lifetothefullest | [IC Inbox]

[He's quiet, patient, while she thinks, and he's both curious and concerned about what she might eventually say. When she does respond, it's not with anything he would've expected but definitely intriguing nonetheless.]

I'm guessing that you mean what you remember and she remembers are different enough that it can't be explained by just being in different places?

[Because otherwise she wouldn't have brought it up, but he hasn't heard much--maybe one thing, once, and in all the other stuff going on he's not really recalling it--about the idea of people coming from different times.]

No, she explained it differently. She remembered what I remembered. But, for her, it happened eight years before.

[ Let that sink in. ]

[Yeah, give him a second. Eight years is a lot, in either direction, and he has a brief moment where he can't help but wonder what it would be like if one of his friends arrived here from either eight years in the future or the past. In the future, he likely would've been dead for eight years, and they might not believe he's really himself. Eight years in the past, they wouldn't even know who he is.

The thought is terrifying, suddenly, briefly and intensely, but he carefully tries to clear the thoughts from his mind and focus on Elena again.]

I um... I can see how that would be a shock. And a problem.

It wasn't a problem at first. It was shocking. I didn't know what to say. When we finally talked about it, it was one thing after another. When I arrived here, I had vampire blood in my system, which means, if I died within 24 hours, I'd wake up in transition. She had to tell me that, to make sure I knew. But, then she told me what happened to Klaus, that he left our town because he had a child.

[ Which she's still struggling with, an abomination of nature who made her life a living hell being granted a child by the laws of nature. Caroline being granted a child as a vampire. And learning she herself had been turned. And no mention of children from her. Not that she expected them at twenty-five. ]

That's when she told me she was twenty-five. And then, I changed the subject, because I knew she was happy about something, and she showed me her kids. She has two little girls. They're beautiful. She showed me pictures on her phone and I made the mistake of scrolling too far past those. [ Her lip drops again. ] The two vampires I mentioned before, Stefan and Damon, things are complicated with them back home. I was with Stefan. I still love Stefan, and, Caroline's with him now. Then. [ Her nose scrunches unhappy with tenses in that moment. ]

Edited 2017-06-09 02:14 (UTC)

[Lance, again, has to remind himself not to let his thoughts spiral off at the talk of having kids; he's finding it difficult to keep his professional detachment at the moment, probably because it's so late and he's tired.

But he nods, showing he understands the story so far, although he isn't sure which part in specific is the largest issue for her; there are the issues of hearing about the future, about her friend being at a suddenly different time in her life, about her enemy having a kid, about the person she loves being with someone else...]

That's a lot to take in. Are you glad to know about the future, or do you wish you didn't?

I - I don't know. I wouldn't want her to have to live with everything alone, but at the same time, knowing doesn't change anything. I'm here and not there. I haven't lived it. [ She's only heard. ] Things are apparently complicated. Caroline and I are with different people. Something else is complicated with me. [ She frowns. ] That's how she describes things with Stefan, too. With everything. Complicated.

'Complicated' is sometimes the only word that works.

[But it's surely a frustrating one, in Elena's position.]

Is there tension between you because of the time difference? Does she expect anything out of you because of it?

[He remembers Elena said their fight had been about Caroline thinking Elena wasn't having enough fun, or something like that, and wonders if it has to do with this.]

She doesn't expect anything. Her priority has always been my comfort level. [ And safety. And humanity for a time. ] I think she mothered me a lot of the time, which was different. [ She thinks back, not knowing what to say most days, to Caroline or to anyone really. Acclimating to Hadriel had been interesting considering a whole festival had followed their arrival. ] That created more tension than the time difference [ She pictures the Seven Days of Hadriel and Caroline's dress. She remembers the champagne and finally talking about the future. ] especially after the Masquerade. I had more questions than answers and she provided them. I learned too much, but, ultimately, it helped with the tension. [ Or, so she thought. ] I thought I let it go.

[He listens, trying to decide if her view on the situation is objective or coloured by other experiences that have happened before or after, because it seems at odds with the entire... Killing someone thing. But he supposes there's the event's influence to consider as well, which adds an entire extra layer of confusion to the whole situation.

But he nods, showing he understands.]

Did something change, after that?

[Because, of course, it doesn't line up with Caroline's actions, and Elena's speaking in past tense; it could simply be from it having happened in the past, or it could mean it's over with.]

Things lightened. They didn't get any less weirder, but we were able to talk about Stefan and about her life. [ Things were better. ] Things were good.

[More positives. Normally, that would be good--and it still is in some regards--but it's kind of confusing knowing what he does.]

And then the recent event happened?

Yes.

[ He reads what happens well. She spells it out, true, but he sees underneath. ]

Do you think her actions were influenced by the effects of the event?

[Because that would make the most sense, with everything else going on, although Lance's own experience with the event makes it hard to believe it would be enough to cause someone to harm their friend. But maybe there were varying degrees to it.]

Yes. I don't think any part of what Caroline did was her. [ Her mouth remains open, knowing it contradicts what she said before as she gathers what she needs to clarify. ] What she said was her, but she would never have -- It was the event.

[For most things in Hadriel, Lance can relate general ideas to things he's familiar with even when specifics are different. But the effects of events is something he's having trouble with, at least in this situation, because his instinctive reaction is to treat it like any other mind-altering effect such as drinking or addition. In that case, although understanding and sensitivity are required, a person who acts under the influence is still very responsible for what they've done.

