pretty monster with pretty teeth.

birds and that freaky witch encyclopedia brain. current open starter: feb 10th

[josefinexgatti]

holdendanvers‌:

@josefinexgatti;

                    “Only took forever and a day but you finally got me out here,” a stern tone encapsulated the very timbre of his voice, only melting away as a chuckle soon tumbled from flaxen countenance, an arm wrapping around his girlfriend in tandem. The timid warmth that blanketed porcelain skin now under the guise of Italy’s climate was a complete imbalance to that of the searing heat which he had grown accustomed to amiss the asphalt of New York, suddenly grateful for their granted reprieve as his once beloved city crumbled under that of supernatural duress. Hands found her sides, a pertly recherche grin overcoming his features as Holden could only tease her of all the things he was eternally fond of when it came to Josefine. “Now, I know you’ve got some day planner hidden where you’ve etched out every second of every day for the next few weeks. I know it was a hefty list of things you’ve had to show me.” While her perpetual youth could once frighten him at the genesis of their relationship, Holden had since become enamored with all the things that refined her to such cultivated essence. 

“Oh, like you weren’t like a kid on Christmas for the entire flight,” she teased, eyebrows lifting. The flight itself had been uncomfortable--Josefine hated flying--but now that they were settled, she couldn’t help but feel free for the first time in months. ...Years, even. His hands settled on her sides, a comfortable weight, and she stood on her toes to place a lingering kiss on his lips. 

“I don’t need to bring a day planner, I have a photographic memory,” she continued, playful lilt still in her tone as she spoke. “We’re going to stay with that witch family I told you about--the one who maintains my estate?--for a few days or a week. They’re in Rome. ...And I should warn you, this is the first time I’ve been to Italy in a hundred years, so they’re bringing in a lot of family.” Instantly, she recalled the look on his face near the end of the evening during the Met Gala--tired and a little overwhelmed. She could absolutely imagine that expression making an appearance after spending an evening with a veritable army of Italian witches with strong personalities. “You should probably prepare yourself for mildly inappropriate questions from precocious little witches. ...Or deeply inappropriate questions, I don’t know.” She shrugged, then beamed at him, her hand finding his so she could lace their fingers together. “We can go do touristy stuff too, though.”

[josefinexgatti]

august-quincey‌:

Augustus nodded in reply to Josefine’s question, figuring he’d need to be sitting down for the conversation to come. This was one of the things August had been dreading about coming back to New York. He wasn’t sure if Josefine had a hint of what happened through their sire bond, feeling his grief. Still, he had to tell her now that they were face to face. He had to tell her that Rue was dead. “A lot has happened. I’ve read about the various things that have been happening. I’m glad to see you’re still standing.” 

Josefine turned very few people in her long life, and so the ability to feel emotions--grief, in this case--radiating from one of her fledglings always caught her off guard. Her smile fell and she moved closer so she could take one of August’s hands in both of hers, the squeeze she gave them gentle and reassuring. “What’s wrong,” she asked carefully, ignoring the niceties the younger man attempted to follow despite the pain that flowed from him in waves. Already a sensitive woman, the ability to experience such deep agony in tandem made her chest tighten and her throat catch. She’d do anything to wipe away that feeling for him, but something told her it wouldn’t be quite so easy.

[josefinexgatti]

It had been hundreds of years since she’d seen him, at least in person. The last time they truly talked, Josefine’s sister sent him to Sela’s estate outside Florence, deciding the vampire who lived in the countryside with her black sheep of a sister was a fine suspect in the mass murder of members of the magical community within the city. Sela had been nonplussed and utterly innocent and Josefine, all fury and protectiveness over someone who did not require anything of the sort, had told him exactly what she thought of him and her sister’s accusations. Now, however, his face brought on a sad sort of nostalgia; her sister died centuries ago. Her whole family had. Now the pair of them remained, both having long outlived their better halves only to find themselves in proximity again, this time at the center of a supernatural war. 

As the original approached, Josefine held out the lidded paper cup filled with tea in his direction, a small smile on her lips as she watched him near. “You don’t look a day over five hundred,” she teased softly, not even a shade of the angry witch who threatened to rain hellfire on him if he so much as looked at Sela the wrong way. “I think we’re a bit overdue for a little catch up.” @galexdavenport

[josefinexgatti]

emiliofurtado‌:

“Luckily, for you I’ll always glad to provide it, Ms.Gatti,” he countered coolly. He didn’t care for vampires. They were abomination against nature itself but Emilio knew how to be diplomatic. He even begrudgingly acknowledge that they could be good people. That didn’t mean he had to like it.” 

