#stagsnobility

[milkandsins-a]

you promised me you'd stop going out at night.

"STOP PUTTING YOURSELF INTO DANGER!" PROMPTS accepting

The second she pushed the door open and stepped inside, the lights snapped on but Nora froze only for a heartbeat, the shock flashing across her face before she forced it down.

Of course. Of course he would be awake. She should’ve known better because slipping out without him noticing had felt too easy, too clean. It had practically reeked of a trap but she was too excited to question.

And now she was standing there like a teenager caught sneaking back in past curfew, dried blood still tucked under her nails and the smell of liqour and smoke clinging to her.

Her shoulders tightened, the instinct to bristle hitting her before words even formed. That familiar rebellious spark flared hot and immediate. One of her moods, the kind she couldn’t smother even if she tried. She lifted her chin, spine straightening as if she could make herself just a little taller, a little less guilty looking.

“Oh, come on, Elijah.” Nora scoffed, voice sharp with defiance. “Don’t say it like I’ve committed a crime.” She stepped further inside, purposefully sidestepping him as if the confrontation was an inconvenience rather than a problem.

“You’re being dramatic." She continued, tossing him a look over her shoulder, trying to fake innocents. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” She turned fully to face him, chin tilted stubbornly upward, eyes sparking with that reckless and restless energy he had learned to recognize.

“So unless you’ve got some actual proof I did something bad." She finished with a shrug that bordered on mocking. “You can drop the interrogation.”

[survivingpierce]

cont. from here with @stagsnobility

        katherine flinched, the sound of the glass shattering against the fireplace making her start. her eyes widened as the flames flared higher, reflecting in the planes of her face, catching in her pupils like twin sparks of danger. she could feel her heart tighten, a rare tremor of fear threading through her calm exterior. this was not the measured, composed elijah she had known; this was someone unrestrained, unpredictable, and terrifying. she recoiled slightly, her fingers tightening against the edge of the nearby table, eyes locked on him as if expecting that he would attack her as well.

       "is this... the moment?" she asked, her voice flat, almost dry. "the moment you decide to kill me?" the question hovered in the air, absurd and surreal, as if detached from reality itself. for a heartbeat, she allowed herself to disassociate, to step outside of the room, outside of the centuries of history that bound them together, and witness the scene as if she were a stranger.

       then she blinked, reality snapping back with a painful clarity, and the tension in her body coiled tighter. "do you honestly believe," she said, her voice sharper now, the tremor of fear barely contained, "that i’ve ever felt safe in my life? that i have not felt threatened at every turn? that i feel somewhat invulnerable today just because my trauma was caused five hundred thirty-three years ago?" her gaze hardened, meeting his directly. "i am not unassailable, elijah. i feel fear, very real fear, of dying, of being trapped, of being tortured. i know i'm probably just being paranoid but that doesn't change the way i feel." her tone edged with disbelief. "and you, somehow, think i enjoy the violence i commit? that it brings me satisfaction? that is … that is sick."

       she exhaled slowly, the firelight dancing across her face. "you have no right to judge me," she continued, her voice rising slightly, "not when you condone, excuse, and even support the far worse atrocities of klaus. and yet you presume to lecture me on morality?" somehow she refused to believe he had really reacted that way. but he did. it somehow broke something in her because she came to realize that he has given up on her. probably already had a long time ago, but decided to mask it up until it slipped. that he apparently felt so ... appalled by her the entire time.

       finally, her shoulders slumped. "i expect nothing from you, elijah," she admitted, the rawness in her voice unmistakable. "you did not save me then, and apparently, you do not intend to now. and perhaps," her eyes glimmered with a mix of anger and sorrow, "perhaps i should be grateful for that honesty. at least it spares me the pretense of hope."  

[sthrngtham]

                                                                closed  for  @stagsnobility  /  cont  .

seeing  elijah  softened  by  a  gentleness  she'd  rarely  seen  allowed  to  live  on  his  face  ,  unstitched  something  in  her  .  the  myth  of  him  ,  impeccably  controlled  original  chiseled  from  duty  and  restraint  ,  cracked  to  reveal  a  quiet  man  beneath  .  a  man  who  made  her  shoulders  ease  with  his  presence  ,  whose  smile  drifted  toward  her  as  though  summoned  by  gravity  and  not  will  .  she  felt  as  though  he  watched  her  not  with  appraisal  ,  but  curiosity  .  not  of  her  power  but  of  her  mind  ,  and  perhaps  (  maybe  ,  hopefully  )  her  heart  .

