taxonomites | now i rock a house party at the drop of a hat.

now i rock a house party at the drop of a hat.

It's around five o'clock in the morning when the citizens of Taxon find themselves inexplicably transported into rooms within the Sanctuary. Doors are left open and beds unmade, food abandoned and lights left on, still shining brightly for those who were awake and are no longer present. The Extras don't seem to notice the captive population's sudden disappearance, continuing on with their business as usual.

For those relocated, though, it's an entirely different story.

They find themselves in rooms with white, alabaster walls that gives them an almost too-clean feeling, as if the entire place was sanitized prior to their arrival. The room assignments are seemingly random, people placed on floors with those they don't know and don't like, people they would rather not be within twenty feet of. It matters not, for what's done is done and cannot be undone. For those who happen to have pets, they'll find them waiting for their owners in the rooms as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

The only thing the captives have managed to bring with them is the clothes on their back and the tablets. On them, they find the following message:

SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY WHILE WE ADDRESS CERTAIN TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Unfortunately for those who try to find a means of escape, they'll discover there is none. Leaving the Sanctuary will prove to be as difficult as leaving Taxon itself. However, if one heads down the right corridor and the right floor, they'll find something else entirely lurking in their midst...

( ooc | sorry for the delay in posting! your mods were otherwise occupied with things of the irl variety this morning. THIS BE A PARTY POST, Y'ALL. room assignments are here, and refer back to the sott post proper for any additional information. please contact us with any questions/concerns you may have in regards to this plot. ♥ )

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As she notices Katherine's gaze wandering around, Jenna's thoughts flit to wondering if these rooms count as private and therefore on the invitation boundary. She doesn't really have the time or speed to find out, though, not yet.

"I guess we're all lucky enough to have generic, nondescript rooms."

Jenna is so ready to flee if she has to, though she's pretty sure Katherine could probably take her down if it came to that. Still, she'll be prepared anyway.

"What floor were you lucky enough to get stuck on? So your aunt knows where to find you."

Yes, she did just play that card. Better to play the part, just in case someone comes down the hallway at just the wrong moment.

A slight smirk tugs at the corner of Katherine's mouth up as she returns her gaze to Jenna. She sees what Jenna is doing here, and reluctantly, she has to hand it to the human for keeping such a cool head despite being so evidently freaked out by her presence.

"Top floor. Sixteenth, I think," she replies, privately amused. Of course she tops. She always does. Not that she has any plans of staying there after she figures out where Stefan is staying. But details.

"Heard from anyone else, yet?"

The way Jenna sees it is that Elena's safety is way more important than her comfort. Therefore, she has to keep this story in mind at all times. Which isn't such a hard thing for her to do.

"Way up at the top, then," Jenna muses, trying not to sound as strained as she feels. "Nope. You're the first one." Lucky, lucky you, Katherine. "They're probably around here somewhere."

Jenna has no idea what she's bracing for, either; she just knows she has to be prepared for anything. If Katherine's got Elena worried, then Jenna's worried. Thank God for the vervain. She would be so screwed otherwise.

Considering Katherine's habit of sipping vervain herself to keep up her tolerance (a fact that only a few people know about) for the stuff, the vervain in Jenna's system wouldn't stop Katherine from feeding from her if that's what the vampire really wanted to do. It did mean that compulsion was out, unfortunately, but Katherine had other means of gently encouraging people to do what she wanted them to.

Of course, Katherine is not about to point this out to Jenna. No reason to upset her needlessly.

"I'm sure they are," she smiles calmly. "As it seems that we're all trapped in here for who knows how long."

And won't that just be fun?

"Upsetting her needlessly" has already happened for various values of "upsetting" and "needless" that include "screaming in her head" and "completely unnecessary encounter." Jenna just watches Katherine warily.

"Great," she mutters. "Sounds like a regular party and the hamsters forgot the favors."

No. Never fun. It'll be the worst extended period of Jenna's life and that includes when she ran away from Logan Scumfell.

"If you're looking for Stefan, he's not on this floor."

Edited 2011-06-08 23:27 (UTC)

Completely unnecessary? But Jenna, your niece was simply checking in with you, just to make sure you're alright. That's gratefulness for ya.

"What else is new," Katherine snorts, leaning casually against the doorjamb and literally toeing the threshold daintily, smirking a little as her foot moves through the air without slamming into a invisible barrier. Just as she'd suspected; invitations weren't necessary as this was a public space and they were (apparently) staying in it temporarily. Were these their new permanent lodgings, Katherine believes she wouldn't be able to enter other rooms but the one she woke up in without an invite. Pulling her foot back, purple toenails and all, Katherine smiles and looks back up at Jenna.

"I wasn't, really, but thanks for letting me know. I really did just stop by to say hi."

