( Her alter ego didn't appreciate her Fluid. And by the time Elena became herself again, she'd been swept up in a monster movie, caught up with strangers, and working on surviving a boat sinking. It does take hours like she remembers, so she's able to help out who she can. Someone insists she make it into a lifeboat and she does. She doesn't recognize anyone in it, but that doesn't mean they don't matter. It made sense to stay in a lifeboat in case someone needed something.
Like her blood.
The lifeboat docks by a lighthouse. Since they can't go back, they move forward. Elena tries to find familiar faces but she can't help but get caught up in the religious imagery. The tunnel goes on forever until it doesn't.
It's on the train she finally remember she has a Fluid. She hears the first beep, pulls out her phone and then -- all the other messages come in. She's not sure when she got them.
Immediately, she smiles, because Caroline is reaching out and because Caroline is safe. )
HEY. Remember that it takes more than a few seconds to draft and send a text, or do you not remember the morning you invited me over to go over texting etiquette when things were getting serious with Matt? And, if you can't all ready tell, I am okay. I made it off the ship and I was not eaten by Godzilla. Except, our lifeboats didn't lead back to Deerington, it led to this lighthouse and then we went down and now I'm on a train. And this dream just never stops getting stranger. Are you in another train car? Or. Are you back in Deerington?
[ make that a no, elena, she's not on the train. she is, in fact, back in deerington. she's not sure which is better. ]
i went through one of the doors in the lighthouse and i wound up in the slush outside a pizza place on main street. are you sure you can't come back? i could really use some patented gilbert family hot chocolate today.
[ or every day for the rest of her life because she did Bad Things and she's going to drown in a sea of guilt any day now. ]
( Elena doesn't blame her for anything, but Elena doesn't know where this train is going. )
Really, my hot chocolate? You don't miss my chili? Maybe the train is taking us back to Deerington. No one here knows.
( Maybe the train could stop and keep going. Or, she could find a conductor. )
What I'm going to focus on is you're safe and not sinking with the Titanic. And, you're you again. And I'm me. Still in this giant dress. Is Stefan with you?
( It hurts, but it would hurt more to keep not speaking. He's reaching out. )
And kicking. In an underwater city now. And Caroline and Stefan are back in Deerington. Don't tell me, you also found a door in the tunnel under the lighthouse and I'm the odd vampire out this time.
nope. like you, i'm stuck under the sea. just waiting for ursula and king triton to make an appearance next. i heard the ship sank because of godzilla.
( Some time between the sinking ship and really settling into the abandoned underwater station, Elena found her humor again. She's evolved from pre-medical, to para-medical - thanks, Alaric! - to Buffy, just to be cheeky. And maybe to a slight nod from a Damon approved comment once upon a time. Get it, people. She's a vampire. Ask her how!
She spoke to Caroline, and in a lot of ways it was like nothing had changed. Like her mother hadn't died and she hadn't turned her humanity off. Like the three of them hadn't been completely other people for the better part of a month. Caroline said Stefan was safe and for the first time, Elena wasn't the one to reach out.
Stefan does and she looks down. She still smiles knowing he's okay. The alternate her was fascinated, and afraid of Stefan. She'd revered him because she believed (maybe rightfully) that he'd changed her. And then she'd become herself again and she'd tried to help and he had none of it. She'd dealt with that version of him before, but that version had no real context to their relationship. And though she threw back at him some vitriol (sorry, Stefan!) she know he'd have to be okay and there were others in danger. She has her part to apologize for as well. )
It's probably too much to ask that for one day, you, me, Caroline, Damon, that we don't ask that, that we're not so concerned for all of our well being that we don't have to.
But, let's be honest. That's one thing Dreaming here has in common with Mystic Falls.
Am I okay. I'm alive. But, what makes me a vampire, that power, it's diminished. Damon still has his perks, but I've been cut off. My hearing comes and goes which is not fun, but, I'm okay. Caroline said you two are back in Deerington? I'm in this underwater city called Rapture.
( he can work with alive. hearing that she's not at full strength and in some strange place is worrisome but she's a survivor. she can get through this. )
Yeah, I'm back in town. Caroline's here too. I don't know why we didn't end up where you are. You're with Damon, then?
