Eternal Flame

Chapter Nine: London Witches

When I stepped off the plane in London, I had to admit that I had never before felt better to have some space. Carmen had assured me that since Elijah was there, there would be plenty of blood, and therefore so long as I could drink some before boarding my flight, I should be fine. 

I had compelled my boss that morning to let me leave with the ability to come back and still have my job if I wanted before I dropped my car off in a storage unit near the airport and boarded my first-class flight to London. 

Which, I suppose, is the perk to having Elijah Mikaelson book the flight. 

After going through security, I quickly spotted Elijah and a smaller, ginger woman standing next to him and smiled broadly as I walked over to them. "Hello, I'm-" I was cut off from my introduction by the woman who just hugged me instantly. 

In confusion, I looked to Elijah, who just mouthed, "She does this," with a shrug and shook my head. 

"Sorry, it's just, its almost like I know you so well already! Even when you were human, I was getting snippets of your day to day life, but since you changed, they've been more frequent. I think it's because we were getting closer to meeting. In any case, I'm delighted to meet you, I'm Carmen, you're Europa. Now that introductions are done let's go! I can't wait to show you around!" 

The woman was interesting, to say the least. She was taller than I was, which wasn't hard, but she was also slightly taller than average by society's standards. Carmen wore a lot of strange necklaces that had symbols I recognized and some I didn't. Some of the ornaments were just crystals. She wore a button-up green top that had short sleeves, showing some of her tattoos that danced along her arms and disappeared under her shirt. On her wrist, she wore bracelets made of crystals that probably had some meaning behind them that I was unaware of. Her shirt tucked into a pair of light-wash jeans ending with a simple pair of converse. 

She didn't really wear much makeup, outside of shimmering highlighter on her cheeks, mascara and brown eyeshadow, and some lipgloss. Additionally, her red hair was in loose curls that seemed to move with a mind of their own. 

If I had to describe my first impression of Carmen, it would be ecliptic, not really fitting into one description. 

Where there was obviously a playful spirit, there was also a severe side. A dark side and a light side. It was like she couldn't find one place that suited her, so she instead settled down and made where ever she was her own. 

Which was cool. 

When we got in the car, Elijah drove while Carmen talked the whole ride. "When is your birthday? Do you know your star sign? I've started dabbling in a bit of astrology, so I'm really into that right now." She asked me immediately, her piercing blue eyes focused on me excitedly, and the entire atmosphere seemed to almost brighten. 

I shrugged and smiled, "May fifth, but I don't know my star sign." 

"That's okay! I can tell you! So, you're a Taurus, who is generally known for being stubborn, stoic, ambitious, and slightly materialistic as a whole. Women Taurus' are also known for their patience, tenderness, and reliability, and they don't generally like taking risks. With that said, women Taurus' also enjoy joking and having a laugh. Usually, Taurus' do best with Cancers, Virgos, Capricorns, or Pisces." Carmen informed me like she was reading out of a book. 

I had to admire her knowledge of this, there was no way I would remember that. 

Both of us looked at Elijah in curiosity when he laughed, "Sorry, it's just Nikklaus is also a Taurus. A lot of things make sense now." 

"Two Taurus' are reasonably compatible. Both understand the need for sensuality and touch in an intimate sense. So long as they aren't holding on to emotional baggage, they can really dive in with their partners and make emotional connections. The biggest issue is if there is change happening, then it's hard for Taurus' to accept that, and it can lead to problems down the line."