MENTAL LINK ❰ ɪɴʙᴏx ❱

[blooded]

BLOOD its burden is a beast	FEAR
FURY	LOVE i will always choose you

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[shri]

[ Here she is, this motherfucker. ]

( Vampire. )

[blooded]

❰ what a tool.

Buttercup. ❱

[shri]

[ Not him too - ]

( I need to request your... services. )

[blooded]

❰ CHIN. HANDS.

How much did that hurt to say, on a scale from one to ten? You can be honest with me, I'm a professional.

milking this for all it's worth t b h. ❱

[shri]

( Doubtful. )

[ Could her teeth grit harder. ]

( You offered before your services, are you willing still? )

[blooded]

❰ You don't know what kind of professional I meant.

it tickles damon absolutely pink that all he has to do to bother lakshmi is say something vaguely flirtatious and/or threatening. she's so easy it's almost sad.

My services? Do you need someone compelled?

for that, there is a slight sense of serious consideration. if she fucked up and the fate of the nest hangs on his compulsion, he won't refrain just to spite her. the rest of the nest matters about as much to him as she does, but... sam and elena. so. ❱

[shri]

( I will. I need to hone my abilities as I believe they will be useful to our goals, but I want to avoid any further issues.

What you described sounded like it ensured the avoidance of such outcomes. )

[blooded]

❰ So you want to use me and my abilities while still claiming the moral high ground, huh?

usually, damon wouldn't even entertain the notion. helping when not doing so would endanger sam and elena, yes, obviously, but helping lakshmi just because? he is not that magnanimous.

but there's more to be gained from this than good will, and lakshmi gets the impression in her mind of damon leaning forward, testing her.

Apologize to Elena. ❱

[shri]

[ She snorts - because they both know it really isn't that. Rather than get irate, she goes dry as the deserts of Bundelkhand. ]

( I was under the impression you would rather your beloved be surrounded with good and kind words. I am not that good of a liar, even if she was not in my head. )

[blooded]

❰ Do it anyway.

there is no humor in him now, no give to this order – and it is an order, not a request. she will do it or he won't help. honesty only means anything to him when it comes from him – if her apology is a lie, that matters less than that she gives it. that she looks elena in the eye and acknowledges wrongdoing. ❱

[shri]

[ Oh you are in luck today Damon, she doesn't know who else she can turn to. That and she's quite sure that no one would ever expect her too.

For the hive, then, for everyone else's sake. She assures herself - she has crawled through worse, given sweeter lip services to creatures as foul as he. She steels herself to every hard edge, that sensation of squaring her shoulders. ]

( Anything else? )

[blooded]

❰ this is the best day.

Don't be shitty about it. Don't use the obvious "I'm sorry I didn't succeed in killing you" loophole. If you upset her, the deal's off.

you can't out-bullshit a bullshitter, lakshmi, you gotta do this the right way.❱

[shri]

[ this is the worst day ever. ]

( Shall I swear it on the Gods too? )

[blooded]

❰ all he does is win.

If you feel like it.

:) ❱

[shri]

[ And that - is the step too far that shuts down the connection sharp and quick. ]

[shri]

[ annnnnd done. ]

( Can we proceed or do you have another game to play? )

[blooded]

❰ Why, do you want to play with me?

he is far too pleased with himself rn. ❱

[shri]

( You should be so lucky. )

[ ROLLS HER EYES ALL THE WAY BACK. At least she can take comfort in the fact that he's dumb and not doing the sensible thing with Elena.

Because helping Elena, whom she pitied, was one thing, rather than helping Damon, who she could leave outside to burn whilst setting herself up with shutter shades and a pina colada. ]

[blooded]

❰ it's funny, how she doesn't see she's doing exactly what damon wanted her to. he's a dick, yes, but he wouldn't antagonize a hunter for no reason, not when he knows how dangerous they can be. using her prejudices against her, playing the part of monster, all while forcing her to spend time engaging with elena, seeing that she isn't one, has been damon's goal from the beginning... and lakshmi is playing right into his hands.

it's wonderful when a plan comes together.

I'm really tempted to see how far I can take this... But this isn't really the place for games, is it.

What do you need me to do? ❱

[shri]

( Ensuring I don't die is what's best for Elena, after all. )

[ It's a silky dig, slow at him. That connection she has in a way he never will, after all.

It might mean something more if they both didn't know the person most bothered by it, as far as anyone was concerned, was clearly her. Still. Her pain was Elena's and he had made her apologise. ]

( I need one of the local people. But I need to ensure that even if it goes all horribly wrong, they will remember nothing of the encounter. )

[blooded]

❰ her connection to elena only bothers him insomuch as it bothers elena — once lakshmi gets over herself and admits that elena is the best thing since sliced bread, he'll be perfectly fine with it. he had to share elena with his brother, after all, and he got so much less of her than stefan ever did.

better to have her heart than her head.

Easy. Grab a native, get me in the room, and we're good to go. ❱

[shri]

[ If only she ever listened to that damn thing, this might be easier for them all. ]

( I'll meet you tomorrow then. )

[blooded]

❰ Vague and ominous. I like it.

where will they be meeting? when? damon really hopes lakshmi leaves and has to come back to give him the information, the frustration she'd feel would be delicious. even if she doesn't, though, he's gotten what he wanted from this interaction. ❱

[shri]

[ This one time, she legitimately told her knightly boyf to whisper her name and she'd appear, vague and dramatic is the name of the game. ]

( Hardly that, like we can't be aware of each other's location like this. )

[blooded]

❰ you know lakshmi, you and damon are actually a lot alike, if you could just see past the whole thing where he ate you for five seconds

You really think I pay that much attention to you?

don't flatter yourself, honey. ❱