Elijah let his eyes momentarily roam her when she asked him to join her on a walk outside. "Well, now, I think you may be looking for us to be gossiped about, Miss Pierce," he said as he rose from his chair and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" He waited for her to take his arm before leading her towards the doors that opened up to the garden. "Though, I do have to wonder, Katerina, what you need fresh air for considering you do not breath..."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

Neither of the Salvatore brothers had given Katherine a clear explanation on why they were not willing to escort her to the Lockwood’s party, but she had a feeling it had something to do with their father. Over the course the past weeks, she had noticed his eyes on her more frequently, often narrowed in suspicion. He had also been more insistent on the two young men spending more tending to their duties as future representatives of the Salvatore family and spending less time with her. In a way, she was thankful  for Giuseppe’s  watchful eye, for she knew if that she had attended the dance with Stefan or Damon, she would not have gotten the chance to speak or dance with Elijah as much as she had, if at all. After the music resumed and she had watched the dancers whirl around the vast room in time with the music, she turned back to Elijah, and, finding his eyes already on her, gave him a small smile before leaning towards him. “Lord Mikaelson..would you care to join me on a walk outside? I’m afraid I’m in desperate need of some fresh air.” 

Katherine's quick protesting made him pause in his movements and he hesitated at the table, his eyes falling to one of the other seats. He didn't want to give in to her just because her pair of suitors weren't around, but he had just danced several dances with her. With a slight nod, he settled down in the chair beside hers. "I couldn't possibly leave you unaccompanied."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

As Elijah led her away from the dance floor, Katherine could not help but glance back at those they left in their wake. They were undoubtedly curious about how she had become so acquainted with an older man, a stranger no less, in such a short time, and their being together would definitely be a subject of the next week’s town gossip. She thanked him softly as he escorted her to a chair and pulled it out for her, sitting down as gracefully as she could manage to. When he suggested himself leaving, Katherine was quick to protest. “There’s no need for you to go. If either of them were planning to show up tonight, it would have been with me. Besides, the night has only just begun,” she argued. “Please?” she added with a slight pout.

When the music ended, Elijah took Katherine's elbow in his hand and led her over to sit, ignoring the looks that many of the other guests were shooting their way. He could only imagine what they were thinking, that somehow Katherine had managed to ensnare an older lord along with her Salvatore boys, though they clearly had no idea that Elijah had been caught up in her long before she became Katherine Pierce. Once he had brought her to a seat and pulled it out for her, he brought her hand to his lips. "Perhaps I should go before your Salvatores make an appearance. I'd hate to make them think they had competition for your affections."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

Katherine could not help but pity Elijah. She had been held captive by the fact that Niklaus wanted a stake in her heart for hundreds of years. Yet, she could not fathom how it must have felt to care for him, but be seen as nothing more than meaningless company. “That is truly terrible. I am very sorry my lord,” she whispered. As the words left her lips, yet another song ended, and it was soon apparent another would not start anytime soon. Hesitantly, she pulled away from Elijah slightly, breaking their gaze. It was only then that she returned to reality and noticed the harsh glares they were still getting from many of the other guests. Slightly embarrassed, she felt herself blushing, and was surprised by her own reaction to the negative attention. 

Elijah frowned. "Yes, well, to Niklaus, one of us falling in love means that we may be leaving him and that he cannot handle. We are his ever constant companions even if he treats us as expendable." The way his brother treated them truly made him sad. He missed the brother that he once knew, so many years ago, and he worried that he would never have that Niklaus back.

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

As she had been when they had first begun dancing, Katherine ignored everyone in the large ballroom but Elijah. Their intimacy was none of their business, nor was their conversation. Katherine listened to his explanation of his younger brother’s treachery and torture towards his siblings and couldn’t help but shudder. If this was how Klaus treated his family, she could only imagine what awful things he would do to her if she were ever found. “That is terrible…no one should be punished for falling in love,” she mused quietly, remembering the conversation she had with Elijah so many years ago on the subject. 

Elijah frowned and opened his mouth to answer her before his eyes moved past her to the older woman who appeared to be having quite a few issues with their close proximity. "Kol remains in his coffin despite Niklaus's promises to return him to life, as does Finn though I know my brother will never again suffer his presence after he almost left us so long ago. And Rebekah... Niklaus put a dagger through the heart of his beloved sister because she fell in love. I could not bear to be around him."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

Katherine was quite surprised at Elijah’s explanation for his being there. Not for a second had she believed his story about visiting for the sake of reminiscing, but she had not thought he was there because of her. “Niklaus?” she asked softly as the next song began, though she knew the answer. Behind them, she heard someone loudly clear their throat. Looking over her shoulder, she saw an elder women. Instead of putting space between her and the man holding her close, she shot the woman a slight glare, slightly irritated that her intimate conversation with Elijah had been interrupted.

Elijah's brow quirked curiously. He kept his hand firmly on her lower back, undoubtedly drawing quite the scandalized looks from those around them. "I heard that you were here," he replied. "And I needed to be away from my brother." His lingering anger with Klaus over his part in, Elijah's lover, Celeste's death was unnecessary to mention, in his opinion.

