The lost of Bonnie's magic had put everything at a standstill. Kai's previous plans to leave were thwarted as the eclipse began to cycle through its phase, the moon obscuring the entirety of the sun that shined overhead, and masking the Earth of its light before revealing it once more.
With the return of the light although partially lit, Bonnie could see her surroundings more clearly. Kai's eyeline had drifted off and away once he turned his back to her, taking slow and weary steps until he stood within the circle of light to gaze through the cave's opening up above. Kai positioned himself at an angle, making his side profile visible from where she had been. His arms had lifted so that his hands could comb through his chestnut-colored locks, only for his digits to lock at the roots once he made his way towards the back of his head. Due to the poor lighting, Bonnie was unable to see that Kai's hands were white-knuckled, gripping his hair with a might that threatened to pull strands free from his scalp. On the outside looking in, it was obvious that Kai was trying to keep his composure.
"How can your magic be gone," Kai's voice broke through the swelling silence, inquiring to no one in particular. A hypothetical question at most, one he himself couldn't comprehend.
Kai's tone was much smoother in contrast of his body language, leaving Bonnie baffled as she assumed Kai would have been sent off the rails with anger. If he had been, whatever facade he currently wore worked well.
Although the question was hypothetical, Bonnie in a way wished she could answer it herself. Magic doesn't just disappear, she thought; unless it's taken away. There was no reasonable cause; not one that she could currently think of, that is. However with the lost of her magic, it was bittersweet. While her plans were to remain here so that Kai couldn't leave, it was now set in stone. She would be here, forever..
And now that was beginning to sinking in.
She would make sure of one thing, at least. That if her being here were the case, she wouldn't dare spend an eternity with Kai Parker. Kai no longer had a use for her, so what more of a reason would he have to keep her around? If he were to kill her now, she'd be damned if she would go down without a fight.
With her head held high, she refused to wait a second longer. Bonnie strided past Kai with ease, without a word towards the exit of the cave. She was surprised that he hadn't grabbed her; made a move to stop her until his voice broke through the silence, bouncing off the walls of the cave with a meager follow up of an echo.
"Where are you going?" Kai asked, his voice sounding void of emotion.
"I'm leaving." Bonnie responded from over her shoulder, a gust of wind from outside of the cave rushing through, causing a chill of cold to pass over her. She lifted her arms to hug herself in attempt to shield her body from the cold. Behind her she could hear Kai's footsteps crunching the gravel as he followed her.
"Where to exactly?" He'd caughten up to her quickly, adjusting the strap of the backpack that he'd brought with him along his shoulder.
"Your guess is better than my own."
"Yeah? Then we can figure it out together."
This had Bonnie turn to look at him; searching his face to see if he had even the slightest clue in regards to how she felt about his solution. She had to set him straight. This couldn't go on any longer.
"You're not coming with me. The eclipse is over, my magic is gone, the ascendant is useless. There is no way out now. So what does that mean? That means we're stuck here. But there is no way in hell that I'll allow myself to be stuck here with you."
Bonnie hadn't even allowed Kai to respond before she turned upon her heels and continued out of the cave. Outside the sun overhead remained at its highest peak, old boughs of tall pine trees that surrounded Bonnie and Kai stretched up towards the sky while smaller branches extended further out, coated in luscious green pine leaves. Due to their thick covering the sun's natural rays were scattered, hitting the pine cone-infested forest floor with spotlights here and there. The warble of birds from tree to tree, the distinct smell of rich soil from the earth blanketed with dead and fallen leaves. There was a familiar tug here, Bonnie made a mental note of; one that with her being a witch she felt ever closer to nature than normal. If it hadn't been for the fact that Bonnie was in a hurry to get away from Kai, she would have probably wandered around the serene forest for awhile longer.
"And what good will being all by your lonesome self serve you, Bonnie?" Kai inquired. She could hear the faint crunch of leaves behind her. He was on her heels, and if there was one thing Kai infiltrated best, it was personal space.
"Well, for one I'll be much safer and not have to worry about taking another arrow to the stomach If I hurt your feelings."
"Ah-ah-ah!" Kai cut in. " Let's be clear, you didn't hurt my feelings. I don't have feelings. You betrayed me and I merely got my revenge. We've already been over this." Kai said with vague annoyance. "You keep circling around the one thing I did. I patched you up, didn't I?"
