At the Grill

[Suzanna Gilbert]

I slow myself before the building comes into view, wary that there are too many eyes around for my supernatural speed not to attract attention. All these years, I've wondered why human's bothered even getting out of the vehicles to get places - watching them move about on the streets is like watching paint dry, not the most fun thing to be doing with my time.

The doors to the grill swing open easily at my touch and I take my first step inside the place. The smell is worse than I could have ever imagined. I know at once how sheltered this community is as I cross the tiled floor by the eyes on my back: I am something new and shiny to them, even if I am older than any of them would ever have imagined

[Damon Salvatore]

I enter silently a few seconds after Suzanna. I can now check the reactions of everyone, thus starting the proces of deciding who will lose blood to us tonight.
I simply follow Suzanna, staying behind her, watching everyone.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

I can feel him behind me but I do not stop and turn. My back to him, I stride purposefully to a vacant booth in the corner and take a seat. I refrain from looking up from the menu that I have in my hands, my eyes following the words as if I am reading them.

But there's no point since I know that there is nothing on it that even tempts me. The last meal I had, that was not blood, was three hundred years ago, the only time I had ever even tried to act human. I wait until he stands before me before I look up.

"Good, you came." I say with a toothy smile.

[Damon Salvatore]

"You were questioning that? I expected you to know me better."
I sit down opposite of her. I'm wondering what her approach will be, thus I simply wait for her to say something.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

"Want something to drink?" I ask, "Beer, wine, cocktail?"

I don't know why I am stalling; if I wait too long he'll find a way to leave without telling me what I want to know. I do know why it is important for me to find out all that I can as quickly as I can. I don't doubt for one second that he will tell Elena all about this meeting the moment he can, and once he does that he is useless to me.

I catch the eye of one of the waitresses and signal for her to come over. It's a bit of a relief to not have to glamour her to come over -- I need to remain strong if this is ever going to work. She comes over wielding a small note-pad but not a pencil to write with. It was not until she tugged one free from behind her ear that I understand. "What would you like to order?" she asks quickly, her eyes fixed on Damon though I know she's speaking to me.

"Wine, please, red, something dark." I gesture to Damon for him to place his order. He would reveal more if he was relaxed, and alcohol was the quickest means to that end.

[Damon Salvatore]

"bourbon, scotch, I don't care. Just something from the top shelf."
I reply, with a short flirtatious smirk at the waitress.
The moment she left, I look at Suzanna. "Feeding me alcohol isn't going to help you one bit. What do you want to know?"

[Suzanna Gilbert]

One corner of my lips pulls up in a half smile at his abruptness. "Cutting to the quick, I see." I lean back in my chair and my little smile drops like a bag of cement. "First, Why is Elena so interesting? She's beautiful, yes, but there are other girl's in this god-forsaken town that are too. Why Elena? Is it her blood? Have you tasted it, Damon? Can you not get enough?"

I've got to calm down. The skin beneath my eyes is starting to tingle with the change into vampiric state. Strong emotions always bring the monster closer to the surface. It's difficult to pick one emotion out of the snarling tangle inside my head, and I close my eyes to concentrate.

[Damon Salvatore]

I have to supress a laugh at her sudden outburst.
"Elena ooks exactly like Katherine, but thats not what really interested me once I knew she wasn't Katherine. As for her blood... I tasted it, once. I can't really remember though, I was sort of going crazy because I was dying. Werewolf bit me, not pretty. I think I answered most of your questions with that. But why are you here? You owe me the answer to at least that question." I raise one eyebrow, indicating that I really am just curious.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

"What would you like, sir?" the waitress asks, her face showing signs of strain. It was obvious that she was struggling with her words. She was gazing at Damon with glazed eyes and I pitied her immediately. If I, a vampire, found resisting his charm an effort... she had never stood a chance.

My smile fades as I consider what I can say in response to his question. I had known that this question would be asked sooner or later, and to hear it so soon tella me that I still have a way to go until he trusts me. I need his trust, I know, to get any closer to knowing what I need.

"I have an interest in seeing her, I don't need more of a reason than that." I see the defiance rise up his throat and glare at him. "What are you afraid I'll do? Kill her?" I laugh, "I won't. I promise."

[Damon Salvatore]

"Just go get me something!" I half snarled at the waitress. It was very much on purpose, and not because she had done anything wrong. I was very, very irritated by the fact Suzanna wasn't being honest. Yet to her it really must seem like I'm irritated that the girl didn't just go get me something.
The moment she was gone, I took a breath as if to calm myself, but I was still very irritated by suzanna.
"Oh, yes. Of course!" I exlaim with the theatrics way overdone. In a normal way I continue. "Everyone has an interest in seeing Elena, so well, basically... Yes, you do need more of a reason. Since otherwise, practically the whole world would have seen her by now."
I sigh once. "Speek up, or I'll definetely tell her about you." I don't kow where that exactly came from, but it felt right saying it. Plus, I actually agree to it. I will tell Elena unless I'm a 100% sure about what Suzanna wants.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

"Okay, okay. I get it that you want to make sure of my intentions first - it's understandable. For all you know I might be a psycho..." I shrug, flashing you my most dazzling smile. "No," I say more seriously this time, "I swear my intentions are friendly. I din't want to start a fued between us. Please, Damon, let me return to my home--here." I flutter my eyelashes.

[Damon Salvatore]

I sigh now, this woman is definetely psycho, then again, aren't we all?
"I understand if you don't want to tell me ecactly why you're here, can you just tell me that you're not going to hurt anyone?" I ask in all seriousness. Wow, I sure as hell changed a lot.
"Ohh, dont just tell me that, mean it." I add after a brief pause. Let's see if I'll believe you. I think to myself.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

I feel almost giddy, as I think of the most creative way to reply. Should I wind him up further? I don't know, he looks a bit unstable. I figure that I might as well humour him until an idea comes to me.

"How about this: I promise, with my still black heart, that I will not so much as lay a finger on any of the little human's in this town? Would that be enough to satisfy you?" It's not the same thing, I know, but I have to keep my options open

[Damon Salvatore]

I rolled my eyes at the words she said.
"You seriously think that I would fall for that one? A. most people I wouldn't want you to touch aren't vampires. B. Did you think I really would believe you at all?" The words came out in all seriousness, but inside I was freakin' raging angry. She was definitely getting on my nerves Not a good thing.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

"And if I did, then what? I never figured you as a lover of humans, but what do I know? Maybe it's popular nowadays, I don't know or care. You must know how important it is to vary your diet, and this little town is different enough for me now." I smile wryly. "Ok, so maybe I used my relation to Elena as more of an excuse than a motivation for coming here, but I can already tell this is where I want to be. This place is practically vibrating with power, Damon, I couldn't resist." I smile at him, showing all my teeth.

[Damon Salvatore]

I got up, ready to leave. I was tired of this conversation.
"Compell yourself some blood bags or drink some of anyone in town. I don't care. Just be warned, more people in this town know than you think, and you'll be lucky if you find someone without vervain in their system. Just know, if you get vervain in your system and weaken, and I find you, you'll be dead."
I turned around and walked away from the table.
"Good luck with surviving, Suzanna. If you're going to drink from humans here, you'll need it."
With those words, which I knew she heard, I walked out of the range where I'd be able to hear her.

[Suzanna Gilbert]

"Bless him," I murmur under my breath. Another waitress approaches the table and I tell her I want a large glass of Vodka, no cola. It seems that things might become more complicated than I imagined. It's a shame we don't see eye to eye though - I know for sure that he would be of use to me.

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