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

When Elijah pulled her a little too close, Katherine did not object. As far as she was concerned, no one else at the party mattered, not even those who made the difference between her living, fleeing from town or dying. Especially not them. Following a few moments of silence between the two of them, Katherine spoke, looking straight into the original vampire’s eyes. “Tell me Elijah…why are you truly in Mystic Falls?” But before she could get a response, the song had ended. Even still, she kept herself close to him, still looking straight into his eyes. 

Elijah tipped his head slightly. "Perhaps," he replied. If he could be bothered by her...arrangement with the Salvatore boys, then she could be bothered by his nameless dance partners. As they danced, he pulled her closer to him, closer than he should have in public, at this party, but his mind wasn't on the people around them. "I'm sure there are," he murmured.

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

Katherine raised her brows slightly. “With thousands of beautiful young ladies?” she questioned with a tiny smile. In the back of her mind, jealousy was creeping into her thoughts and emotions. Yet she knew that she should not be jealous of the women of Elijah’s past; she was, after all, sleeping with two brothers, and dancing with another man at that very moment. “I have had many years of free time to practice myself” She paused for a moment, biting on her bottom lip before speaking again, just as softly as before. “There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me that would certainly surprise you.”

Elijah suppressed the small smile that threatened to grow on his lips. "Years of practice... thousands of balls attended," he said. "And Rebekah used to tease me that I was a natural at this." Having grown up fighting with a sword had helped with his almost natural grace as well. "You are surprisingly good at this as well," he said. "Not that I mean that insultingly... I just wouldn't imagine that you care to spend much of your time learning to dance."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

Katherine had a strange sense of déjà vu in regards the way that Elijah was treating her. While he had not seemed very pleased with her change in behavior the first time they had spoken, but it now seemed as if they were still almost lovers back in 1864. As he led her around the nearly empty dance floor in a waltz, in smooth, fluid motions, she couldn’t help but feel almost captivated by his presence. Finally, after many moments of silence between them, she spoke softly and quietly, as for prying ears not to hear their conversation.”Why does it not surprise me that your dancing skills are impeccable? Years of practice, I presume.”

Elijah knew better than to fall into old habits with her, but he truly felt as though he couldn't help it. She may have been acting significantly different from she had once been, but she was still the same beautiful young woman he had been more than enamored with all those years ago. When the music began, he took her hand and slowly led her to the floor. Not many couples had stepped out just yet, so their presence drew many eyes to them- or, at least, the eyes that hadn't already been on them. He began leading her through the slow waltz.

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

The eagerness that Elijah seemed to possess to speak to her surprised Katherine immensly. She had, after all, changed drastically in terms of personality since they were last acquainted. Becoming a vampire and losing her family to Klaus’ fury had left her a bit more aggressive, much less frightened. The softer side that she had as Katerina had been locked away, but not completely lost. As Katherine, she always carried her past as a human with her, but refused to share it with anyone, even those that were close to her. What she was not startled by was that Elijah appeared to be very much the same as he had been upon their first meeting, at a gathering extermely similar to this one.

Keeping her eyes locked steadily on his as he brought his hand to her lips, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks and prayed that they were not tinted bright pink. When he asked her for the first dance of the evening, she gave him a slight nod. “Of course,” she replied, giving him a radiant smile and held out her hand as the music started, offering him to take it once more.

Perhaps Elijah should not have deserted the young woman so quickly, but he hadn't been unable to resist. She had not been Katherine Pierce at her very best when he had run into her before, but now... Now, with everyone's eyes on her, she would be exceptional. He couldn't say what allure exactly this...persona of hers held for him, but she had certainly captured his interest in an undeniable way. He had barely looked the way of another woman in the past forty years since Klaus's actions had caused Celeste's death, which had been part of the reason that he had come to Mystic Falls when he had heard a rumor of Katerina's presence here. He needed to be away from his brother and those memories and... Katherine was quite a suitable distraction- no matter what their interactions consisted of.

Elijah gave her a small smile. "Oh, I am far too new in town to pick a young woman to escort to this party," he replied, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. "But I do hate to see you alone. Would you allow me the honor of having your first dance?" he asked. The dancing hadn't begun yet, but he knew better than to allow her to be asked to dance by some other man.

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

While Katherine doubted that he had any ulterior motives to hurt her, she couldn’t help but be wary of Elijah’s presence. Despite the feelings she had undoubtedly felt for him nearly four hundred years earlier that still always lingered in the back of her mind, she was well aware of how much the Mikaelson family valued loyalty. He had, after all, helped Klaus search for her in the woods all those years ago.  

Although she had noticed him first, it did not take long for him for him to lay eyes on her, as well. Whilst he looked her over, she kept her gaze locked on his face Taking a deep breath as he approached her, she looked down to hide the small smirk on her lips in response to the shocked and disappointed look of the girl that he had suddenly deserted. It was obvious, to Katherine, that all of the other young women at the dance were incredibly intrigued by the handsome new man in town, as all of their gazes followed him as he approached her, and their fans were aflutter.

