001 -- video; backdated to immediately post jump.

[sufferances]

[ it's obvious, from the dampness of stefan's hair and the disarry of his hair, that he's just come from the jump. there's a pause before he starts speaking, like he's not totally certain it's recording. technology, man, technology. ]

According to what I've found in the backlogs, I've been here before.

[ because of course what stefan did was sit down and do some reading. is anyone surprised? ]

The catch is, I don't remember being here before. So I suppose my point is, how common of a thing is that? Has it happened to anyone here before?

And if Mystic Falls means anything to anyone...

[ awkward pause, stefan twitches a smile, eyebrows raised, and then he cuts the connection. ]

Comments

visual »

[unparental]

...Stefan?

[ LOOK SOMEONE ELSE JENNA DOESN'T HATE you get a cookie, tq. ]

visual »

[sufferances]

[ stefan does a doubletake. there's a pause, and then stefan shifts in his seat, studies the feed intensely. ]

Jenna?

[ but jenna died. stefan had tried, he'd tried but there'd be nothing but the snap of his neck and then when he woke up she was dead.

did that mean he was dead? ]

visual » auggie locked

[unparental]

...going to guess the unspoken question there is 'how are you not really dead right now', huh?

[ see it's okay stefan, breathe dude. ]

so much action.

[effusive]

[ elena hears him before she gets the chance to see him — there were perks to being a vampire every now and then. he says he hasn't been there before, so he was new, like her. it's partially a relief, but there was the potential complication of what time he was from. did he even know she was a vampire?

she decides to approach this as slow, and humanly, as possible. the last thing she wants to do is throw him into a shock.

she's had time to get dressed, and her damp hair is tied back. ]

Means something to me.

all of the action.

[sufferances]

[ elena.

and everything else falls to the wayside immediately, because nothing is so important as her. he takes three steps forward before his expression changes, before he senses something off and he stops, looking at her and no, no, it's not possible, it isn't, he'd seen her and she was-- ]

Elena?

[ it's deadly serious, questioning, and maybe he's wrong, maybe he's still disoriented because this wasn't possible. ]

video;

[tumbleweeds]

Means a shitton to a bunch of people around here, mostly the ones who are actually from there. But I knew you.

[ Finger waggle. ]

Happens a lot more than you'd think.

video;

[sufferances]

[ this is good news. this means he wasn't on a binge, that he didn't lose the memories in a wash of blood. ]

So normal, in a way?

[ any given definition of normal, when you're a salvatore. ]

I'm sorry, I don't remember your name.

voice » locked » yep double tapping what of it.

[mathematically]

It's common enough. I know at least one person who I'm vaguely close to who has it happen.

[ haha which would be why she regrets not a single bit of locking she's doing on this oops. ]

voice » locked » you just want my inbox to suffer

[sufferances]

And now you know two.

[ jackpot, lydia. ]

video;

[lockwood]

It happens. [It happened with Elena recently, from what Tyler's heard.]

Caroline will be happy to see you back. [Him? Not so much. Not exactly Team Salvatore here.]

video;

[sufferances]

[ wow the gang's all here. ]

Back. I'm going to have to get used to that.

[ this is just awkward. ]

How many of us are here?

video ]

[typically]

[ mixed feelings, stefan. he's not smiling but he's not ready to fight the guy. he just has so many mixed feelings. ]

You're here, too?

[ nobody mentioned it. it goes without saying that mystic falls means a lot to him ]

[sufferances]

Newly arrived, depending on who you ask.

[ trying for humor and not quite managing. ]

Have you been here the whole time?

video.

[ex_question191]

Dude, dude, no, you're coming at it all wrong. It's like... being a clone, okay. It's not that you don't remember it, it's that you were never here. Or, not you-you. Or, that's what I'm telling myself.

[ because boy can he relate. ]

But that's not what I wanted to say. Do you mean uh, Mystic Falls like, the town we beat in the championship game? Because you guys suck at lacrosse.

[sufferances]

[ there's a pause while stefan parses that, and then. ]

We put more of an emphasis on football than lacrosse.

[ because that's easiest to answer. ]

You're a there-and-back-again-transplant too, I take it.

video.

[dilemma]

[ of all the ridiculous crap this floating death boat throws his way, sometimes they aren't so miserably horrendous. and sometimes they're his worst effing nightmare.

having stefan here is somewhere in between those two ends of the spectrum. the whole misery loves company thing is pretty overrated.

and yet. ]

Don't worry, no one's calling it a comeback.

[ is that contempt in his voice ooor? ]

[sufferances]

[ damon's in a mood. alright. stefan registers that and promptly disregards it because his brother looks healthier than he had when stefan had left the house, and that's the priority here. ]

Damon.

[ stefan's tone is all urgency, concern ebbing towards relief. ]

Where are you?

video »

[surrogates]

[ well ric be damned, it's stefan. ]

Stefan? [ a beat. ] I can Jenna already spoiled her distinct lack of being dead to you.

[ SOMEWHERE IN THERE IS A HI. ]

[sufferances]

[ WOW ALARIC UR SOCIAL SKILLS. ]

She knows how to roll out the welcome wagon, Alaric.

[ should they be joking about this. ]

video »

[unparental]

I'm so happy I'm going to spend the rest of what may be our very short space life together with a sensitive man, though.

[ don't mind her, stefan, just trollin' in ur trauma. ]

video;

[disparage]

[ caroline being happy post-jump was obviously foreshadowing of this very moment. seeing stefan's broody and chiselled face and hearing his i-am-way-too-serious-for-seriousness voice brings caroline absolute relief. she'd hug the communicator if it meant stefan would feel it. ]

Yeah, and you're so not going anywhere anytime soon without an entourage.

[ if you go home, she goes home, jack. all excitement aside, caroline adds as a serious afterthought he should totally feel bad about and therefore brood in his quiet little corner of the ship: ]

Or at least a goodbye.

[sufferances]

[ and he will, because true to form, even if it isn't necessarily his fault, stefan can and will blame himself. caroline is the one bright, uncomplicated thing that he's encountered thus far, which is why his kneejerk reaction is-- ]

I'm sorry.

[ not that he remembers, but still. ]

It's good to see you, Caroline.

not here;

[angerissues]

[ Mason, who has been doing his very best to keep the peace here (despite wanting to rip Damon's head off whenever he talks to him, just as payback for torturing and killing him), decides that this might not be the best thing to respond to. He kills the feed before Stefan even finishes half of his post because if he watches any more, especially with how on edge he's feeling - more so than normal, thanks jump - this won't end well.

Stefan may not have been involved in Mason's death but that doesn't mean he likes him much, especially hours before a transformation. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

I used to be here-- but far older than I am now.

[sufferances]

How do you mean, older?