Holding On and Letting Go.

@ momentai.
Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head at his words, "You're done talking." She stated as she turned to walk away from him. She couldn't hear those words anymore. She couldn't listen to him talk anymore. He was getting under her skin, he knew it, she knew it. Sophie was so tired of letting him under her skin. She needed space. She felt like she couldn't breathe around him, and she wasn't getting why. She hadn't been like this in years. She didn't understand. Stopping, she took a huge breathe and released it slowly, trying to get some sort of oxygen inside of her.

---

When Marie walked past him into the bakery to get her old favorite snack. Klaus smirked lightly as he stood next to her at the counter, ordering a cupcake and paying for Marie's lemon pie, "Some things never change." He teased as he looked over at her. It was clear she was trying to ignore him, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He needed to get under her skin someway somehow, "Me, I like to change things up ever now and then. The same thing gets boring after a while."

Kol frowned as he quickly dashed in front of her, blocking her path. “Sorry to say, love, but I don’t think I’m done,” he told her honestly as he watched her, his frown deepening. “You use all this talk to make it seem like you’re done with me or that you have no feelings whatsoever, but I imagine that, if that was true, you wouldn’t still be wearing this.” Reaching out, he took hold of the necklace gently as he watched her. “Whether it’s a reminder of me or a reminder of how awful you think I am or how you feel as though I betrayed you, it is still a reminder and, therefore, it still has meaning to you.”

---

Marie rolled her eyes slightly, focused on watching the baker get the slice of pie for her and the cupcake for Klaus. “Well, perhaps that’s more so why you left the pathetic human,” she chimed casually, arching a brow as she looked to him, “And, if that was true, about finding the same thing boring after a time, I think you should be more fond of this new me. Because this new me is definitely not boring. In fact, I think I’m far more fun than I ever could have been as a human.” She leaned to get the slice of pie when it was offered and moved past him. “Besides, I haven’t had this in a while.”

@ momentai.
Sophie sighed as Kol followed her and continued talking. When he took hold of her necklace, she inhaled deeply before she shook her head, "It's not a reminder of anything. It's a fine piece of jewelry that's nice to look at." She replied with a bored expression on her face. In all truth, the necklace meant everything to Sophie. It was her reminder of why she woke up every morning and didn't just drive a stake through her own heart. It was a reminder of the hatred that she had burning inside of her. That necklace was the only thing she had left to remind her why she had her humanity off and her revenge plan on the family. She needed to prove him wrong, she needed to catch him off guard, "Here I'll show you how little it means to me." She stated as she took it off and handed it to him.

---

Klaus had to fight himself to not get angry at her words and nodded, "You're right. You're absolutely right, Marie." The words made Klaus want to throw up. He hated saying them. They left a sour taste in his mouth he wanted to get out, "It was always your favorite." he replied as he took his cupcake before walking over to a table to sit down with Marie, "I remember when we came here five minutes before they closed one time just so you could get that." He said with a laugh. He would have done anything for her to get the snack she liked most.

Kol paused with mild surprise, watching her in shock as his fingers curled around the necklace, a small frown forming on his features. “That so?” he asked, arching a brow, “Well, then, perhaps I should just give this to the next passerby on the street? If it means nothing to you, I’m sure they’ll enjoy having something as valuable as this or perhaps it will have some form of meaning to a simple stranger.” He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug while he watched her, though he examined her for any sign of discomfort with the idea.

---

“See? That wasn’t so hard to admit, was it?” Marie asked in a hum as she tilted her head to the side, watching him with a small smirk before she dropped her gaze back to her pie. She snorted, though, with the reminder. “Yeah, I had you wrapped around my little finger, apparently. Always willing to indulge. I guess that made you just as pathetic as the human me, hm? Caring too much about one person, only for it to tear you apart, because I know it tears you apart to see me like this. That’s what makes this so fun.”

@ momentai.
Sophie had to bite her tongue at his words. She had to force herself not to show any emotions at his words, "Of course. They could sell it for money. I don't care what you do with it, Kol." She replied, "I don't know how many times it's going to take to get it through your head, Kol, you mean nothing to me anymore. That necklace means nothing. The only thing that means anything is getting your family the hell out of my city." She stated with a frown. She was done letting him get the better of her.