Ignoring the chills that ran up and down her body as he spoke her name, she bent her knees in a small and hesitant curtsy. “Lord Mikaelson…it is a pleasure to see you again.” When he mentioned her lack of escort, she folded her hand in front of her, giving him a slight glare. “Yes, well…Unfortunately no one was available to accompany me this evening. And I am assuming that it is the same situation for you,” she said, eyeing the young woman he had left, who was still looking their way suspiciously.

Elijah knew that there was no denying an invitation to a ball in this town, especially not one given at Lockwood Mansion. He was loathe to attend however as he was quite aware of the secret that the family thought they had locked away tightly. They had the werewolf gene and he despised them for it. He doubted that he would ever truly forgive the existence of the creatures that killed his beloved youngest brother, the monsters that were the reason he was what he was now. But he was a gentleman and he would smile charmingly and dance with the Lockwood girl despite wanting to do nothing more than tear her father's throat out.

Besides, perhaps he would be able to see Katerina in all her new glory. This Katherine Pierce fascinated him even if his more present mind insisted that he wished to see the return of his innocent peasant girl. He desired to tame her, though would such a lovely creature truly remain what she was if she was tamed? And at that thought, she came into his eye line, the very vision of perfection. He let out a soft chuckle when the thought arose that she was lucky she didn't need to breath because it was clear that that corset was laced as tightly as possible. And she looked absolutely beautiful he thought as he allowed his eyes to sweep over her.

He strode past the other people in the room and made his way to her, sorely disappointing the young woman whose name he couldn't quite recall that he had walked away from mid-sentence. "Good evening, Miss Pierce. I'm surprised to see you here unaccompanied."

See You Again ➳ Kalijah

In the limited time she had spent in the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, Katherine had found it nothing short of dull. Even though she had Pearl, her daughter, and both of the ever present and eager Salvatore brothers, it was getting more and more tempting to find a more entertaining town. However, the ever-looming presence of the council was enough to keep her on her toes. With one of the Mikaelson brothers in town, they seemed like a minor threat.

While she was not worried about the council in the least, she figured that she may as well keep things inconspicuous; luckily for her, the little town seemed to be ridiculously fond of throwing parties and hosting balls. Upon finding that both Stefan and Damon were nowhere to be found, she decided to escort herself to the ball at the Lockwood Mansion. From the moment she walked inside, the heard the whispers and felt the eyes on her, but she completely ignored them, her head held high. Weaving through the crowd, the froze when she caught sight of a very familiar man standing only a few feet ahead of her—Elijah. 

Not at all, Miss Pierce.

Mystic Falls...

Is there a problem, Lord Mikaelson? 

So it seems.

Mystic Falls...

As I said, I have changed Elijah, whether you like it or not. And my business with the Salvatore brothers is as much your concern as it is theirs. 

Oh, Katerina... this is a small town and these women have nothing better to do than gossip about the fact that you are surely bedding them both. Which, I will admit is quite the change from the young peasant girl I remember.

Mystic Falls...

My affairs with the Salvatore brothers are none of their concern. While I understand that have nothing better to do in this dreary little town, prying and snooping is not polite…besides, that’s my job.

Very peculiar. But you are not the only one who has not changed, Elijah.  

Yes... I wasn't in this town more than ten minutes when I heard that Miss Katherine Pierce was with the Salvatores. And the women in this town have many thoughts about what that means...

Niklaus has a temper like our father, while I do not- which is curious considering he is not my father's son. Perhaps I would rather lull you into a false sense of security?

Mystic Falls...

Appearance-wise, I suppose I have not changed much at all. But my reputation in Mystical Falls is not the same as the one I possessed in England, Elijah. 

That is very true. Nonetheless, he tends to be much more..ruthless than you are. And besides, we have been speaking for a considerable amount of time, yet you have done not done anything to threaten me thus far, have you? 

Yes... Of course, the town was quite different then, but it has been nearly nine hundred years. And, yes... These near four hundred years haven't seemed to change you very much, however, Katerina.

Why should you not? Niklaus is not the only only original you ran to escape. But, no. My brother is in New Orleans at the moment.

Mystic Falls...

Really? How…charming. I was not aware that you were familiar with this interesting little town. Times have certainly changed since we last met, haven’t they? Of course, these Americans seem to be much more simple-minded than the people of England.

And why do you assume that I am afraid of you? It is Niklaus who I have been avoiding for over three hundred years… Unless, of course, your brother decided to join you on this little trip. 

Visiting a home I haven't set foot in in over five hundred years.

And I'm sure Katerina Petrova stands out among these...Americans. Not to mention not nearly as haughty as this new name...and your new look requires. Oh, do not fret just yet, Katerina, my brother is significantly busy in Louisiana. Though...I would think you would be more fearful by my presence. Unless, of course, a strong front is another part of this new identity.

Mystic Falls...

What are you doing here?

My name seems to be quite outdated, and my hope was that it would keep him away from Mystic Falls for awhile. Obviously my efforts were unsuccessful, seeing as you have showed up.