denielapple asked: Klaroline drabble request, newly turned/human!Caroline art curator, gushes over Klaus's anonymous paintings at the Louvre, the day he happens to stop by. hence meet cute ensues
"And what do you think of this one?"
Caroline gave a weak smile at the solicitous tone. Mention you work in the art world, and suddenly everyone wanted to judge your taste. The guy was cute enough, she supposed, and his accent was charming in small doses. Though she was all for a vacation fling while she museum crawled her way through Paris, she didn't think Philippe was ripe for anything more than a quick nip and sip in the alley. Feeding abroad could be a bit tricky, but she'd managed to find plenty of willing gentleman happy to follow her to a dark corner.
Just the thought of blood left her salivating to distraction. Oh, she was hungry. "Um, right," she coughed, attempting to ignore her craving and keep Philippe on the hook. Turning to the painting in question, her head canted on instinct. "Did they hang it upside down?"
Philippe sputtered next to her, deeply offended. "It's the Louvre, mon ange, I doubt they would do such a thing."
"Actually, the lady is correct." More than the British lilt or the gentle tease in the new voice, Caroline could feel the power radiating off the man sidling up to join them. Her body moved unconsciously to accommodate his presence, her breathing shallow. Fight or flight? Finally letting herself look at him, she felt frozen instead between two realizations.
He was beautiful. He was dangerous.
Smirking, he gave a small nod before glancing to her shadow. "The painting was originally conceived to be displayed in the inverse, but a curator back in the eighties decided to include it in an experimental exhibition to give viewers a new perspective. Hence the visceral impression of something wrong."
Her mouth opened, only to shut again. He spoke with an authority she didn't understand, but figured came with age. Worse, she didn't think he meant the nineteen eighties. How old was he? "I thought the painter was unknown, a last minute addition to the original collection," she said, fishing for information while showing off a bit of her own.
"Indeed," the stranger answered with that insufferable smirk again. "Something of a family legend, I'm afraid."
It might have been a minute or an hour they stared at each other, silently willing the other to break first. Philippe must have gotten the hint and made himself scarce, and Caroline wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved. "You scared off my date."
A dimple appeared. "Your date or your lunch?"
Biting her lip, she offered her hand. "I'm Caroline."
"Klaus," he replied, easily bringing her knuckles to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you, love."