Emilio received an eyeroll in response; the vampire dealt with enough snide sarcasm from Mallory for one lifetime, and she didn’t particularly need it from some hunter with a superiority complex. “Great. Thanks. You can move along--herd witches or whatever it is you do in your spare time,” she deadpanned.

[hatin]

When i first saw you i never expected that you would mean the world to me

I love you (hatin)

[supkate]

Sophia Bush’s Instagram [x] (08.13.17)

[josefinexgatti]

luciantallis‌:

“How’d you know you loved Sela?” It was a blunt question and he didn’t waste any time in asking. Fingers curled around his cup of coffee, he thought back to the grimoires in the basement. Sela was a safe subject at this point, or at least it seemed like Josefine was alright with sharing things about her. She actually kind of seemed to light up a bit at the mention of her sire and that was relieving, they both needed a bit of that. “And were you like…” He didn’t know how to put it, but he raised a hand to kind of gesture vaguely between the two of them before realizing that he wasn’t being clear. “Turned yet or not when you came to that conclusion.” Because all of that was fascinating but Lucian still felt sheepish asking. “If that’s okay to ask.” He tried to hide his slight apprehension behind a sip of his coffee. 

Josefine inhaled steadily, considering the question and its potential source. Ever since she’d given him access to her substantial library--her own grimoires included--he’d become a little more interested in her history, particularly where Sela was concerned. Until about a year ago, the vampire could hardly stand to say her sire’s name, but time and the ability to talk about her regularly made the memory sting less. “It’s okay to ask,” she assured him with a vague wave of her hand. Silence followed as Josefine considered. Love--real, not infatuation--always seemed to catch her off guard, making it difficult to pinpoint when exactly she felt that way. It was the same with Holden. He was so deeply ingrained and important to her life and she wasn’t quite sure when that happened. 

“Ah... I don’t exactly know when I started to love her,” she answered at length. “I was attracted to her instantly when I met her. But I think I consciously knew I loved her when my family made me chose. They were already furious that I’d been spending a lot of time with her, but I--” She stopped herself, lips quirking into a strange sort of smile as her head tipped slightly to the side, unsure if how much he really wanted to hear about that part of her life. “I was their oldest daughter. My brothers were older than me, and I had two younger sisters. And back then, when you were married--particularly among people of my family’s status--you were expected to be a virgin. It was for archaic reasons--purity and the sake of children. You didn’t want someone else’s son laying claim to your family’s wealth or power or whatever else,” she explained, then sighed softly and continued. “So it was bad enough I was a well-to-do witch spending most of my time with the monster outside of town, but finding out I’d been doing more than sitting in her library reading meant they had to do something drastic to repair my--their--reputation. They told me I could renounce my affiliation with her and never see her again--marry the man they selected for me, have children, be a good wife--or I could take exile. I would be shunned, essentially. And given that ultimatum, my family or her... I picked her. Because I loved her. I think I was 22 or 23 at the time.” She paused, then wrinkled her nose and eyed him. “I’d imagine that’s a little more dramatic than you were hoping.”

[josefinexgatti]

august-quincey‌:

“Hey, Mama Vamp,” August said in greeting, pulling his sire into a hug. It had genuinely made him happy to find out Josefine was still living in New York. She was the closest thing to family Augustus had left, and if anyone else could possibly understand the pain of losing Rue it was her. Rue may not have ever admitted but she did love Josefine, and the two of them shared the same sire bond August and Josefine did. “It feels like it’s been a lot longer than a year, huh?” @josefinexgatti

Family was a difficult thing for a vampire, particularly one so long-lived as Josefine. Currently, it consisted of a family of Italian witches an ocean away, people she loved dearly and had for generations but rarely actually saw; Holden, a constant for nearly a year now; and the Quincey twins. She exhaled a deep sigh and closed her eyes briefly, allowing the hug to linger for a moment before she drew away and brushed her fingertips against the side of his face. “Much longer,” she agreed, then offered him a gentle smile as her hand dropped from her face. “Do you want to sit?”

