It would greatly surprise many of Klaus' enemies to learn some of the things the feared Original Hybrid chose to do in his spare time. He certainly didn't advertise those things, of course, but it would almost be worth it to see the shock on their faces. The children in Mystic Falls chief among them.
He was quite sure what little brain power they shared between them would short circuit. As, contrary to their beliefs, he did not just sit around in his mansion all day scheming on how best to ruin their lives. Quite frankly, he had many better things to exert effort on than that.
Mikael was dead. His hybrids were a disappointment. And his family was enjoying one of their periods of uneasy truce. So, he'd left the pests back in that one pony town to scramble and panic, wondering what he was planning while he enjoyed his trip.
Kaikoura was a beautiful place after all.
Klaus blinked, taking in the figure leaning against the rails at the bow of the ship. It was a woman, blonde and long-legged and certainly not where she should be. He had chartered his own boat precisely so he didn't have to deal with pesky humans, regardless of how lovely a silhouette this one cut.
Well, he supposed he could have a free snack and then compel her away. He stepped closer, positioning himself to catch her eye after he announced his presence.
"This is a private boat, love, if you're looking for the whale watching tours, they're the next dock over."
Caroline couldn't help the silly grin she had on her face, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the gorgeous color of the water. She was so excited to see the marine life here as, according to her research, this was one of the better locales. And if it wasn't, she would simply make her way down her compiled list.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that the voice that suddenly came from behind her was quite startling.
She jumped, whirling around to apologize. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't real-"
Her voice cut off as a force hit against her mental shields and she cocked her head in surprise.
"Oh my, there was no mention of 21st century humans having telepathic abilities." Her brow furrowed, examining the sensation in her head. "No, wait, not telepathy…a mental manipulation of some kind?" She frowned at the man, staving off her anger until she heard his explanation. "Well, that's very rude of you." Understatement. "If we were on Chùnù I would have you charged with a capital offense."
Klaus blinked again.
Well, that was unexpected.
His mind raced as he processed the barrage of words the woman (?) had just spoken. It seemed incredible, but he was fairly certain he was talking to an alien. If true…Well, his trip just became many times more fascinating.
"My apologies, such a thing is not a crime here."
He watched as her expression shifted from anger to concern, as she acknowledged his words but appeared upset. Later, Klaus would claim that his explanations were to gain her trust and gather more information, but in truth he strangely wanted her to think better of him.
"My kind, vampires not humans, use it to prevent discovery. We require blood to survive which can be rather frightening to some."
Her eyes lit up, dismay replaced by bright curiosity.
She hadn't known what to feel when he revealed mental manipulation went unpunished. Anger. Disappointment. Helplessness. So many parts of the multiverse still seemed so barbaric to her. So, his explanation was a relief, protection was a reasonable use.
And then her scientific curiosity sparked.
"Wait, blood, you said? Is it the components of the blood, like the erythrocytes, leukocytes, or thrombocytes? Or are you more like the Chùwàs Ltòbòkàb?" She noticed his baffled expression. "Oh! Sorry, um the translation would be something like life drainers. Some feed on physical mediums like vital fluids, but it's secondary to the life force they get access to through such mediums."
The man (oh, she didn't even know his name! She didn't introduce herself either, did she?!) looked a bit overwhelmed by her questions, so she decided to give him a break.
"My name is Caroline by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you." She held out her hand as Earth custom dictated. He took it in his, though he flipped it to press a kiss to her knuckles, a gesture she had thought went out of fashion.
"I assure you, sweetheart, the pleasure is all mine. Please, call me Klaus."
"Klaus," she repeated, rolling the syllables across her tongue. "You don't happen to be a long-lived species by chance? It's just that I've read that hand kissing was an older custom, but you seem quite comfortable with it."
"I am, yes. Over a thousand years old, in fact. But if you don't mind me asking, love, your name is Caroline?"
A thousand? She wondered how old that was by Earth standards. She herself would be 1536 cycles soon, and she was considered quite young for her people. She shook her head, refocusing on his question, not wanting to barrage him again. How would she get any answers then if she kept overwhelming the poor man?
"Hm, yes, I quite liked the poetry of Caroline. So, I chose it for myself when I decided to visit here. Zè'àhìẑ, unfortunately, would attract a bit too much attention."
