Network + Action= Open

[proweird]

A C T I O N

Elena had just gotten off work after a very long shift. She'd stepped through the front door of the Gilbert house, exhaustion etched in every inch of her body. She'd been about to toe-heel her shoes off when she noticed she wasn't in Kansas Mystic Falls anymore. She'd lived there nearly her entire life and Mystic Falls, for all its charms, never had a beach, among a few other things she could point out. Exhaustion had been forgotten in favor of figuring out what the hell was going on. At first, she'd thought it was another Mystic Falls thing, or a vampire thing.

It turned out that it was a whole new thing that she'd never even known could exist. The next few days Elena spends researching this place and settling in. She drinks a lot of coffee from the bookstore and gives the clinic a thorough look over, signing up to work there (volunteer? Can it be called work if one isn't being paid or doesn't need to be paid?). She also stops in at the boxing gym and works over the punching bag for a little while, venting her frustration at being here. Finally, she does some shopping around town, ending the day on the beach with a glass of wine.

It's not until several days later that she finally approaches the N E T W O R K with a text message:

Top 5 things a new person needs to know. Go!

Comments

text;

[adamparrish]

Just 5?

- Wish magic is real. Magic in general is real.
- Don't let the sky fool you. We're in a big dome of some kind.
- Money isn't useful.
- There are people here from different worlds. Some can go home, some can't.
- For the most part, death isn't permanent.

text;

[proweird]

I'm trying to boil it down to the most important things.

A dome? Really. How do you know? Do people come back as vampires? Or is everyone here already a vampire?

text;

[adamparrish]

That makes sense. So how long have you been here?

Well, one time there was a malfunction of some kind that removed the atmosphere projection, I guess. There was a glass dome and space outside. It looked like space.

Vampires? No, I don't think anyone is a vampire. Or that they come back as them. I mean, I haven't, no. You've seen vampires?

text;

[proweird]

A few days. It's relatively new to me.

We're in a snow globe. In space. That's...one of the weirder things I've ever experienced.

Here? No, but back home...

[ It's not like she's outing anyone. There's no one from Mystic Falls here and she's not naming names. ]

text > video;

[adamparrish]

Welcome to Itinere. It's usually not so bad. Sometimes it's bad.

When you put it like that, yeah, I bet everyone can say it's one of the weirder things they've experienced.

Vampires can be real. That's good to know. It fits in here, I guess. Everything can be real.

I'm Adam.

[ Here, he'll bring up the video function so she can see him. His lips thin into an almost smile and he waves. ]

So you can put a face with a name.

Re: text > video;

[proweird]

[ Elena is actually relieved when he switches to video function. She smiles at him, a warm, friendly smile and waves back.]

Elena. It's nice to put a face with a name. Vampires can be real, at least in my world. Look at it this way, it's an adventure that very few people can say they've been on? I'm trying to put a positive spin on things.

video;

[adamparrish]

Nice to meet you, Elena.

[ Adam isn't that good with people, but having a video wall between them makes things easier. Plus, she seems and looks friendly enough. ]

Do they actually drink people's blood? Can they go out in daylight? How do you keep yourself safe from them?

[ So many questions. But Adam is like that, always learning, wanting to know things. In his world, knowledge is the most powerful thing there is. ]

Sorry, I'm... curious.

text;

[unbreakableman]

I'm guessing since you left this open on these phone things we were given that you don't mind me eavesdropping.

Re: text;

[proweird]

[ He can't see her, but she winces a little.]

It was the vampires that got your attention, wasn't it?

text;

[unbreakableman]

Yeah, that's a start. Also, I'm new too. Not all that social. Good to know what others know about this place. So vampires, huh?

text;

[proweird]

Hi, fellow newbie. I'm Elena. So far, I've found out that this place doesn't charge us to live here and that crazy things happen. Vampires. They're a thing where I'm from. You don't have them?

text;

[unbreakableman]

Luke. Crazy isn't so bad, although I wouldn't mind a little quiet now and then. Never seen a vampire if they do exist. In my world some people are gifted.