[josefinexgatti]

percyxmoreau‌:

She could’ve left the moment she spotted him; Percy suspected they both knew that. Still, he didn’t address Josefine’s presence until she spoke, causing a smirk to work it’s way onto his face, mock hurt flooding his expression as he drew a hand to his chest, “ouch. Only decent? I thought I’d be classified as a good liar, at the very least. You really know how to wound me, Jos, don’t you?” 

Josefine eyed the vampire with a mild expression, lips drawn into a line but her eyes blank as she considered how exactly to respond. Part of her ached to give in and pick a fight, but another was exhausted, sick of putting herself in situations that made her uncomfortable to ended badly. It was a cycle that started with Mallory and would continue now with Percy, it seemed. “I highly doubt you’re wounded,” she said at length. “What brings you to town? Here to watch everyone be miserable?”

[josefinexgatti]

luciantallis‌:

“So you’ve only been with Sela and this Holden guy officially?” It was a weird conversation starter, a bit of a blunt one, but he was curious. And Sela seemed to be a safe topic, Holden, too. Though he was still a little hesitant on bringing him up for fear of hearing too much about him. Sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, Lucian turned his attention from watching her birds hop around their cage to where Josefine was seated on the couch. The brownstone was a safe spot to be on a day off. Josefine’s presence in general was calming, but just being in the house kept him at peace somehow. “No judgement, just sheer curiosity.” @josefinexgatti

She liked having Lucian around, even if they spent the afternoon mostly in silence as the pair worked or read in the same room without much conversation passing between them. It was a comfortable quiet. When the witch finally spoke, Josefine looked up from her laptop and eyed him, a glimmer of a smile on her lips as she considered the statement a moment before she closed the computer and set it aside to give him her full attention.

“There have been others—I’m old and I like people—but yes, Sela and Holden,” she answered. “Did you want to ask something?” Eyebrows arched as she waited expectantly, wondering exactly where his thoughts wandered if he had questions about her relationships. Not that she minded—talking about Sela had become gradually easier, and she’d gush about Holden if anyone gave her the opportunity.

[josefinexgatti]

I really like how you balance Elodie's vulnerability with her strength, it makes her reactions to what she's going through feel all the more believable.

Thanks doll. 💖

[josefinexgatti]

holdendanvers‌:

                    The basin of warmth that emanated from her was a rare span, considering her perpetually vampiric makeup, Holden immediately drawn to her presence as arms wrapped around her in tandem. “A passport?” A chuckle effortlessly left him, before brows knit together as if he’d never quite thought about it much before. “I — don’t really know… I mean, for the last eight years I was considered a felon,” he offered her a light squeeze, the recherche impression that Holden was finally finding it an easy feat to joke about old wounds surprising, to say the least. “As for work, I think it’s safe to say I’ve added up some vacation days.” A soft smile flourished on flaxen mien, verdant hues peering down at her russet’s, raising a brow in a mockingly incredulous manner, “Where are we off to?”  

Fingertips traced lines of muscle and bone with gentle, reverent movements, trailing absently from his chest and settling finally on his lower stomach to draw idle patterns with a light touch. He mused about his difficult past with such ease now, a far cry from the night he’d called her in agony and desperation. “If you can… if you want to, I want to take you to Italy,” she answered. It had been a hundred years since she visited her home country, finding it too full of memories good and bad to venture there and not find herself feeling lost. Now, however, she wanted him to see it.

“I have an estate there, and I haven’t visited in a long time. Plus there’s a witch family who maintains it—they have for a generations—and they’ve been asking me to visit them.” She paused and peered up at him, hazel eyes tired but alight with an eager spark behind them. He’d likely gathered this or something similar, given the fact that she regularly spoke to someone on the phone in Italian every other week or so. “I think they’re worried about me with New York as it is right now.”

[josefinexgatti]

Send Elodie + Sabine here too!

[josefinexgatti]

kaia-knight‌:

Letting out a loud drawn out sigh, Kaia glanced away not really wanting to answer. She knew Josefine would be able to tell, and she knew chances were the vampire would inquire about it. Kaia would if the roles were reversed. However, it still came as a shock to the young wolf. “You could say that,” She commented with a chuckle, shaking her head slightly. “Over a year now, it happened not long after I graduated. It was November that year.” 