Abruptly Bonnie stopped dead in her footsteps, whirling around to face him once more after they walked some distance away from the cave. With Kai being so close behind her Bonnie practically bumped chests with him once she came to an immediate stop. It was like bumping into a brick wall; he was unmoving. At Bonnie's height, her eyeline started at his broad chest, causing her to have to crane her head up to look at him. The faint smell of sandalwood and.. -was that cinnamon?- wafted across Bonnie's nose. She tried not to let the pleasant scent cloud the agitation she currently felt towards him. Kai's lips were folded in an attempt to hide the amusement on his face, although those harbor grey eyes only exposed how entertained he must have been.
Bonnie glowered, brows in a tight knot at the center of her forehead in frustration. "I'm glad you find this amusing, Kai. I hope you still find it amusing when It starts to hit you as the day continues to loop over, and over, and over again that any chance you had of leaving? Is gone."
Slowly but surely the further Bonnie went on, the transition of Kai's once amused facial expression began to slip away; his lips in a firm line, that jaw tick of his she had come accustomed to making itself present.
For some time neither Bonnie or Kai shared another word. They only stared, eyes flickering from one to the other as if to read what either of them were thinking. Something about his gaze was so infiltrating, as if by one look he knew everything you were hiding despite how hard to tried to keep it away from him. While intimidating, Bonnie found it hard to look away.
But she didn't have to.
After some time, Kai was the first to break their silence, his eyes cutting away from hers and off into the distance behind her.
"Give me the rest of the night, at least. To look through the Grimoires - maybe find a solution for the disappearance of your magic. If there's no way to get it back, I'll let you go, unharmed."
An unsettled look rested upon her face. There was absolutely no way that Kai would actually allow her to go without even the slightest of trouble.
"And if there is?" Bonnie grilled him. "And if there is a way for me to suddenly get my magic; then what? We're back to square one? You trying to get out, us doing this over again?"
"If we do find a ticket to getting your magic back then I'll leave the choice of my leaving up to you. Perhaps by then your thoughts on me will change." Kai said with ease, dipping his hands into the pockets of the black shorts he wore.
Bonnie gave him an incredulous look. "You're lying. And even if you weren't, you're wasting your time. I'll never change my mind about you."
Kai chuckled, which brought Bonnie's eyes to narrow. It was although he knew something she hadn't. "You changed your mind about Damon. I'm willing to take my chances." Kai said confidently, moving around her to continue back through the coppice and into the direction of the Salvatore home that hadn't been too far off from here.
"Take up my offer or don't," Kai continued some ways away from her now, his voice picking up in volume so that she could hear him during his trek, even though she was following behind him. "You can either A.; stay the night, find a possible answer and get your magic and be out of this hell-hole by morning or B.; go off on your own and live alone like I did for eighteen years, and explore all the different and fun ways to kick the bucket when you've been driven stir crazy by 'me myself and I'." Kai explained with feigned enthusiasm.
This realization brought Bonnie to outwardly flinch. Here was another moment where she hated to admit, but Kai was right. While being stuck here with him was one thing, being stuck here, alone for the many years he had been and then some; she couldn't imagine. She couldn't imagine how long it would take her to break. How many years she would last, if she could even last much longer than he had before the thought of suicide came to mind. This had also brought along the question; would she come back as he did, or would her first attempt be swift and quick, and she would no longer be here? She understood the workings of a prison world little to none.
A chill ran down her spine. A strike of fear, perhaps? Bonnie had died before. Each time was cold, unwelcoming. Lonely. She didn't want to face that again.
She wanted to live; and so she had to swallow her pride.
"One night." Bonnie said suddenly, causing Kai to stop. He looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing while his gaze raked her person, lips slightly parted.
"One night. If a solution is found, I'm gone. And if it isn't? I'm still gone. As long as I'm freed from you, either way. I'd rather deal with the solitude." She said harshly, despite her previous thoughts. Albeit she was sure her words had no effect on him, seeing as Kai flashed a cheshire grin in her direction before he started up again, reaching one of his hands out towards the base of one of the many trees in the surrounding area. With enough momentum Kai sent himself spinning around the tree, keeping himself leveled to the earth beneath him while weaving between tree to tree like some child. At one of his last turns he faced her, flashing his pearly whites.
"One night is all I need." Kai winked.
With an exasperated sigh leaving Bonnie and a hint of unease from his response, she and Kai made their way back to the Salvatore establishment, with the sun overhead, and the afternoon settling in.
Thank you for you guys' patience. I apologize for the long wait. Chapter four is already finished, so be ready for another update soon.