napalm skies <<>> kol mikaelson

09

"there wouldn't be a sky full of stars if we were all meant to wish on the same one."

09 | COURTING

June, 1865

Charlotte looked herself over in the mirror, twisting this way and that to see her reflection from all angles. She worried her lip between her teeth, fiddling with her hands as she grew more and more nervous. Each passing minute felt like an eternity, but when she looked at the clock, she saw that hardly any time had passed at all. She was still early—by almost thirty minutes in fact—but she was spending this time picking out each and every flaw in her appearance. She hadn't been courted in so long, and when she had, she didn't exactly follow the rules. But despite her usually cocky demeanor, Charlotte wanted to appear presentable in front of Kol, especially if she was going to see the rest of his family in passing. She was meeting him at his home, so she didn't completely disregard the possibility of seeing one of his siblings.

She wanted to be perfect, and then she chastised herself for trying to appease Kol when all of this started as a game—a challenge. She never expected to be standing here, draped in her favorite red dress and pulling out lipstick from her vanity to wear. The red went wonderfully with her complexion, and her dark hair added a hint of mystery to her figure. Lola and Jamie both helped Charlotte pin her curls into a pretty up-do, a few pieces hanging down and framing her face. The girls said she looked gorgeous, but Charlotte was frowning, feeling as if she were missing something.

"Miss?" A hand tapped her shoulder, and Charlotte turned away from the mirror to see Lola standing before her, a small item in her outstretched hand. Charlotte took it, confused, but blinked when she saw the earrings she had bought sitting next to the necklace Kol had graciously given her. The ruby in the necklace was the same exact shade as her dress, and the earrings were a neutral added plus. She almost declined the set, not wanting to wear jewelry the same exact day she bought it, but she decided to make an exception just this once. She smiled up at Lola, grasping the girl's hand in her own.

"Thank you," she told her sincerely, and Jamie smiled at the pair. Charlotte often forgot that Lola was her age—physically, at least—and the girl knew more about her than most did. For all intents and purposes, the human was her best friend, which was startling to realize in that instant. Shaking the thoughts away, she set the jewelry on her vanity table and grabbed the two ends of the necklace. She looked over her shoulder at Lola, offering a shy smile. "Could you...?"

"Of course," Lola was quick to say, taking the chain from Charlotte's hands and securing it with a small click. The Salvatore girl slipped her earrings on and looked up at herself in the mirror once more. Lola had just solved her conundrum: the necklace and earring set was exactly the thing she was missing. She raised her hands to smooth out the front of her dress, making sure that the strings in the front were tied securely.

She had to admit, she looked breathtaking.

Lola smiled brightly at her from behind, squeezing the vampire's arm comfortingly. "You'll do great," she whispered, and Charlotte sighed, looking away from her reflection to turn to the mother and daughter behind her.

"I don't even know how I got here," Charlotte huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. Jamie was amused by the action, and Charlotte tried not to act as childish. "I mean, really, courting? I swore off that ages ago, and yet here I am, walking around in my finest clothes, awaiting my suitor." She gestured to herself, and she saw Lola give her a sympathetic nod. "And of all the people in the entire world, I'm being courted by Kol Mikaelson?"

Jamie chuckled at that, shaking her head. She had thick, curly hair that was always tied back into a tight bun. She had very dark skin, so she usually wore colors like cobalt, violet, and white, coupling her appearance with long, dangly jewelry. Charlotte assumed that Lola's father must've been white—a slave master perhaps?—because she had much more thin hair and a lighter complexion. But Charlotte never asked; it wasn't her place to.