Lydia Martin (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} needstoscream) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} madisonvalley,@ 2022-03-12 13:03:00 |
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What: Lydia runs into Klaus, then Hope shows up to ‘save’ the day
When: backdated to Feb 28
Where: Cafe
Rating: low
Lydia had lingering guilt from having drawn those angels which apparently was probably the reason for them showing up in the town to begin with, or, something. She had made sure that there were no more images of those things anywhere and was happy the whole thing got resolved as quickly as it did, even if it almost took a week. Now it was time to try to focus on the last part of the semester before summer.
Pushing through the doors of the cafe, her heart was on getting a coffee so she could study longer. It was only when she was in line that she realized someone was in line after her and that someone she knew eerily well. Well, that wasn’t true. She knew a Klaus, but she had a feeling they were all pretty similar.
She glanced back to confirm, though she hoped she didn’t look entirely too obvious, but her heart was also beating a little faster than normal which was also probably giving her away.
–
Klaus was certainly aware of what had happened with Lydia, although he couldn’t remember actually doing it. Regardless, it sounded like something he would do, so he wasn’t in any way denying it. He didn’t recognize her right away, but the increase in her pulse caught his attention, and when she looked back at him, he met her with a charming - and somehow terrifying - smile.
“Hello, love. Have we met?”
***
She closed her eyes while facing away from him and the brief expression of ‘why me’ washed over her face before she turned and gave him an equally electric smile like nothing was wrong. It was her Lydia Martin special, after all. “Haven’t we all met at some point? I mean, this is a nexus point for the multiverse, isn’t it?”
–
“I don’t know about that. But you do look familiar.” He squinted his eyes as if it gave him a chance to see her better, and after a moment there was the twinkle of recognition. “Lydia Martin. The one I painted when I was here last.”
He could certainly see why he had chosen to do so. Her hair was a color that he ached to capture on canvas, even now.
“The banshee.”
***
There was a noticeable, but short pause when he recognized her. Great. She wondered who she had to thank for telling him about her. She'd have to find out and send them flowers or something. Inwardly she swore to herself and cursed herself for her enjoyment of caffeine.
Her chin tilted up in physical defiance despite how worried she actually felt. "The one you painted without consent, yes. Though I know all about your tricks now and have a healthy amount of vervain always on me." This wasn't entirely true. She did have vervain after what happened, but when Klaus left, she stopped taking it and she had hoped to simply avoid the man in the village and hope he never learned she got under his skin before. She did not, at that moment, have vervain in her system, but she would not admit that to him. Lydia was stubborn.
–
She said that, but he also heard her heart rate increase, which should not have happened if she was telling the truth. If she was protected by vervain, why would she be nervous? He wasn’t going to kill her, or hurt her, especially since she’d done nothing but try to stand up to him, which was honestly a bit adorable.
“Oh really?”
He turned her to face him, meeting her eyes.
“Tell me, Banshee, exactly what you think of me.”
***
Despite the recent angel crisis, Hope found herself in a good mood. She had both her parents again and so far her father was behaving himself. It was a relief and, more important, Hope was proud of him for keeping out of trouble. The last time he’d been in town, Klaus had made a few enemies and people didn’t exactly like him. While many of those people were still leery of him, she was hoping a change in behavior might start to change their minds about him. Despite the monster people saw her father as, Hope knew he was much more than that. He could be loving, loyal, and compassionate. Though he didn’t show those to a lot of people outside of family, maybe if he allowed a bit of them to show, people might see him differently or at least attempt to understand him.
In need of a caffeine fix, Hope pushed open the door to a cafe and immediately froze. Before her was her dad and Lydia. The last two people who should ever cross paths again in this town. She knew what her father had done to Lydia and how it’d taken Freya to end the ordeal. From the way he was looking at her, eyes boring straight into Lydia’s, Hope knew immediately he was compelling Lydia. From the way Lydia wasn’t reacting, it was clear she probably didn’t have vervain in her system any longer. Oh, shit.
She wasn’t going to let this go any further. She’d save her father from himself even if there was a possibility he hated her for it.
Stalking over, Hope immediately stepped between her father and Lydia, cutting off the eye contact between the two and folding her arms upon her chest.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
***
Klaus’s body language changed completely when he saw Hope. His cheeks reddened a little in embarrassment and he crossed his arms across his chest.
“I was speaking to Miss Martin, as you can see. What are you doing here?”