When the young wolf sighed, Josefine expected a sort of non-answer, and was therefore surprised when she received the truth. It was about the same timeframe during which her own life had spiraled out of control, leaving her hollow and unable to discern between a hallucination and real life. It was the beginning of a chain of events that lead to subsequent exit of her teaching job, something she missed deeply but knew wouldn’t be a good fit should she try to return. “I was a witch, you know,” she said softly. “It’s not... quite the same, I know. I chose this, you didn’t--” She stopped herself and inhaled. “But the change was still traumatic. If you ever want to talk...” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t expect Kaia to take her up on it, especially given their history, but even still, the offer was genuine.

[josefinexgatti]

caroline-bissett‌:

“You’re not stressing me out,” Caroline corrected. She lowered her mug, pushing it away and reaching across, towards Josefine.  Her hands clasped around the other woman’s. “You can tell me anything, that is what I want to stress,” she emphasized, looking Josefine straight in the eyes. “It’s not a small fear, and I don’t want you to think I make light of it. But it really is a matter of control. Of taking precautions. He knows what you are, and has trust in you. Even if you don’t have faith in yourself. His knowledge of your true being will help protect him.” 

She released the other woman’s hands and sat back in her chair again. “I don’t mean to be flippant, and it is rather simplistic, but if you don’t want to hurt him, don’t.” She lifted on shoulder in a half shrug. “Helpful or not, there’s no other way to go about that. Having fears are a part of the relationship, but you shouldn’t let that hold you back.” Hello pot, this is kettle. Caroline was a hypocrite of the worst kind for the romantic nonsense spouting from her mouth. But what was best for others was not what was right for herself. 

“Anyway, you find a way to live with these things,” she added, her tone softer, gone introspective. She pulled her tea closer, staring into it. For a moment, the liquid blurred and she felt as if she were looking at blood. Again. Her mind was back hundreds of years to when she had done just the thing that Josefine feared.

The touch was more of a comfort than Caro knew--long ago had society seemed to abandon the idea of touching people they cared for outside of the romantic which left the woman feeling a little touch isolated at times. Her grip on her friend’s hands tightened and she smiled fondly as she listened. It was both simple and complicated, as she said. In truth, the situation played out just so, with Josefine white-knuckling her sense of control despite the way the monster screamed to be let off its leash and sent darting towards the object of her affections. It would have been more than she could bear, but it hadn’t happened. She didn’t want to hurt him, and so she didn’t. Frustratingly simple.

It was then she realized the other woman had gone somewhere else, however briefly. Josefine waited a moment, not wanting to startle her, then squeezed her hands lightly. “Hey,” she said softly, her head dipping in an attempt to meet her friend’s gaze. “Are you okay?”

[josefinexgatti]

shira-rosen‌:

Shira met the other woman’s eyes, a little surprise in her own. Sure she had known what the vampire was, but she hadn’t really thought about it. She supposed she should, technically. With everything that was going on, danger was around practically every corner. But since she had gotten here, she had been drawn to the diversity, to being able to meet new people and new species. And it was the middle of the day. What could happen? 

“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” she admitted as she got to the end. “That’s a wrap,” she said with a bit of a laugh–speaking of punchlines. “What were you thinking the punchline to your joke would be?” 

Once the wolf finished, Josefine raised her newly bandaged wrist and turned it a few times, inspecting the other’s work. Satisfied, she gave her a gentle smile and extended her hand once more so she could take it off. “You can do the other if you’d like?” she offered, then shrugged slightly as she continued. “And I don’t know. I’m really terrible at jokes--I’m not funny when I’m trying to be. But it’s a little different to not be... well. You know werewolves and vampires are about as stereotypical as dogs and cats, right?” she mused. “We inherently don’t get along most of the time. There’s something symbolic there, considering both of our origins.”

[josefinexgatti]

remiduval‌:

“I don’t like bullies,” she replied, gritting her teeth at the amount of people watching the scene unfold. Remi hated when people unnecessarily made a scene. “Being afraid doesn’t give him the right to be a connard nor a speciest. This is a safe place for all supernatural creatures. I’ll be damned if some baby boomer  derails that.”

Josefine couldn’t help but allow a fond smile to cross her lips as she watched the witch seethe, all righteous, unwavering fury despite everything this city had thrown at her and her family since they arrived several months earlier. “Remind me to buy you a bottle of wine,” the vampire said with a huff of a laugh. “I’m here running an errand, do you want to walk with me for a little while?”