[𝐈] 𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖚𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 | 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞-𝕱𝖔𝖚𝖗: 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗬𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀

Chapter Twenty-Four
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Masqueraded Yesteryears

March 24th, 2010
Progress had been made in my vampire bartending skills, learning to tear the blood bag like a packet of grated cheese or ketchup rather than the tube that came built-in. This resolved in less blood on our kitchen counters and more blood in the glass for Caroline to drink, she was nervous after being bombarded by our doppel-bitch Katherine.
  "Here," I said, passing over the glass of blood as I approached Caroline who returned the gesture with a sheepish smile, obviously still unnerved by Katherine's reappearance.
  "I'm still shaking," Caroline noted, taking a sip of the crimson liquid as loud steps entered the room, Stefan had received my text about the blonde vampire, evidently worried about what had happened to her.
  "What happened?" he queries, stopping in front of the three of us as Caroline continues to gulp down her drink.
  "Go ahead, tell him. You're gonna love this." Damon mocked, finding this situation moderately amusing as he rests on the other side of the sofa to Caroline.
  "I saw Katherine today." Caroline started, compelling Stefan to move towards her.
  "Where?" he probed, looking down at her from his place stood in front of her chair.
  "At the Grill. I just stopped by to just gawk and quasi-stalk Matt. She said I needed to send you a message." she finishes, leading Stefan to question the obvious about said message.
  "To tell Stefan, Marielle and Damon that she wants the moonstone or she will rip this town apart until it rains blood. She wants it tonight, at the Masquerade Ball." Caroline added, finishing the glass before idly fiddling with it in her hands.
  "She wants a public affair, killing her lap dog caught her off guard. So, now, she's running scared. What she did to Jenna was desperate." I illustrate, tracking the steps which brought us to this conclusion.
  "We can't underestimate her. We have to play this smarter than her." Stefan reasons, getting fairly animated over the idea of going up against Katherine. After her violent threatening of Elena's aunt, splitting the two love-birds apart and her strive for this moonstone, she performed almost as if her life depended on it. Now, Katherine had many opponents, many of which I had met. But one stood out unusually more than the other, but he was gone with the wind, I was never able to find him again after my death. Neither he nor anyone else tied to him, it was like every link to the entire family had...vanished.
  "Can't we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline debates, evident that she wanted to be rid of the threat on her life, which was reasonable. However, if Katherine got that bargaining chip, who knows what would come for us next.
  "No. Katherine's not getting dick. I've had it. I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her." Damon announces, to which Stefan disputes this claim, arising the obvious fact that Katherine could easily manipulate our poor brother.
  "You're not gonna kill her. Because I am." Stefan corrects, giving a grin towards Damon, to which Damon's response was a proud smirk. His brother was holding the lead on the hunt, I guess we'd just have to stalk behind.

This led to an onslaught of phone calls, orders out to people and reaching out to a certain Bennett witch who had a particularly powerful spellbook on her hands. I called Alaric first, arranging for him to bring as many stakes as he could muster along with any vervain from shops out of town. Jeremy was on helping duty, first required to find some black bryony berries for a spell that needed to be done inside the house. Caroline was sent upstairs to water my plants, find a certain vial of liquid in my desk drawer, learn about Alaric's inventions and to get ready for the ball since she would be in attendance. Damon would be with Alaric as they confer over the latter's newest contraptions whilst Stefan would be helping me oversee all of the goings-on. And finally, Bonnie Bennett would be producing the grimoire. Once she arrived, the real prep for tonight began. We would all need to dress to the nines for the Lockwood charity event, sadly showing up in a hoodie and jeans was profoundly looked down upon during these kinds of events. A shadowy violet-wine dress that was overlaid with onyx lace that loosely draped across the floor was going to be my centrepiece for the night, a higher raven black heel solved the length problem I was having. The eye makeup wouldn't be a dominant player in tonight's look, alternately I swapped the eyeliner out for a tenebrous iris lipstick which correlated with the dress. An all-black mask with arched feathers and perfectly poised lace with faint golden accents perfectly adorned the edges. The outfit that Caroline embellished was one she requested that I piece together for her over a week ago, putting my creative talents to the test with a classic vermillion red one-shouldered dress which came to the middle of her thigh, matching red heels that also tied into the curiosity of her black and gold mask which swung from a stick instead of a band that you wrapped around your head. It was a good thing she was a vampire, she'd have arm ache all night for that choice.