---

Klaus shrugged, "I don't think it makes me as pathetic as you were." He replied harshly. He in no way thought she had been pathetic as a human, but he needed to make it seem like he agreed with her, "Sure it tears me apart, but I'm getting over it." He stated with another shrug before eating some of his cupcake, "Like I said. I agreed. The same old is boring. I just need some time to get used to the new you." He added.

Kol watched her before he backed away and moved to the nearest lady. “Excuse me, love,” he called out carefully as he offered up the necklace with a smile. “I personally think this would look amazing with your eyes. Would you like to stay for a chat and I’ll give it to you?” he compelled the woman, watching as she seemed vacant while he offered the necklace to her. Looking back to Sophie, he watched her for a moment. “So, tell me, does it not bother you at all? Knowing that this woman, in mere minutes, will be walking away with the necklace you’ve worn for so long? Does it really mean nothing to you or are you done pretending that you care about nothing and nobody, that nothing and nobody matters to you?”

---

A small smirk formed on Marie’s features as she looked towards him. “Oh, somebody’s learning. I guess you can teach an old, ancient dog some new tricks. Or should I say wolf?” she chimed, arching a brow as she finished her pie. “And, if you got used to this new me, you’d just grow bored all over again. So, we both know I have to keep you on your toes. Can’t have you expecting me to do things when that would mean you can determine my next step.” Shifting, she climbed out of the chair before she dashed to the baker, biting into her wrist to shove it into his mouth. “How much will it take to get you to leave, hm? Should I rip the city apart? Or turn half the citizens and let them do it for me?”

@ momentai.
Sophie's eyes narrowed for a second at the woman who Kol picked before she raised an eyebrow at his words, "I don't care about the necklace. It's a piece of jewelry. I can easily go buy another necklace. Give it to her." She stated. She could feel her chest tightening up at her own words, hating the sound of them coming out her mouth, "I'm not the girl you want me to be, Kol. I haven't been her for a century. I'm not changing. Get on board or leave me the hell alone." She said before using her speed to leave before she could break down in front of him. Once safely in her own room, she let out the sob she had been holding back. Sophie hadn't taken that necklace off in over a hundred years, and now it was just given to some human. The thought felt like it was killing her.

---

Klaus was about to reply to her words before she dashed to the baker. He raised his eyebrows at her words and stood, "Do it, love. Kill him. Turn him. When he finally comes back and starts killing, it will be on you. It'll be your fault. And you don't care. So why should I? I personally think this city will be a little more exciting when that comes about. I just don't know how you think Marcel is going to react, and sure you were behind the scenes making all his moves for him, but he's not going to stand by idly and watch as you destroy the city he loves. He told me rules number one when I came in was that we don't feed on the locals." He explained before he crossed him arms, "You do whatever you want, love, I know you're going to anyway."

Kol watched her leave, a small frown on his features, his brows furrowing slightly as he wasn’t sure if it had worked in any sort of way or not. All he needed to do was force some kind of emotion out. Anger, sadness, heartbreak, anything. If he could find the right one to tug at, he’d focus on it, but she was so much more difficult to read than she once had been and he was struggling with how to find the right one to work with to affect her. Once she was out of earshot, he took the necklace back from the woman. “You’ll forget we ever spoke. I apologize for the misunderstanding, love,” he told her, watching her leave before he looked back in the direction Sophie had rushed off in. He stayed where he was for a few long moments, debating, before he turned to head home to put the necklace in a safe place. If it ever came up, he’d simply pretend that he didn’t have it, that he had given it to the human woman without hesitation, in hopes that it would stir something within Sophie. And, until she got her humanity back, he’d keep it, because he felt like the necklace was the best tie to her humanity.