bonnie  felt  his  nearness  .  an  attentive  quiet  ,  slight  shift  in  the  rhythm  of  the  room  .  but  she  didn't  shrink  away  .  nor  look  for  a  quick  exit  .  she  was  happy  with  his  company  .  she  let  a  soft  smile  ,  fragile  as  candleflame  but  resilient  as  the  wick  beneath  ,  persist  between  them  .  "  i  said  it  was  a  good  joke  !  "  she  defended  ,  her  features  mimicking  something  of  offense  though  she  felt  no  need  to  actually  be  offended  .  even  in  a  dialect  so  strong  and  commanding  ,  she  still  heard  the  freckles  of  his  playful  nature  seeping  through  .

a  sanctuary  she  hadn't  expected  to  find  in  someone  like  him  .

she  didn't  mind  being  proven  wrong  .  the  room  almost  responding  to  her  thoughts  ,  shadows  spreading  out  ,  candles  dimming  their  glow  ,  the  air  loosening  in  her  lungs  .  "  the  space  is  amazing  ,  elijah  .  i'm  very  grateful  for  it  .  "  she  admitted  .  "  practicing  at  home  is  fine  ,  but  i  don't  know  it  just  always  makes  me  think  of  grams  and  when  i  think  of  grams  i  lose  focus  and  .  .  .  ⸺  "  tender  as  a  bruise  her  voice  filtered  between  them  before  she  released  a  sigh  .  "  sorry  .  i  didn't  mean  to  ⸺  i'm  just  saying  it's  a  lot  easier  to  focus  here  .  i'm  sure  all  the  other  witches  that  trailed  through  here  felt  the  same  .  "  assumption  sounded  a  lot  more  scandalous  than  she'd  meant  it  to  .  embarrassment  heating  up  her  features  as  she  jumped  to  clarify  just  as  quick  as  he  had  .  "  to  practice  ,  to  practice  .  i  mean  .  sorry  .  "

[mystcfclls]

@stagsnobility - continued from here

as she stepped inside, her eyes moved to begin scanning the room, only stopping when she felt his touch. it might not have been done in a certain way, but it still made a soft gasp escape her lips. it was something that bonnie wasn't expecting. her eyes moving to his, before slipping to the jacket that was previously wrapped around her. he took it with such ease, she was almost impressed. "famished, right.. uh yeah." she nodded, almost lost in thought, before shaking her head. "no, you really don't have to go through so much trouble elijah."

bonnie allowed him to lead her, not something that she did often. it was as if being here, him being so attentive -- it had her in a daze. what felt like a moment later, he was grabbing her attention again. moving to do as he was requesting. sitting on the edge of the couch, hands moving to rest against the top of her thighs. looking up at him almost curiously.

"I can handle myself. i've taken down originals before, you really think a small walk across town would be the death of me?" it wasn't a threat, and it wasn't meant to bring up any old wounds he may have. she wanted to reassure him, calm his worries. even if it felt nice to have someone care, someone looking after her safety. someone she least expected. "it's almost laughable." she sighed, but satisfying his curiosity was something she'd do. he took her in, is making her food, sat her by a warm fire, it would be rude of her. wouldn't it? "I was sitting there.. on my couch, starring at the fireplace, no flames, just ... an empty fireplace. dreading sleep, dreading another night alone. i'm not sure why I came here, maybe it was easier to let you in. to admit i'm a coward, avoiding a bit of loneliness. a coward who doesn't want to be alone when another nightmare occurs." now that she had been open, vulnerable, she couldn't help but avoid eye contact. "caroline and elena wouldn't understand, they have -- they're not alone." she shrugged, because she didn't know what else to do.

"sorry, I... I shouldn't have come. -- let's pretend this never happened." she whispered, as she stood to her feet. forgetting her coat. now that she let him in, she wanted to run. hide.

[empathetixs]

❛ come to me. ❜ (for Elena.)

@stagsnobility requested Elena

He’d called her.

Not compelled, requested her. That was the part that rattled her the most. Elijah Mikaelson didn’t request anything; he commanded with that quiet, unnerving authority that always made people listen before they even realized they were obeying. And yet, here she was, standing in the doorway of his study, heart pounding like she was about to step into a confessional.

"Elijah," Elena greeted softly, the word caught between respect and caution. His name always carried weight with it. It wasn't the same kind of danger that his siblings wielded, who would take her head as quickly as they looked at her, but it was still there.