***
Lydia blinked, her mind foggy for just a moment before she realized who’s back of the head she was staring at and what must have been happening. Lydia inwardly kicked herself for challenging him like that. Of course he’d do that. Fine. She’d go back to taking vervain, but she’d find another way to beat him so she didn’t have to be dependent on the stuff forever.
The irony was that Lydia would have answered his question without the compulsion, though perhaps not in such softened terms. She took a step to the side so she could look at Klaus. “For the record, I think you're an entitled manchild with an ego problem. You could be great, but you’re caught up in always proving yourself to be the biggest and baddest. If I were to guess you think of any feelings as weakness and push the people who love you away so they can’t hurt you first, probably because you’re insecure, but instead of admitting any of that, you simply hold onto being an angry villain people hate so you can simplify the world around you.” Did a lot of this sound like Aiden too? Yes. That was where a lot of this was coming from. In fact, Lydia was sure half of this applied to Peter and a few others who had crossed their paths. At least when women went murderous, they went completely insane and less predictable.
“Maybe next time if you ask nicely I’ll show you a picture of your painting.” There was a little ‘hmph’ sound implied in that statement, but really she was more annoyed at herself for letting herself get compelled again.
She looked at Hope with an apologetic, but also thankful expression. “I’ll buy you coffee the next time we run into each other.” Then Lydia turned to start to exit.
–.
“I was getting coffee and now, apparently, stopping you from compelling Lydia.” Hope frowned at her father, making it clear that she disapproved of what he was doing.
The last thing he should be doing is compelling anyone, especially Lydia, who he had compelled to believe he was feeding off of and instead was painting the entire time. Hope didn’t want her father to mimic his last visit to Madison Valley. She loved him and really wanted this time to be better for him. She wanted him around and not just to be hunted by everyone in the town he pissed off.
Of course Lydia prodding at him was probably not the best strategy for that. Hope couldn’t be there to keep Klaus away from Lydia forever or any of her friends. At least, with any luck, this little venture had taught Lydia to start taking vervain again and to make sure her friends did too. If they couldn’t be compelled by Klaus, they stood a better chance against him if he decided to threaten any of their lives. Not that Hope was about to let that happen if she could help it.
Hope reached out and touched her dad’s arm. If he wanted to, he could toss her aside like she was nothing. Hope was trained, but she wasn’t a vampire and being a werewolf only granted you so much strength without a full transformation. She gripped it tightly, silently conveying for him not to go after Lydia for what she’d said.
In contrast, Hope turned to Lydia and gave her a half-smile. “Sure, that would be great.”
***
Klaus tensed more and more as Lydia spoke. He was clearly furious - he’d killed people for far less than this little soliloquy. How dare she judge him when she knew nothing about him? How dare she say such things to someone who could tear her heart from her chest with next to no effort? The monster inside him wanted to do such things, wanted to kill her, slowly, as she begged him for the mercy of a swift death.
And for her to say such things around his daughter only made his fury worse.
What was it about Humans, to think that they could say such things - think such things to an Original!? They were ignorant, and thought far too much of themselves.
He did not toss Hope aside, although he started slightly when she touched him - he hadn’t been expecting it at all. He knew what she wanted, but his pride was severely injured and tearing her apart and watching her die would feel so good...
But he didn’t. His furious eyes bore into Lydia’s for a few moments, and he wished that he was telepathic for a moment, wished that he was able to show her exactly what he was thinking of doing to her.
But he did nothing.
Instead, he put his hand over Hope’s, gently, and refused to acknowledge Lydia’s existence. After all, what did it matter to him?
“Would you like something, Hope? A coffee? A cookie?”
***
Hope felt the fire smoldering within her father. He wanted desperately to kill Lydia right now. To rip her apart and show her exactly what being an Original was all about. Hope expected him to at least make a move towards the redhead. If he had, Hope wasn’t entirely sure how she would have stopped him. The thought of destroying her father’s brain cells in an attempt to keep him from killing Lydia was not something Hope wanted to do.
He didn’t move towards Lydia. Instead, he put his hand over hers and Hope felt herself relax at his touch. He’d controlled himself and Hope let out a breath she wasn’t even aware she was holding. His actions right there made Hope so proud; he had no idea.
She offered him a soft smile and squeezed his hand. “Sure. A coffee and a cookie sounds great, dad.”