( — march catchall )

[rocinantes]

Who: katherine pierce, amos burton, stefan salvatore, wanda maximoff
What: event stuff and other sundries
When: march
Where: all around trench

Content Warnings: language

Comments

[manipulative]

[ she smacks him gently, mindful that they're out in public and of her strength. ]

Am not!

[ crossing her arms against her chest, she pointedly looks at his shirt. ]

What do you call this then? Hm? You have enough shirts, don't you?

[prescind]

I bought this because I know that you like blue shirts.

( he was doing it for her, not the date. there's a difference! )

You want me to take it off and go home and get a different one?

[manipulative]

I do want you to take it off.

[ that's never a question she ever needs to be asked. she smirks up at him as she takes a step closer to him and fingers his shirt. ]

But not here. [ she smacks his arm again, still gentle considering her strength, and feigns appearing affronted. ] This is a date! Who knows if I'll walk away from this wanting to take it off?

[ she smiles and cocks her brow teasingly at him. ]

[prescind]

Kinda walked into that one.

( stefan makes a face and then reaches for her hand to step closer to the hostess. she leads them to an empty booth and stefans slides in before he waits for her. )

What did you do today? Besides get shoes?

[manipulative]

[ as she sits down, katherine realises that this is going to be a date. an actual date with stefan salvatore… where she's expected to make small talk that often feels like an ordinary conversation back home. ]

I went to the apothecary and checked on an order, which was very riveting. [ by her deadpan, it was not. ] And I window-shopped. [ she smiles. ] I did see a nice pair of boots for you.

[prescind]

What's wrong with the boots I got?

( he's wearing a pair right now and he picks one up and stomps it a bit so she can hear it. )

Perfectly fine boots.

[manipulative]

[ without even needing to duck her head beneath the table, katherine curls up her lip. ]

They don't match your outfit.

[ sometimes the explanation really is that simple. ]

[prescind]

You didn't even look.

( they match fine, he's sure of it. )

Black goes with everything.

[manipulative]

I looked when you were too busy gawking at me.

[ she smiles smugly and picks up the menu, making a show of looking at it even though she's not reading a single word. but that smugness transforms into a genuine smile at the confirmation that stefan does listen to her fashion advice. ]

I told you that.

[prescind]

You did and I remembered it.

( and thus why he knows his boots are fine. )

Which is why I know I don't need new boots. These still work.

[manipulative]

[ she scrunches up her face as she makes a show of looking beneath the table at his more than fine boots. telling him as such means she loses and he gets a bigger head, and katherine can't have that.

she returns to not reading her menu. ]

They could be better. Those are hardly 'first date of the year' shoes.

[prescind]

Well then, let's cancel the date and go home and just eat dinner in front of the television.

( since his boots are so offensive? )

[manipulative]

No!

[ she knows she's taking the bait, but she looks at him rather pointedly over the menu with her lips pursed in an attempt to stop her smile. ]

We're here now and you've seen my first-date shoes. We're staying. I can forgive your offensive boots for today.

[prescind]

Fine.

( their waiter steps over and takes their drink order. stefan orders a water and he asks for some bread in a basket to get them started. )

We'll stay and eat some food, drink some wine or beer or whatever else you wanna drink.

[manipulative]

And hold hands beneath the table?

[ she smiles as she instead chooses to lift her leg and brush the toe of her first-date heel against his calf. ]

[prescind]

I don't know if our arms are long enough.

( but their legs definitely are and he laughs when he feels her foot against his calf. )

You know what you want to eat?

[manipulative]

Hm.

[ she looks at the menu properly this time, surveying the options. she purses her lips as she considers what could be the most outlandish thing she wants... and it turns out it's the one thing she genuinely wants to get. ]

I actually want a steak. [ she scrunches up her nose as though she's surprised by this herself. ] Ooo, they have baked potato, too. I doubt it's as good as yours, but...

[prescind]

Aww, I do love your compliments.

( he reaches underneath the table and slides his fingers against her ankle, giving it a squeeze before he picks up the menu. )

I guess I should avoid fish if I want to be kissed tonight.

[manipulative]

Please.

[ she scrunches her face in disgust as she slides her foot up his leg to rest it awkwardly on his knee. perhaps she should behave until they have their food, but katherine's never quite seen sense when stefan's around.

she hums. ] Hm. Let me guess what you'll get… Either the salmon because you're a masochist or… [ clucking her tongue, she turns the menu over, surveys it, and then returns to the side she was on. ] Pasta? You seem like a pasta boy today.

[prescind]

Pasta man, a pasta man.

( there's a difference. he doesn't know the difference, he just knows there is one and he laughs, rubbing her calf. )

Maybe I'll change it up since you seem to calling me predictable.

[manipulative]

Because you are.

[ and she means it fondly. she lowers her menu and closes it, placing it on the table before her. resting one hand on top of the other, she leans toward him and smiles at him. ]

I like it. It's very comforting.

[ pasta boy. ]

[prescind]

And what if I want a nice rare steak?

( does that make him not comforting? )

With a potato?

[manipulative]

[ she snorts and does her best to try and wipe her smile off her face. it's after a gentle clearing of her throat that she manages to. ]

Then I'd think that I inspired you. Copycats are only adorable when they look like you.

[ and only like stefan. ]