[ out of all the scoobies, if katherine needs help, it's stefan who is #1 on her speed dial. considering stefan is out of action and isn't the place she left him, that means speed dial #3 might be her best bet.
although she thinks she can handle a ripper all on her own, given how he'd easily gotten under her skin, she knows she needs that stark reminder that some of the things he says and does isn't particularly real. and the best person for that job is only elena.
katherine doesn't hesitate to reach out. rather than call, she texts, just in case he's within earshot and gets wind of what she's planning. ]
Before you delete this message, it's about Stefan. I'm sure you already know he's turned into that raging asshole of a Ripper. I need your help.
( Truth be told, it didn't occur to her to reach out to Katherine.
Maybe to ask if she'd seen Damon, knowing they'd attended New Years together and that he'd spent almost all of his time there with her. It's a grudge she can't afford to hold on to, one that she separated herself from. As long as she thought of this Damon and the Damon she agreed to be human with as two different Damons, she wouldn't worry. And she wouldn't miss him. She'd accept whatever it is she could have from him. Even if that meant him being near Katherine Pierce.
Her first instinct is right. Elena wanting to delete the message. But, Elena is nothing if not a person who hears people out. And in this case, it may be a matter of keep your friends close, but enemies closer. They're not friends. But, they both love Stefan.
Her keys are in her hands, but they don't have a plan and she can't just ambush Katherine and Stefan. Katherine wants her to know something, so here she is. Ready to listen. Or, to read. )
This is me texting you back. Where's Stefan? You're with him now?
[ katherine decided her time was best spent killing townspeople involved in the equinox sacrifices than sitting around and waiting for stefan to come to. maybe it wasn't the responsible thing, but eh, she's not he's keeper. ]
But he's not that hard to find. I wanted your help in knocking him out. I can't do it on my own.
[ the last time she got through to stefan, she'd used his love for damon. given that that hasn't worked... well, katherine's ready to pay him back for how he treated her. she just needs help lassoing him. ]
[ he doesn't typically do this, usually preferring to keep his distance, but β it's been a shitty time for everyone, and maybe there's a few faces he wants to make sure are doing alright. ]
( She's going to come up with a better user name one of these days. But, she also has so many other priorities. They hadn't introduced themselves officially, save for trading names after taking care of the splicers together and since then, well, Elena had had a busy month. She's used to being the one to check in on everyone - at least in this dream. So, it's a welcome surprise when she looks down at her Fluid. )
Without trying to overshare again, I made it through the month. But, I should warn you. The question you're asking, pretty loaded.
[ with things being plenty loaded on his end, too. he never exactly expects anyone to be at their best, not in this town, but it's good to make sure people are at least alive.
if he can do anything at all, it's at least making sure people stay that way if he can help it. ]
just wanted to say
i run the actual diner here no alcohol but i keep the pot full and the food's fresh it's always open if you ever want to come by
( he probably should have done this as soon as katherine told him to do it but he hadn't. he'd locked himself away to try and get a handle on things himself and now that he felt the tiniest bit more steady, he was reaching out in the hopes that elena didn't hate him. )
you don't owe me a response but i just wanted to apologize and let you know that i'm okay right now.
( well, he was at least going out in public again. that was okay, wasn't it? )
( he catches her phone when she's in the shower, so not responding right away, that's about cleaning up after a run. vampires still have active sweat glands. but, as soon as she grabs her phone to put on some sort of music, she sees his name. she doesn't hesitate in getting back to him.she doesn't hate him. and she does owe him a response. because she's one of his closest friends besides katherine? )
You're right about me not owing you anything, because that's not how being friends works. We still are. Friends, Stefan. We need to talk about you turning it off. With Caroline, I know she made you, I know you had no choice, but you can't do that here. I know Damon is gone and that's not easy. He's your brother. But, you need to remember you're not alone in this. Promise me you're not going to forget that, and I'll think about forgiving you.
( she doesn't mean that last part at all. she hopes he can hear her tone of voice. he knows her better than anyone in town here, besides caroline. but the longer they're here in deer, the less she feels like she knows caroline. it feels like stefan is all she has back from home. but, that's in her plan for later in the week. reconnection. )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text | un: missmystic | february 1st
Date: 2020-01-29 09:24 am (UTC)actually, just kidding. ]
are you up
are you okay
elena!
are you home
ELENA!!!