[ Or cursed, depending. ]

text;

[proweird]

I'd be on board for some peace and quiet. Gifted?
How?

text;

[unbreakableman]

I don't know. Experiments, I guess. Altered genetics. I'm not all that scientific so I don't really know how to explain it. It just is. It's not the norm, it's just the few. I know a girl with super strength. And in Hell's Kitchen there's some guy who can kick some serious ass blindfolded. And then there's the big league like Captain America, Iron Man, that big green thing - those guys.

text

[lefthandfree]

1. Don’t freak out.
2. Don’t have expectations.
3. Yes, it can be cool, but make sure to keep 1 and 2 in mind at all times, especially when crazy shit happens.
4. Making friends is Important.
5. Try to have fun, or you’re just wasting the opportunity.

text

[proweird]

This all sounds like good advice. I especially like the positivity of the last one. I'm Elena. I've only been here a few days.

sorry for the delay; life happened herp

[lefthandfree]

That one’s just a rule of life, I think. But everyone seems to forget it anyway, so it’s a good thing to include.

Name’s James. You adjusting okay? It’s definitely weird. Even as much as is isn’t. I mean, unless you came from a place that doesn’t have the same technology. Then it’s all just a crazy fever dream.

Re: sorry for the delay; life happened herp

[proweird]

I'm Elena. It's nice to meet you, James. I think so? I'm trying anyway. The technology is similar so that hasn't been a big problem. I'm more stuck on trying to wrap my mind around the wish magic

action

[stefanged]

[ The beach wasn't exactly where Stefan had expected to end up. New worlds, sure. He was familiar with the multiverse, and the idea of infinite worlds existing just within reach of each other - but the beach? Mystic Falls, for all intents and purposes, was landlocked.

Perhaps that's why he finds himself there towards sunset, holding his shoes in one hand as he lets himself feel the sand between his toes. It's unfamiliar and soothing all at once.

He would close his eyes and savor the moment, as if he would never remember it again, but then he sees her face and - ]

Elena? [ He rushes over, with zero hesitation - ] What're you doing here?

Re: action

[proweird]

[ Elena turns when Stefan says her name. There's disbelief painted across her face, but there's also a thread of hope. This place hasn't been bad so far, but it's not home and she's needed home. She nearly drops her wine glass in surprise, but as Stefan rushes over to her, she gravitates toward him, arms going out to embrace him, her head turning to rest on his shoulder. ]

Stefan?

[ Well, that didn't answer his question, but...she's a little bit in shock because he died years ago.]

action

[stefanged]

[It sure didn't, but he's certainly not complaining. He returns that hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her as if he may never get this moment again. (Because part of him feels like he sure won't.)

Quietly, like he doesn't want to disturb the moment: ] Hey.

Re: action

[proweird]

[ Funny because she hangs on the same way. If she'd just arrived here she'd think she'd died (though she's done nothing recently to put herself in that sort of position--her life is calmer now than it used to be). She takes a deep breath and basks, for a moment, in the smell and feel of him. It's a luxury she's been denied for a long time now. This is her first love and one of her best friends, a person that she has always and will always love. Stefan saved her in so many ways.

Quiet is good, but continuing to hold on is even better and that's what she's going to do. ] Hey

[ Except...except she should probably say more than that, right? It would help if she actually had words for a moment like this. She finally manages something, as ridiculous as she's sure it sounds. ] When'd you get here?

[ Like he was always going to be here even when she's not sure where here is (a snow globe in space is the most accurate she's been able to find). Somehow, Stefan manages to be a constant in her life, despite having been dead for years now. Maybe it's because he's the person she writes her journal to every night. He's always been so present in her life.]

action

[stefanged]

[ He may smell a little different, with the fragrant spices of chai sticking to his jacket, but he sure feels (and smells!) the same otherwise.

At her question, he pulls back slightly so he can get a better look. She seems older than when he left her. Maybe it's a trick of the eye, or maybe he's misremembering something. Memories are invaluable but also so easily malleable. ]

Only a couple of hours ago. [ he laughs, now taking in everything about her – ] It's good to see you again.

Re: action

[proweird]

[ The differences are there, but in the moment she's not thinking about the differences so much as she is the familiarity.

No, she's definitely older by several years than she was the last time he saw her. Her hair is shorter and there are probably a few fine lines around her eyes. It's a slight difference, but one none the less.]

I've only been here a couple of days so I don't have much on you. [ Her smile is bright and genuine.] It's so good to see you. [ She pauses a moment] Have you found your apartment yet?

[stefanged]

No. I uh - I didn't even know we got those. [ He can't quite believe it. Surely there's gotta be a catch beyond "sorry, you've been kidnapped to another universe." Free housing sounds way too good to be true. ]

If you have time, you should come help me find one. [ He pauses, ] And probably everything else. I got distracted by the water.