Edited 2011-06-09 20:24 (UTC)

Right. Just to check on her and torment her a little bit. She sees what Katherine's doing there.

Jenna's eyes stray to Katherine's toe, feeling her heart rate speed up just a little bit more when the barrier that's supposedly there to keep vampires out of private homes and rooms doesn't actually keep Katherine out. That's... going to make things more complicated.

"Just to say hi? Well that's nice of you."

Meaning Jenna's really been done with this conversation since it started. Please leave, Katherine.

Okay, maybe just a little bit of that, too. Leopards and spots and all that stuff. Still, the vampire makes no move to step over the threshold and into the room.

"Well, it has been quite a while since we last each other," Katherine goes on without missing a beat, playing up the cover story. "I thought it was about time to remedy that. Family should stick together, after all."

Her tone drops just a slightest bit during that last sentence, her corner of her mouth twitching just a little into a tiny smirk. Leave, now? Perhaps in a moment.

Jenna is trying to get a real scope for Katherine and not just one based on what everyone else has said about her. Still, even with that, she's nervous and not sure quite what to do. But, she'll play the part of the aunt in case anyone else comes around.

"Years, in fact," she agrees, attempting to keep her cool. "I suppose so. In that case, I need to check up on your sister, too."

Because hell if she's letting Katherine hurt Elena.

"How has your stay here been anyway? I don't think we've really talked about that." Or at all, but details.

"But now we have all the time in the world to catch up on things while here," Katherine points out agreeably, absently toying with her necklace. The fake sun may not burn vampires in Taxon, but she still keeps it on at all times (as well as her lapis bracelet) both out of habit and because she just thinks it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I'm sure Elena's just fine, despite how trouble seems to always find her. Funny thing, that," the vampire smirks just a little. "My stay? Oh, it's been... interesting. I haven't been here as long as Elena and the others, though. But not to worry. I take care of myself."

"I guess we do," Jenna agrees grudgingly. She really just wants Katherine to take her leave so she can go back to being alone. It's so much easier to pretend Katherine doesn't exist. This whole looking and sounding exactly like Elena but not being Elena is weird.

Jenna's eyes stray to the lapis necklace on Katherine and she thinks about her own necklace, as it hangs heavily on her chest. She makes a mental note to thank Elena later for it.

"She's got people to watch out for her." People like Jenna. And Stefan, though there's no way in hell Jenna's going to say that. "I'm not too worried about you. I know you can take care of yourself." Which is an admission that she knows how dangerous Katherine could be if she wanted to be. "But what kind of aunt would I be if I didn't worry about you at all?"

To the casual observer, Jenna probably seems like the concerned aunt, but she's pretty sure Katherine knows better, even if she can't read between the words.

Katherine can see through Jenna's act to what she really means with her words, but the fact that the other woman is keeping so well to their shared cover even despite her anxiety rather impresses Katherine. She's much more convinced now that Jenna can do this, play along. The vampire'd had a tiny doubt about it ever since Stefan told her Elena and Damon were going to tell Jenna the truth about everything. Half the reason why Katherine stopped by to see Jenna now had been to see this for herself, while the remaining half was just genuine curiosity and poor impulse control.

Despite knowing Jenna's concern is just an act and nothing genuine, Katherine still feels a touch of something resembling wistfulness and her countenance softens just a slightest bit. So, this is what it's like to have people care. Ever since she got together with Stefan, her emotions have been more easily accessible - Katherine isn't quite certain whether she likes it or not. Yeah, it's time to leave now.

"What kind, indeed. Well, it seems like you have everything under control, then. That's good to know," she responds with more than a little hidden meaning in her words, straightening her posture. "I should leave you to get some rest. Stay safe, Jenna."

With that, Katherine backs away from the doorway, turning and continuing her search for the others.

Edited 2011-06-12 17:19 (UTC)

Whether Jenna notices the slight difference in Katherine's expression goes unmentioned as Jenna is still focused on what Katherine's doing and saying. Her expression clouds in confusion just a little bit as she waits to see how Katherine will respond. This whole encounter has her nerves on edge, mostly because of what and who Katherine is, but even so...

Jenna shakes herself inwardly and examines Katherine. "Yeah, I do." Much more confident than she feels. "Thanks for stopping by, Katherine. It's really nice to have an actual face to your name these days."

Which is true. At least now she knows that what she's been told about identifying the two of them is true and useful. On the one hand, she feels like she's just antagonizing Katherine, but on the other, she knows they have to keep up the cover. This is all for Elena and she'll be damned if she's the one who blows it.

She watches Katherine leave, offering a smile in return just to be safe. Once Katherine's gone, Jenna turns and heads back into her room, shutting the door so she can recover in peace. That was more stress than she'd wanted this morning.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

now i rock a house party at the drop of a hat.

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;

all that I have is on the floor;