Quieter, shaper. The kind of danger that could slice you open with a single look and still make you thank him for being so gentle about it. Truly Dangerous

Elena stepped further into the room despite the warning sirens in her chest. Her eyes flicked around the space; every shadow in the room seemed to bend toward him. Immaculate, unshaken, impossible, and yet. She couldn't help the way her lips curled in warmth. "Why am I here? What do you need?"

[survivingpierce]

cont. from here with @stagsnobility because katherine cannot accept

        for a fleeting moment, she forgot to breathe. he stood close enough that his hand almost brushed against hers, and her heart (traitorous as ever) responded before her mind could intervene. her chocolate-brown eyes found his, and for an instant, the world stilled. the ache, the weight of centuries, the quiet longing she had buried so deeply flickered through her gaze. there was softness there, a fragile, unguarded thing she rarely allowed anyone to see.

       but then he stepped back.

       the distance between them cut through her like a blade, and the warmth that had softened her expression faded, replaced by something colder: disbelief, confusion, a sharp edge of pain and rejection. how stupid she was. she shook her head slowly, almost in disbelief, as his words settled in. "you call that punishment?" she asked, her voice low, barely above a whisper, but steady. "to do nothing? to walk away and pretend it doesn’t matter? to punish what? what sins?"

       she let out a quiet, humorless laugh; the kind that carried no joy, only exhaustion. "you think that’s noble, elijah? that letting it all rot between us somehow cleanses your conscience?" her gaze hardened, though her voice still trembled around the edges. "you’re not sparing us, you’re surrendering. you’re giving up."

       for a brief moment, she looked down, fingers curling tightly at her sides as if trying to contain something that threatened to break loose. when she raised her head again, her eyes glistened with something raw and vulnerable beneath the defiance. "after everything," she said, shaking her head again, slower this time, "you still think the answer is to punish yourself ... and me with you." she regrettet the words as soon as they left her lips simply because they gave too much away.

       she wanted to take a step toward him, to show him that he won't get away as easily. but right now? she couldn't bear being near him. not when he acts like he had lost his mind and opted for an easy way out. "no," she said finally, her tone unyielding. "i won’t make it easier for you. i won’t agree." her lips pressed into a thin line as she exhaled, the faintest crack of emotion slipping through her voice. "if you make that choice, you have to live with the fact you made that choice yourself. you don’t get to decide that there’s nothing left for us and call it mercy."

[milkandsins-a]

you're making this very difficult for me.

RANDOM SUGGESTIVE DIALOGUE + ACTION PROMPTS. accepting

The gala had stretched on far longer than Nora cared for. Elijah looked every bit the part of a host with his tailored suit, perfect posture, and his attention divided between seemingly important people that hung on his every measured word. Klaus had long since drifted away to hold court elsewhere, leaving Elijah anchored at the table, deep in conversation about things Nora did not care about.

She sat next to him with her expression pleasant enough to make it seem like she was listening and caring but on the inside, boredom was winning the battle.

So she did what anyone else in this moment would do, she entertained herself.

Her hand slid to Elijah's thigh beneath the table, fingers settling there. And at first it was innocent enough. Barely a touch, a casual rest of her palm on his thigh like lovers do.

Nora smiled into her champagne and her fingers began to move again, tracing small, absentminded patterns as if she were listening intently to his speech. But she wasn’t listening. She was watching him instead from the corner of her eyes and the way his jaw set a fraction tighter. The way his knee shifted, just slightly, as her hand crept higher.

By the time her touch dipped closer, unmistakably intentional now, Elijah finally leaned toward her and whispered into her ear. “You’re making this very difficult for me.”

Nora turned her head slowly, meeting his stare with an unapologetic smirk. “I don’t care.” She murmured back.

[milkandsins-a]

say my name again.

RANDOM SUGGESTIVE DIALOGUE + ACTION PROMPTS. accepting

Nora’s breath stuttered as his lips continued their slow path along her bare stomach, the sensation pulling a soft sound from her. Her back arched instinctively, chasing the warmth of his mouth, as her fingers slid into his hair, threading through the dark strands lovingly.

Her eyes fluttered shut, lashes brushing her cheeks as she whispered his name, the sound of it uneven, edged with a quiet impatience. “Elijah…..” There was the faintest whine in her tone now, need slipping through the cracks of her composure as her hand guided him back down, not subtle or shy about what she wanted.

Her grip tightened just slightly, her body already leaning into the promise of him as she breathed out words again. “I want more.”