But it seems unfair to apply that here, where the gods' influences are not brought on voluntary choices. Is it really fair to hold someone accountable for what they did when influences against their will? How much control over themselves did they really have, through no fault of their own? Does it vary depending on the event, or even on the individual person within the same event?

If something like this were to have happened at home, and Elena were to say something like that, Lance would know exactly what to say even if saying it is never exactly easy. But now he's not so sure.]

The event definitely complicates things.

[That much he can say for sure, although it's really... Not helpful.]

Have you two spoken since the event ended?

[Because if so, how that went might offer some more insight that he can use. If not, that could also say something.]

This morning, but not since then. I - can't.

[ There's too much between them. Too much time, too much conflict. Differences they can't ignore anymore. ]

[He nods at that, understanding; whether or not what happened was really Caroline's fault, keeping some distance for awhile is probably a good idea.]

That's okay. Some time and space is likely the best thing for you right now, especially since you said everything is so amplified. You found a new place to stay?

[Because she'd said she moved out, but not necessarily that she'd moved into somewhere else.]

I'm staying at a friend's. I'm not angry at her, but reconciling what happened and what we weren't saying... Hadriel was the perfect distraction from Stefan, and from Damon, but, it's like I can't distract myself anymore because the feelings are right there. And, feeling that strongly - for either of them - makes it even harder knowing that I end up with Damon and Caroline has complications with Stefan. It's not fair to her or to me.

[Lance considers all of that for several seconds, a little thrown off mostly because it seems odd that Elena has spoken so much about Stefan and Damon and so little about what actually happened between her and Caroline. Being killed by your friend seems a little more important than who's dating who in the future, vampire-amplified emotions or not.

But then again, maybe it's not to her. Or maybe she's using thing as something to focus on instead of the other issue because it's easier. Or maybe there are aspects to this story he's not aware of which makes it all completely understandable.

He wonders, briefly, about who Daisy might end up dating eight years from now, and finds the idea a little strange to imagine but not upsetting. Or at least, not upsetting for the idea of his girlfriend dating someone else; Lance knows he's probably dead, and if so then he hopes Daisy does find someone else who loves her and will help her take care of the baby. She deserves to be happy, and his son deserves a father figure in his life.

But that's a very different situation, and not one Lance wants to think about too much. So he refocuses on the matter at hand, considering what to say; he has to choose his words carefully, not wanting to insult her or make any implication that her priorities seem slightly strange, but still try to sort that out.]

Neither Damon or Stefan are here, are they?

[He'll start off with that; although he's pretty certain it's just Elena and Caroline from their world here, it's worth making absolutely sure. He also wants to see if she draws any conclusions for herself just from him asking the question.]

No, they're not here, and I know that - [ She gets what he's trying to do, but it's hard enough putting how she feels into words, much less Lance. ] I can't do anything about it. How I feel. I wasn't ready to decide, or, I knew that I would have to, but I don't get the choice here. They're not here. All I hear is what happened secondhand. [ And it frustrates her. He can probably hear that. It frustrated her less overtly, but now with layers of amplified love, including feelings for Damon she knew she had but couldn't acknowledge... Do the math. ]

[He nods a little, understanding the sentiment at least.]

Being frustrated is... Completely warranted.

[Because this situation is a mess.]

But even if you know what's going to happen for certain, and even if it's not what you wanted, you do still have a choice here. Knowing an inevitability doesn't make the time in between less important, and no matter who you end up with in the future you still have the time to sort out--if you'd like to--what you feel while here. You don't even have to come to the same conclusion as you might in the future; the you here and now is just as valid and important as the you eight years in the future.

[If that makes sense; it's not like this is a situation that he knows the exact right way to put into words. But it comes down to the fact that knowing the ending doesn't make the middle any less important, which is something that he's very aware of due to his own situation.]

And if I were me, and not Elena, the newly turned vampire, I could, but all of these feelings are just boiling over. I can't shut them off. I don't know where one feeling ends and another begins, my anger, at everything, anguish I thought I'd felt, sadness from the hardest year I've ever been through, for people I've lost, for people I learn I'm going to lose...

You're still you, vampire or not.

[Sure, he understands that changing species--especially with the side effects she's explained--is a big deal, but it doesn't suddenly make her someone else entirely.

But it makes sense that she's having trouble sorting things out, especially because of the heightened emotions, and although his original plan had been to try to find a root issue and focus on it first he thinks now there might be a better idea.

His next question might seem a little out of nowhere, but there's a point to it.]

Have you ever tried keeping a journal?

[ Through the threat of newly formed tears, she bursts out laughing.

Excuse the girl who's feeling too many emotions as she works through the latest one bubbling up. When she finally tamps her reaction down, she leans over to grab a tissue, because tears and snot and laughter are not becoming of a lady and her eyes are starting to sting. (Mostly the last reason.) ]

All my life. I hid it behind a ceramic mermaid in my room. I've tried to write in it every day. You can imagine why I took the week off under the influence of Delight and Rage.

[Laughing through tears is, of course, not entirely uncommon reaction, but it can be for many reasons and initially he's concerned he might've said something that specifically upset her. But her answer reassures him a little that it was more just a response to the question being ridiculous in a way.

But the answer itself is a good one, and he smiles sympathetically.]

Yeah, that's understandable. But okay, good, then I probably don't have to tell you it's a really good way to sort out how you feel about something, even if it might just be a confusing mess before you start writing.

[He's also kept a journal for pretty much as long as he could write, and it's been a great help to him. It's definitely useful here.]

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