ELENA GILBERT. TEXT ME BACK.
text l un: buffy
Date: 2020-01-30 01:35 am (UTC)Like her blood.
The lifeboat docks by a lighthouse. Since they can't go back, they move forward. Elena tries to find familiar faces but she can't help but get caught up in the religious imagery. The tunnel goes on forever until it doesn't.
It's on the train she finally remember she has a Fluid. She hears the first beep, pulls out her phone and then -- all the other messages come in. She's not sure when she got them.
Immediately, she smiles, because Caroline is reaching out and because Caroline is safe. )
HEY. Remember that it takes more than a few seconds to draft and send a text, or do you not remember the morning you invited me over to go over texting etiquette when things were getting serious with Matt?
And, if you can't all ready tell, I am okay. I made it off the ship and I was not eaten by Godzilla. Except, our lifeboats didn't lead back to Deerington, it led to this lighthouse and then we went down and now I'm on a train. And this dream just never stops getting stranger.
Are you in another train car?
Or.
Are you back in Deerington?
no subject
Date: 2020-01-31 04:22 am (UTC)[ make that a no, elena, she's not on the train. she is, in fact, back in deerington. she's not sure which is better. ]
i went through one of the doors in the lighthouse and i wound up in the slush outside a pizza place on main street.
are you sure you can't come back? i could really use some patented gilbert family hot chocolate today.
[ or every day for the rest of her life because she did Bad Things and she's going to drown in a sea of guilt any day now. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-01-31 04:31 am (UTC)Really, my hot chocolate? You don't miss my chili?
Maybe the train is taking us back to Deerington. No one here knows.
( Maybe the train could stop and keep going. Or, she could find a conductor. )
What I'm going to focus on is you're safe and not sinking with the Titanic. And, you're you again. And I'm me. Still in this giant dress.
Is Stefan with you?
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From:un: dickmon
Date: 2020-02-01 09:36 am (UTC)un: buffy
Date: 2020-02-02 02:24 am (UTC)And kicking. In an underwater city now. And Caroline and Stefan are back in Deerington. Don't tell me, you also found a door in the tunnel under the lighthouse and I'm the odd vampire out this time.
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Date: 2020-02-02 05:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
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From:( text | un: ssalvatore )
Date: 2020-02-04 02:16 am (UTC)Are you all right?
( he knows she's not in town which means she's got to be where everyone else is. he just hopes she gets this. )
( text | un: buffy )
Date: 2020-02-04 05:26 pm (UTC)She spoke to Caroline, and in a lot of ways it was like nothing had changed. Like her mother hadn't died and she hadn't turned her humanity off. Like the three of them hadn't been completely other people for the better part of a month. Caroline said Stefan was safe and for the first time, Elena wasn't the one to reach out.
Stefan does and she looks down. She still smiles knowing he's okay. The alternate her was fascinated, and afraid of Stefan. She'd revered him because she believed (maybe rightfully) that he'd changed her. And then she'd become herself again and she'd tried to help and he had none of it. She'd dealt with that version of him before, but that version had no real context to their relationship. And though she threw back at him some vitriol (sorry, Stefan!) she know he'd have to be okay and there were others in danger. She has her part to apologize for as well. )
It's probably too much to ask that for one day, you, me, Caroline, Damon, that we don't ask that, that we're not so concerned for all of our well being that we don't have to.
But, let's be honest. That's one thing Dreaming here has in common with Mystic Falls.
Am I okay. I'm alive. But, what makes me a vampire, that power, it's diminished. Damon still has his perks, but I've been cut off. My hearing comes and goes which is not fun, but, I'm okay. Caroline said you two are back in Deerington? I'm in this underwater city called Rapture.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-04 06:03 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm back in town. Caroline's here too. I don't know why we didn't end up where you are. You're with Damon, then?
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From:text | un: katherine
Date: 2020-03-15 09:00 pm (UTC)although she thinks she can handle a ripper all on her own, given how he'd easily gotten under her skin, she knows she needs that stark reminder that some of the things he says and does isn't particularly real. and the best person for that job is only elena.
katherine doesn't hesitate to reach out. rather than call, she texts, just in case he's within earshot and gets wind of what she's planning. ]
Before you delete this message, it's about Stefan. I'm sure you already know he's turned into that raging asshole of a Ripper. I need your help.