---

“Oh, it’s cute that you think I care what Marcel thinks. Marcel may be my friend but that doesn’t mean his opinion matters to me,” Marie pointed out with a shrug. “And that rule was in place because it was what he agreed on with the human faction, since feeding on locals would decrease tourism, so that wasn’t even his idea. And, quite frankly, Marcel isn’t in charge anymore, and I’m half certain you’ve broken so many of the rules that Marcel and the human faction agreed on that this one won’t really matter as much, since, you know, the factions aren’t really in agreement last I checked. You can’t manipulate me with theories about Marcel’s reaction. But, you know what? You are right. I am going to do whatever I want.” With a small smirk, she pressed the baker to the wall and pressed her lips to his, kissing him for a few moments before she pulled back and compelled him to forget about it all. “This was the first place we kissed, right? Guess this is now the first place you had to witness me kiss somebody else. Where to next?” Casting another smirk to Klaus, she walked out of the bakery.

@ momentai.
Sophie put pressure on her chest over where her heart was as she let out another sob. She was so angry with herself for letting herself react to the giving up of her necklace. That necklace was the last thing she had to her human life, and though she didn't want to think about her human life, and her life with Kol, it reminded her of everything she hated and wanted revenge against, "God damnit, pull yourself together Reed." She scolded herself as she looked in her full length mirror. She was so angry that she sat on the floor and stared at herself in the mirror. She used to do this when she was a child and would be angry. She would stare at herself until she had convinced herself to pull it together and get over it.

---

Klaus felt his blood boil and he wanted to rip out the heart of the human that Marie had kissed, but he knew that he couldn't show any emotion that showed he actually cared. He kept his face neutral and stared at her before she asked where to next. He followed her out of the bakery and looked over at her, "The bar. I figure you could use a drink." He stated as he started to walk toward the corner where the bar was. Klaus for sure needed a drink. He needed several drinks. Possibly more than alcohol eventually, but that would come later in the night. He planned on ending in the spot where he last saw her before he and his siblings fled the city.

As Kol got home, he found a box to slip the necklace into and he hid it away, making sure it was safe and that nobody would manage to find it. Moving away, he sat on his bed to try to think of other ways to attempt to get Sophie’s humanity to return. They had the final play ready, of course, but he wanted to make sure that he got under her skin, that he affected her enough for him being daggered to be the last straw, the last push she needed to flip the switch back on. At this point, though, he could really only hope that it would end up working.

---

“I could use a drink? I don’t think I really need one, but fine,” Marie chimed easily as she began the walk to the bar. “Maybe I could find some poor sap who’s drunk enough to have fun.” Because, if anything was going to make Klaus see that she was lost to him, it was to enjoy time with somebody who wasn’t him. She refused to let her humanity return and she refused to let Klaus win or get under her skin, because she still didn’t believe that this was just a simple trip down memory lane. If she could hurt him enough, maybe he’d leave.

@ momentai.
Sophie finally was able to get herself to stop crying. She was so disappointed in herself that she let herself get so emotional over that necklace. It was her lifeline essentially, and losing it felt like she was losing a part of herself. Sophie knew that with her switch flipped, she shouldn't care, but the fact was that Sophie's switch had been in the middle for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to pick a side. It was practically impossible for any vampire to be in the middle, but she had managed to keep most of her feelings in check to not feel most things, but there were just some things that she couldn't hold back. Losing her necklace was a huge thing for her, and she hated that it was because of Kol, but she knew that it was always something that if it were to happen, she would be put over the edge slightly. Sophie was in no way about to flip her switch back, but she knew that it was close, and she hated it.

---

Klaus had to fight the urge to narrow his eyes at her words before he shrugged, "I guess you could. I'll be at the bar." He stated before he signaled the bar tender over and gave him his drink order. Klaus didn't want to show her how much she was affecting him by her actions, but eventually he was going to snap. He needed her to see what she was doing was wrong and that she was better as her old self with her switch flipped. With her feelings. He knew he was being selfish in wanting the old her back, but in this moment, being selfish was kind of the right thing to do. This Marie wasn't the best Marie and he needed her to see that.

