of lists. Her mind may not be orderly, but she's fond of order, and she knows herself to be a clever little thing.

"It pays to know people around the city," she says, with a shrug. "Networking. Flow of information. I think it would be very useful to know someone in research." Tapping her fingertips against the side of her empty glass, she adds, thoughtfully, "You should talk to Réjean."

Katherine doesn't venture out to Queequeg's every day, but she enjoys stopping by from time to time. It's a pleasant enough cafe, and now that things are back to as normal as they ever get, she feels that the view from the deck will be calming. So she finds herself in the cafe some time after they've started their conversation, and as she's placing her order, she hears their voices outside. Which is...unexpected, but not entirely surprising, given the givens. She knows she was curious to see Elena after learning of her existence, and not just because she knew how valuable she was.

Once her drink and pastry are ready, she takes them with her onto the deck and makes her way to their table, offering each of the women a smile.

"Hello there."

Isobel can understand the use in knowing more than one person around. Information flow is key to someone like her and she nods once, offering a smile. "Let me know if I can be of use to you," she replies. Whether or not she'll offer up later on remains to be seen. Ilde's ease of information and willingness to aid her spoke of the woman's usefulness. Isobel won't throw away this meeting lightly.

She's pondering asking who this Réjean is when she hears someone else approaching. The footsteps are familiar and when she looks up to see that familiar face with that smile she knows well, Isobel offers a friendly smile in return, sitting back in her chair. There's a subtle shift in her body language, one only someone who can sense auras would even pick up. The sight of Katherine means a lot for Isobel.

"Katherine. It's good to see you again."

For now, she'll let Katherine decide if they're going to hug like old friends or fight like enemies.

Whatever the decision between the other two women will be, Ilde rises to greet Katherine with a quick hug - the scent of blood probably won't surprise her, given the conversation they had yesterday - with easy familiarity. There's a sense of restraint; she's naturally far more tactile than she generally permits herself to be with most people in Baedal.

"I didn't see you, Katya," she says, unmistakably pleased that she's there.

Ilde receives a hug first, simply because she's the first to stand and greet her, and Isobel gets one next. Both women are greeted warmly, as Katherine has no idea what's happened at home and is happy to see them both in person (Ilde, to see how she's faring after her time in the fog; though they've already discussed it; and Isobel because she hasn't seen her in quite a while).

"It's good to see both of you," she replies, and to Ilde, she holds up her cup of coffee. "And I just arrived. I heard the two of you out here and thought I'd say hello. Mind if I join you, or would three be a crowd?"

Once Katherine makes her move plain, Isobel rises to hug her as well, breathing an inward sigh of relief. It seems to be going well, better than Isobel could have hoped for back in Mystic Falls.

Isobel answers Katherine's question with a smile and a shake of her head, body language undeniably also happy to see Katherine. "It's never a crowd with you, Katherine." It's mostly true from Isobel's perspective, but it's also simply her laying on the flattery. She knows how to play this game. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. You know I wouldn't turn down your company."

"As well one shouldn't." Ilde waves her lightly into a third seat, sinking back down into her own as they greet each other. Katherine's presence sets her at ease in a way that's telling of her particular defense mechanisms; she'd seemed serene more than stiff, placid and patient, but the difference is palpable when she settles enough to emote. "Isobel caught me on my way home. Light breakfast."

"Mm, and how did that go?" Katherine asks once she's seated, smirking playfully at Ilde from behind her coffee cup. The flattery is appreciated, and she turns to Isobel with a slightly warmer smile once she sets her cup on the surface of the table. "It's really been too long - not that there was much that could be done about it."

She sits back a bit, glancing back and forth between the two identical women. "So how have you two been getting on?"

Ilde may have relaxed enough in Katherine's company, but Isobel's body language remains the same. The black-haired vampire has never been much of one to show emotions she's feeling at any given time unless doing so will net her something in return. She has tight control over what she expresses and that doesn't change, no matter who she's with. Not even Katherine.

Isobel patiently waits her turn to speak, glancing at Ilde and tilting her head a little before she returns her attention to Katherine. "Quite well," she answers, with a smile. "Ilde has been telling me about the city. It's quite the interesting place."

And she's got a vampire-specific question for Katherine later on that she's not particularly keen on asking in front of Ilde. Make that two, actually.

Katherine's query about the night before gets a quick, sharp smile; suffice to say, evidently, it went well. The last time Katherine smelled blood on her, she'd been considerably less pleased about how it happened.

"We had a little misunderstanding," she adds, of how she and Isobel have been getting along, "but I think we've cleared it up." For now.

Katherine chuckles, though she's curious about what Ilde means by 'misunderstanding'. Knowing Isobel, it's possible that she tried something, but she won't question it for now. She can ask either about what happened later.

"That would be the understatement of the century," she says before nibbling on her chocolate croissant. She follows the bite with a swallow of coffee, then brushes her fingers off as she glances between them again. "I'm glad to hear it. I'd been hoping for the best."

Isobel has no intention of telling Katherine what went on between her and Ilde - at least not right now. If Katherine asks later, she'll answer, perhaps honestly, but for now, she prefers to leave that topic completely alone.

"We seem to be adjusting to the situation." Meaning the whole doppelganger thing. Which... is also something Isobel needs to find out. "And I hope the day has been treating you well, Katherine."

Ilde will tell Sonja, later at home, and Katherine if she asks, but it's not casual breakfast conversation and she's just as content to leave it at 'misunderstanding' for the time being. These things happen, and all that...

"Usually I'm just supposed to look a bit like my grandmother*," she remarks, of their uncanny similarity.

* Pictured.

Edited 2011-08-17 07:14 (UTC)

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( what a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness )

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