He would call her Caroline.
Quite certain he heard a few sounds in her name his own tongue would not be able to repeat.
In the distance she could just hear the spray of water from blowholes, and was reminded of her original purpose. It was a shame because she would really like to know more about Klaus' species, but it would be very rude to just invite herself along.
She sighed, glancing toward the water.
"I'm sorry again for boarding the wrong boat. I should really get going and leave you to your business."
Turning, she started to walk toward the side railing, prepared to hop back over onto the docks.
"Wait, Caroline." She looked over her shoulder, hoping he was about to ask her to stay. "You don't have to go. I know you had a fair few questions for me that I didn't get a chance to answer. And I admit I have several of my own as well."
She turned back around, beaming.
"Great!" She hurried back toward his side, tugging his arm, as she all but skipped back to her former spot.
Whales + Klaus? Perfect.
Title is "Wonder/Amazement" in Maori, a language spoken in New Zealand. Kaikoura, New Zealand is one of the best places to whale watch according to Google. Caroline's planet name came from a fantasy language generator ( ) it's super nifty. Caroline's own name translates to "strong warrior."
3/15/2020 Mini-sequel additional content below.
Klaus watched as Caroline scribbled what were apparently notes, her hand a blur as she wrote. Observing her was an odd experience truth be told, her physical presence seeming utterly human, and yet her behavior was quite foreign.
Not to mention her casual use of technology that Earth could only dream of. Like the pen she was using to write was not so much a pen as it was a multi-tool that had appeared as a bracelet on her wrist. The notes, that to him seemed to written on nothing, uploaded into virtual notebooks that only she could see, or so she had explained.
There were even tiny cameras that his keen vision could only just spot, zipping around the whales and capturing 360° footage.
What an odd day he was having. Albeit also the most fascinating one he's had in a few centuries.
Caroline finished taking down the last of her observations, absently flicking away the associated app from her HUD. She took a quick glance at the video feed, checking that quality remained high, and noticed Klaus watching her out of the corner of her eye.
Oh! She was being so rude, wasn't she? It's just she had gotten so excited recording all the things that he had told her that she ended up virtually ignoring him.
"I'm sorry!" She blurted out, whirling to face the vampire. "It wasn't my intent to be so mannerless…it's just well," she felt heat creeping across her cheeks, "you're a very fascinating being, Klaus."
A smirk tugged at his lips and she was thankful he didn't seem annoyed.
"Why thank you, love. You're rather fascinating yourself."
Her cheeks burned a bit hotter, before she pulled herself together. "I know I rather bombarded you with questions earlier. So, if you're curious I would be happy to return the favor."
Klaus felt his lips twitch, unable to consider the woman anything but adorable in that moment. Adorable and novel in that she was so willing to share knowledge when secrets were hoarded among his family and the rest of their lines, the rest of the supernatural world really.
He walked toward her as he spoke, tilting his head inquiringly at the sea. "I do have several questions, yes, but did you not come to watch the whales?"
She followed, leaning against the front railing beside him. "To study them, actually. And I am," she gestured toward one of the cameras.
His head cocked, noting how even now she was looking at him and not the water in front of them. What an odd creature, to ignore the very thing she had set out to find.
"Are you not missing out on something by letting the cameras do all the work, sweetheart?"
It was her turn to cock her head, appearing confused by his question. "No, why would I? Those cameras will provide a complete field of view, even underwater as they're fully waterproof. They also possess better optics than I do and will render more details with appropriate magnification in the footage."
He hummed. "Perhaps. But there's something to be said for the beauty of imperfection though, love." He extended his hand toward her face. "May I?" He asked, making a vague gesture between their heads.
Caroline granted her consent, unsure what Klaus wanted to show her. She froze as a series of static images flashed in her mind, obviously memories of moments Klaus had encountered Cetacea.
They were utterly useless for rigorous study, but…There was something poignant in their presentation. Klaus had clearly put a great deal of thought into which images he showed her.
As the flashes stopped, Klaus' hand slipped from her face, and Caroline turned to look, really look, out at the sea for the first time. She just caught a glimpse of a tail slipping back beneath the surface, glistening in the sunlight and trailing a cascade of water drops.
"Perhaps," she muttered as she leaned against the railing.