Don't call me back, text me.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-15 09:10 pm (UTC)Maybe to ask if she'd seen Damon, knowing they'd attended New Years together and that he'd spent almost all of his time there with her. It's a grudge she can't afford to hold on to, one that she separated herself from. As long as she thought of this Damon and the Damon she agreed to be human with as two different Damons, she wouldn't worry. And she wouldn't miss him. She'd accept whatever it is she could have from him. Even if that meant him being near Katherine Pierce.
Her first instinct is right. Elena wanting to delete the message. But, Elena is nothing if not a person who hears people out. And in this case, it may be a matter of keep your friends close, but enemies closer. They're not friends. But, they both love Stefan.
Her keys are in her hands, but they don't have a plan and she can't just ambush Katherine and Stefan. Katherine wants her to know something, so here she is. Ready to listen. Or, to read. )
This is me texting you back. Where's Stefan? You're with him now?
no subject
Date: 2020-03-15 09:36 pm (UTC)[ katherine decided her time was best spent killing townspeople involved in the equinox sacrifices than sitting around and waiting for stefan to come to. maybe it wasn't the responsible thing, but eh, she's not he's keeper. ]
But he's not that hard to find. I wanted your help in knocking him out. I can't do it on my own.
[ the last time she got through to stefan, she'd used his love for damon. given that that hasn't worked... well, katherine's ready to pay him back for how he treated her. she just needs help lassoing him. ]
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From:text; un: castle
Date: 2020-03-28 02:50 pm (UTC)hey
just checking in
seeing how you're holding up
text β un: premed
Date: 2020-03-28 11:31 pm (UTC)Without trying to overshare again, I made it through the month. But, I should warn you. The question you're asking, pretty loaded.
Are you doing okay?
no subject
Date: 2020-03-29 02:52 pm (UTC)it kind of runs both ways
[ with things being plenty loaded on his end, too. he never exactly expects anyone to be at their best, not in this town, but it's good to make sure people are at least alive.
if he can do anything at all, it's at least making sure people stay that way if he can help it. ]
just wanted to say
i run the actual diner here
no alcohol but i keep the pot full and the food's fresh
it's always open if you ever want to come by
or if you're ever looking for someplace safe
[ if she's ever in trouble. ]
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From:( text: un: ssalvatore )
Date: 2020-04-01 02:26 pm (UTC)you don't owe me a response but i just wanted to apologize and let you know that i'm okay right now.
( well, he was at least going out in public again. that was okay, wasn't it? )
text β un: premed
Date: 2020-04-01 04:09 pm (UTC)besides katherine? )You're right about me not owing you anything, because that's not how being friends works. We still are. Friends, Stefan. We need to talk about you turning it off. With Caroline, I know she made you, I know you had no choice, but you can't do that here. I know Damon is gone and that's not easy. He's your brother. But, you need to remember you're not alone in this. Promise me you're not going to forget that, and I'll think about forgiving you.
( she doesn't mean that last part at all. she hopes he can hear her tone of voice. he knows her better than anyone in town here, besides caroline. but the longer they're here in deer, the less she feels like she knows caroline. it feels like stefan is all she has back from home. but, that's in her plan for later in the week. reconnection. )
no subject
Date: 2020-04-01 05:14 pm (UTC)( he trails off and sighs to himself. )
i didn't want to deal with it. i know that's not an excuse but i just didn't want to deal with it.
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From:text, un:harrington, misfiiiire
Date: 2020-04-06 09:50 pm (UTC)madonna or molly ringwald
no subject
Date: 2020-04-07 01:08 am (UTC)What was the other one?
no subject
Date: 2020-04-07 01:10 am (UTC)and i'd go for molly too
the one i sent you like five minutes ago? rob lowe or george michael???
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From:text; un: bacondonut (misfire)
Date: 2020-04-07 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-04-07 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-04-07 08:40 pm (UTC)[ turns out not having demons to hunt on the regular makes a girl start to itch for a way to get some of that pent-up aggression out. who knew?
only she may not necessarily have had elena in mind when she texted in the first place. ]
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