"It's pathetic really, how tiny you live." Kol comments while looking less than impressed at the cracks in Eloise's wall. He should have tried to compel her again, but she had kept her mouth shut so far. Besides that, he could always kill her later if she became a problem.

Eloise bites back a scoff, at least Elijah had been so kind as to not comment on her rather dismal living situation. Her landlady had been postponing renovations for over half a year and Eloise felt bad whenever she bothered the woman so she had just accepted it. "Thank you for criticizing my lifestyle, but we can't all be rich vampires."

Eloise was seated on the living room couch while Kol was carefully examining every single thing in her living room, pausing now and then to scoff or huff. He was not very impressed with her belongings and interior design. Kol had given her a vague summary of his becoming of a vampire and she was astounded that he was supposedly a thousand years old. She had expected a thousand-year-old to be incredibly dull, stuffy, and at least well mannered but Kol was pretty much a teenager with homicidal tendencies, not that she would tell him that.

"You could be. One snap of the neck..." Kol looks over his shoulder at Eloise, catching the slight pull of her lips. She didn't seem to like that prospect. Odd, he had heard vampires were now a trend. People wanted to be vampires and live a vampire romance, but Eloise apparently did not participate in this trend.

"No thank you." Eloise shakes her head a little, not believing her ability to bear Kol's presence for so long. She ought to kick him out, but she wasn't sure how the vampire would react to that, besides that it was nice to have someone else with her, even if it was a murderous vampire. She thinks back to Elijah, seated on her couch. He had somehow looked at home on her couch with Bowie on his lap. She hoped dearly Kol would keep her alive long enough so she could go on her date with Elijah.

"Yes, I suppose it would be best... My brothers would be furious, although that would only add to my fun..." Kol takes on a ponderous expression, calculating the benefits of this idea.

"Why would they be angry? They don't even know me." Eloise asks, wanting to halt Kol's train of thought. The last thing she wanted was for Kol to snap her neck just to aggravate his siblings. She wonders briefly who these brothers were exactly, only having met Niklaus, but decides it might be better to not know. Ignorance is bliss.

"They are intent on keeping a low profile, for some reason they feel the need to settle in this boring little town." Kol sighs before dramatically flopping himself down on one of Eloise's chairs.

"Low profile? You and... Niklaus killed two people on the night we met." Eloise reminds him carefully.

"Collateral damage." Kol shrugs, not caring to tell Eloise of the crimes the two men of the alley had committed against their family, there was no need to go into detail.

"Do all vampires pay their victims a house visit?" Eloise asks mildly, changing the subject. She did not like how Kol could speak so easily of the human life he took.

"Only the pretty ones." Kol winks at Eloise, who quickly averts her gaze. He riled her up, something he relished. It had been a while since he had a conversation with a human who he didn't plan on killing right away and it was interesting, to say the least. She was clearly intimidated by him, as she should, but she was also witty and a good conversationalist. Qualities one of his elder brothers would surely appreciate, perhaps Finn. The dullard could use a chatting buddy.

"I am flattered." Eloise deadpans.

"As you should be, a vampire only compliments the very best mortals. Besides that, I really wanted to meet this life-saving dog of yours." Kol grins, having seen Eloise's annoyed expression upon seeing Bowie's traitorous behavior.

• • •

"You're trying to kick me out." Kol accuses, a smirk playing at his lips. The human had entertained him for the past three hours and oddly enough he had enjoyed himself. Eloise wasn't as infuriating as the ladies back in the 1800's.

Eloise was currently trying to close the door on Kol, he had put his hand against the woodwork, not willing to give in so easily. If he had wanted, he could have easily forced the door back open, but he liked to play along for her sake.

"Well, I have school tomorrow." Eloise replies, giving Kol a pointed look. She didn't know what vampires did all day and she didn't want to know, it was probably murder-related.

"Ah yes, the high school teacher." Kol grins as an idea forms in his head. "Perhaps I should enroll." His grin broadens when he sees Eloise's grimace, she wasn't very well at hiding her true feelings. Unlike his sister, Kol had no desire to attend the hell that was high school, but provoking the young thing did make the prospect more appealing.

"Perhaps not." Eloise blurts out without thinking. It was a miracle that Kol hadn't bit her head off with all the thoughtless remarks she'd made.

"You wound me, Eloise." Kol feigns indignation by placing his free hand on his chest, a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Seems only fair." Eloise mumbles, hand absentmindedly stroking her throat.

Kol narrows his eyes at the girl before another grin makes its way to his face. It had been a while since anyone dared to speak to him like this and he actually enjoyed it. "You are walking on thin ice, darling... but I like it. See you soon, Ellie." With a last wink, Kol turns around and speeds off.

Eloise lets out a long sigh as she closes the door behind Kol, so very relieved to have survived the visit. Kol was good company when he didn't try to eat her, but his mood swings were dangerous and kept her on her toes. "Vampires... it had to be vampires."

• • •

"No."

"Yes."

"No way, there is no such thing as a curse on the decade dances." Eloise laughs loudly. It was Friday evening, which meant drinks in the Grill. They had been discussing the decade dance which would be held in a few weeks, something Eloise was looking forward to. She had never gone to her own high school dances so she was eager for a do-over.

"Yes, there is. Anytime I have gone something bad had happened, which I think is enough reason for you to sit this one out." Alaric retorts, remembering full well how at one of those dances Niklaus had taken his body over. He shudders involuntarily at the memory.

"Are you seriously trying to keep me from coming to a high school dance?" Eloise narrows her eyes at her friend. "Yeah, not happening, Ric. After making my students suffer through Fitzgerald, Woolf, and Kafka I am not sitting this one out."

"It will suck. We can hang out and drink instead of going?" Alaric tries as a last resort. He really believed it to be best to not accidentally drag his friend into supernatural drama.

His eyes go to the bar for a second, glaring at Damon's back before focussing back on Eloise. He knew Damon was listening in on their conversation and he would be sure to punch the vampire later. According to Eloise, the vampire had behaved well, but that didn't sound like Damon to him.

Eloise groans, Alaric could be such an overprotective mother hen if he wanted to be. "We can drink and hang out after the party, how about that?"

"Ellie." Alaric whines, toying with the cardboard coaster.

"Ric." Eloise mocks, grinning at Alaric's tortured expression. She didn't understand the big deal. If the dance was safe for hundreds of teenagers, surely she should be fine as well.

"Fine, you can come." Alaric agrees reluctantly while rolling his eyes. Eloise was right, she was a grown woman and he was not able to hold her back if she wanted to go. But the thought of having to protect Eloise along with Elena and Jeremy worried him.

"It is not like I needed your permission in the first place." Eloise points out in a matter-of-fact tone. She grins upon seeing Alaric's eye roll.

"I will chaperone you." Alaric mutters decidedly.

"No, we are chaperoning the kids, not each other." Eloise grumbles, growing a little annoyed with Alaric's overbearing protectiveness. She had survived a visit from Kol last night, surely she could get through a decade dance unscathed. "Now shut up and let me beat you at darts again."