𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 .

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀forgive me, 𝑓𝑎𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟.

https://t.co/uQ1OHB0Zqv

[۟ @sidereumnoxe]

⠀very early in my life it was too late .

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

her, it wouldn't matter. She was already prepared to do everything herself anyway. She adjusted her coat, unhurriedly, before saying:

"Look, I don't know what your relationship with Katherine is, but I have nothing to do with this."

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

The metal beneath her skin felt suddenly heavier. Maybe it had just been a meeting, a coincidence—two people running from different things, but heading in the same direction. And yet, there was something in the way he spoke… as if he'd seen more than she had. As if he knew +

[𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 ꩜𝐅 DA͜͡RK𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 . @FORMALITYFANGS]

unwanted memories were slipping through the cracks of the walls he had built around them. vivid ones that only allowed for anger to resurface.

the question hung between them but he made no effort to give her a direct answer. ⠀⠀⤸

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

the contours of a story even she didn't.

What did he know that she didn't? So what? In the end, what did it matter? Aurora was in town for one reason only: to find the witch, to try any alternative to free herself from her creator. Nothing more. If Ezekiel didn't want to help +

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

she asked, frowning.

She paused briefly, and a dry laugh escaped, devoid of any trace of humor.

"Frankly, I don't owe her anything... and I don't believe she thinks she owes me anything either." Her gaze narrowed, taking on an icy glint.

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

A muscle in her jaw twitched, betraying the tension she'd otherwise resisted.

She took a deep breath, the cold air rushing in and out in a controlled manner, as if each breath were an effort to contain something sharper in her words.

"How could you know that, huh?" +

[𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 ꩜𝐅 DA͜͡RK𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 . @FORMALITYFANGS]

he just stood there, watching her with that unblinking stillness that made the air between them feel heavier. his jaw tightened , the faintest shift of muscle betraying thought beneath the surface. ⠀⠀⤸

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

yes, a curse.

[. @domusaeger]

it ain’t easy nor fun.

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

loneliness is so common to creatures like them.

[. @domusaeger]

he’s feelin’ a little lonely.

could use some company.

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

But all she found was a hard look.

"Whatever it was, it was enough to keep me alive... until now."

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

She frowned, a little confused by his intensity.

"What are you saying? I only saw her a few times," she answered honestly, her voice low, almost hesitant. "I didn't even fully understand what the necklace was. All I knew was that she realized I was running away. +

[𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 ꩜𝐅 DA͜͡RK𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 . @FORMALITYFANGS]

that god awful feeling returned to the pit of his stomach. one that only seemed to appear when 𝘩𝑒𝑟 name was mentioned.

his darkened hues flickered to the necklace and how familiar it had felt but he disregarded it as skepticism. ⠀⠀⤸

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

Running away like her."

She swallowed, feeling the vulnerability of that confession.

"I never saw her again. I don't know how much she trusted me, or if that was a gesture of mercy..."

Her blue eyes searched his, searching for some confirmation, a clue, anything. +

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

"Katherine." The name escaped his lips with a strange mixture of caution and reverence, as if it were both a warning and a reminder. "She was the one who told me about Mystic Falls… and who left me this."

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

Aurora frowned, her forehead etched with a shadow of suspicion at his words. Her gaze dropped, drawn by the familiar weight of the necklace. The metal, cool against her skin, responded to the touch of her fingers as if carrying a memory of its own, while the lapis lazuli +

[𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 ꩜𝐅 DA͜͡RK𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 . @FORMALITYFANGS]

he’d always been a noble man. the centuries he had lived never stripped him of that virtue but ezekiel swore his nobility was a curse that only attracted those with trouble. ⠀⠀⤸

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

There was a brief silence, so precise it seemed calculated. Then she continued:

"It was from another vampire."

The words hung in the air, like sunlit dust, before she released the necklace. The pendant slid back down, resting on her chilled skin with a soft muffled sound.

+

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

"And it wasn't that long ago that I walked in the sunlight, trying to acclimate to this new existence."

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

She wanted to be right about him. She wanted to believe that his help wouldn't come with a hidden price. But, as always, there remained a thread of suspicion, a remnant of conscience that kept her alert.

Aurora looked away, a shadow passing over her face like an omen.

+

[𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 ꩜𝐅 DA͜͡RK𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 . @FORMALITYFANGS]

his chest rose with a deep intake of air. the weight of oversharing already settling within his chest.

“ and you thought mystic falls was the best place to hide ? ” there was a subtle teasing in his tone to alleviate the tension. ⠀⠀⤸

[𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰 . @sanctaside]

It was never an easy relationship." She took a deep breath, thinking of the witches she'd met along the way and how difficult their alliance with vampires was. The clear memory of the distrust and distance that had always existed between them.

+