(I’m not really sure what to do with Kol here, since it will probably just end up really repetitive. x.x)

Marie smirked slightly as she watched him walk to the bar. She had to do whatever it took to make him give up. Otherwise, he’d keep trying and she wasn’t sure how long she could handle having to actually interact with him, especially when he tended to be fairly persistent. It was a trait she’d admired about him a long time ago but, at this point, it was the last thing she wanted to deal with. Turning, she moved to another area of the bar, greeting a few of the humans before she found one to entertain herself with and she went to the jukebox to put on music, soon dancing with the human

@ momentai.
(Hey this isn't me posting, but I didn't want to forget about this one since I already accidentally got rid of the alert. I go on Winter Break on the 14 and will be able to post regularly for roughly 3 weeks then. Just wanted to let you know.)

(No worries! I just started my break on Tuesday, so I'm trying to catch up now.)

@ momentai.
Klaus had to order another drink to even think about keeping his self control. It was taking everything in him not to rip off the head of the human Marie was now draping herself all over. Klaus was not going to give up on her, but he couldn't show that he cared at all to anything she did. He couldn't let her believe that she had bested him. He wasn't going to let her get the best of him. He wouldn't let her under his skin. Klaus needed to get through to her, and he wasn't going to give up.

Marie let herself enjoy the dancing, mostly to annoy Klaus. She got lost in it a bit, though she peered over at Klaus on occasion, just to see how he was reacting. Klaus needed to give up on her and she needed to get him to see that; she didn’t want him to keep prying at trying to get her humanity back. She didn’t want her humanity back. Right now, she liked how she was, she liked not caring and not hurting and she didn’t want to go back to that. Eventually, she parted from the human, heading to the bar to steal Klaus’s drink. “You know, instead of wallowing and drinking away whatever misery you’re feeling, maybe you should let loose,” she hummed out, “Enjoy yourself. Or, you could turn it off. Might make things way more interesting.”

@ momentai.
Klaus was about to take another sip from his drink before it was stolen out of his hand. He raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Marie, "Why would I ever want to turn it off? I'm perfectly fine with how I am right now. Isn't that the same way you are? Perfectly fine with how you are." He spoke. He didn't even know what he was trying to get at anymore, he just was annoyed to no end about the way Marie was acting toward that human, "And for your information," He started as he stole his drink back, "I'm not drinking away whatever misery I'm feeling. I'm drinking because I feel like it." He replied with a raise of one eyebrow.

“Oh, you’re perfectly fine with it?” Marie asked, arching a brow as she watched him with slight amusement. “My apologies. You seem pretty bored to me, which means you’re not having fun. How can you be perfectly fine with who you are, when you’re not enjoying yourself?” Tilting her head, she eyed him for a few long moments before she eventually hopped up to sit on the bar. “In fact, you look pretty annoyed. But, again, it’s not having fun or enjoying yourself. So, again, you should let loose, enjoy yourself. Brooding at the bar is boring and I don’t like boring. Who knows what I’d do to make things more interesting?” She offered a small smirk, then, before she hopped off the bar and moved back towards the humans.

@ momentai.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at her words, "You're right I am bored. I'm bored watching you play this little game to get my attention." He stated as he motioned for the bar tender to get him another drink. When she continued to speak and hopped off the bar counter. Klaus took a sip of his drink as he watched as she walked back towards the humans that were eyeing her up like a piece of meat. If only they knew they were the piece of meat in reality. Klaus sighed as he slipped off the bar stool and walked over toward Marie, "Enough of this game, Marie. I'm here. What do you want?"

Marie hummed in response, looking over at him as she arched a brow, sipping at the drink. “I told you what I want. I want you out of New Orleans,” she reminded him easily, “You’re the one who insisted on this ridiculous trip down memory lane. So, shouldn’t you be asking yourself what you want? If anybody has a right to complain, it’s me - I was enjoying myself before you decided to suggest this and, so far, you’re boring me.” Shrugging, she turned to watch the humans, eyeing them, though she smirked slightly, pointing to one. “What do you think of that one? I could take him home, have fun, then kill him. Would that finally get you to give up whatever this is?” She looked back to Klaus, arching a brow. “Because I’m not trying to get your attention, Klaus. I’d prefer for your attention to waver so that you will give up and leave me alone - I’d prefer it even more if you left New Orleans, but you’re one stubborn hybrid, aren’t you? Maybe I should try harder.”