villagelogs | 021 » WHAT GOES AROUND GHOST AROUND

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021 » WHAT GOES AROUND GHOST AROUND

characters: Elena Gilbert and funeral goers—Elijah Mikaelson, Dean Winchester and Helen Magnus.
location: The makeshift cemetery, south Mathias.
date/time: Late evening, say 6pm.
content: Overwhelmed with guilt, Elena holds a little ceremony for the spectre that she witnessed being murdered. In reality, she's holding it for herself.
warnings: Mentions of death, grief, murder.

The makeshift cemetery could use another marker.

Wrapped up in a long, thick winter coat with a patterned scarf wrapped around her neck, Elena isn't quite sure of what to make of the little gathering that's appeared for the spectre. Perhaps they think she's a little lost (they're not wrong) or perhaps they think that she's saying goodbye to someone she knows (she is). Whatever their reasons, it doesn't matter in the end. The one lesson she's learned over the last few years is that strangers or acquaintances tend to pull through for her when she least expects it.

She ensures not to kick the lantern that flickers by her side as she kneels on the snow. It soaks through her jeans and sticks to the denim, but she hardly shivers. It's with an old and worn sneaker (she couldn't find a hammer) that she hammers in the uneven, splintering plank of wood into the earth and snow. She does her best with her human strength, but it's a little on the wonky side.

There's no name on the makeshift marker. Elena had known what name she wanted to put on there, but she uses the excuse of Elijah's presence to forgo using the pen in her pocket.

Letting out an exhale, she looks at the marker. "This is for whoever you've lost that you didn't get to say goodbye to." Plucking the thick pen from her pocket, she still doesn't look up. "You can write that person's name on the wood if you want."

Elena will be when everyone's gone. She'll write two names on the wooden panel.

Jenna Sommers.
Spectre.

[ ooc: Anyone is welcome to have seen Elena determinedly gather things from the general store and abandoned houses and followed her to the cemetery. Action spam/prose welcome.

The above write-up is my top level so I'll assume anyone who tags in wants to interact with Elena. (Please note she has a Madness that means she has a fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries, ha.) That said, please feel free to top level as I imagine some of you may want to interact with one another! (Just imagine everyone coupling off to talk quietly since one big long thread with multiple people is bound to be, in the words of Beyonce, a disas-tuh.)

Any qs, you can reach me here. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Perhaps. Unless you're a very animated sleeper?

( elijah watches her, arching an eyebrow before he laughs, shaking his head. he's still not going to watch her sleep. )

I think I can find better things to do than watch you sleep. I don't think you need the creeping feeling of being watched when you're trying to rest.

( so, he'd refrain. )

[ if she was an animated sleeper, he'd know that by now. sharing one large room in the boarding house means that she's come to know his sleeping habits and he's come to learn hers. it's more intimate than she'd like to admit. ]

Is it a thing vampires do with their prey? [ her eyes are narrowed thoughtfully, even when she looks up at him. it seems like it. size them up at their most vulnerable, toy with their food without their food knowing about it… elena thinks she can understand vampires better than people. ]

Sometimes… [ she considers not saying what she wants to say, but she doubts that elijah's going to think poorly of her for it. ] Sometimes I feel like someone's watched me sleep. It's a really weird feeling.

[ unbeknownst to her, damon actually has been a creeper and watched her sleep. ]

You seem to be painting vampires with a very broad stroke, Elena. We're not all...like whomever the vampire was that has given you a bad impression.

( he won't deny that some vampires are exactly like that but some aren't. he doesn't really know which group he'd fall into. it probably changes depending on the day. )

Have you felt that while we've been here? That someone's been watching you sleep?

Haven't you?

[ she looks up at him, brow furrowed seriously. though elena's been somewhat teasing of him, she's been feeling burrowed beneath her emotions right now. what she's done this evening had been a moment of healing, but she's ripped herself wide open in order to do it. ]

Sometimes I hear whispers here. In our room, in the houses, around town...

I don't...really sleep that much so you can't feel like someone's watching you if you don't sleep.

( it's not something he recommends especially to humans. he needs sleep but not as much as others so sometimes, he'll just lay there, thinking. )

Do the whispers say anything specifically? Can you make anything out?

[ elena shakes her head, looking down at the snow. the pace feels normal even though nothing here can come close to being described as such.

she keeps her hands in her coat pockets, fingers feeling cold despite the fact they're snug in warm fabric heated by her body. ]

I still feel like people are whispering even when I'm awake.

[ which makes her sound and feel crazy. when she'd spent years feeling alone, she now wants to be able to hear nothing but the quiet. ]

( elijah nods. he's heard the whispers himself though he's done his best to try and focus elsewhere. but it's hard to do when the whispers are sometimes overwhelming. )

I know. I've heard them to. You're focusing on them, Elena.

( maybe it's that she wants to hear something from the whispers or maybe she just can't ignore them. )

Maybe we need to find something else for you to pay attention to that isn't the whispers.

[ she cracks a smile, amused. ] Are you going to go find me a walkman?

[ she arches her brow at him and shakes her head. considering this town seems so devoid of so much, she thinks the whispers are meant to be heard. maybe they'll tell her something. maybe they're actually waiting to be heard. ]

You're the one with the good hearing. Have you heard them say anything?

( he pauses and, after a moment, shakes his head. the whispers have all been very incoherent and run together. if he thinks he makes out a word, it's just one word and he can't get anything else. )

Nothing useful. And are walkmans even still a thing? I haven't seen anyone with a walkman in years.

( phones and all their little gadgets seem to be the biggest thing when it comes to personal entertainment. )

I always preferred vinyl for my music. Much more beautiful.

[ believe it or not, elena picked a walkman believing that would be something he'd at least be familiar with (and possibly use). ]

Do you always do that?

[ she looks at him, brow arched. trying to read his face is difficult, as it's always been. despite how open he comes off as being, elijah is still a very difficult book to read. he's a book she sometimes thinks she can't even open. ]

Redirect the conversation when it's about something supernatural.

[ not that she minds. these little tidbits about who he is happen to be interesting... but she can't help but ask. ]

Were we not discussing walkmans?

( that had been one of the things they'd been discussing, at least. he shrugs because he knows there'd been other things in there.

and while he doesn't think he's brushing them off, he's trying to direct her thoughts elsewhere. )

I'm not trying to redirect the conversation, Elena. Merely picking things you've mentioned to talk more about.

( that weren't supernatural things. )

[ with a smile, ] Which is redirecting the conversation.

[ she's hardly offended by him doing so. she didn't really picture elijah to be the type, but then again, she hardly knows him. it's a nice tidbit she can keep to herself.

looking down at the ground with an amused smile, she looks up at him again. ]

Did you use a walkman when they were cool?

No.

( can she really picture him using a walkman? if he wants to listen to music, he'll use a record player like any other sane person. )

Elena, are we really going to discuss musical implements? I'm asking about you and not about music.

( he's not leaving until she tells him what's wrong. )

You asked about me and I answered you.

[ by redirecting the conversation, but considering he's not calling her out, she doesn't have to feel guilty for being a hypocrite.

brushing her hair with both hands behind her ears, she looks at him as calmly and nonchalantly as ever. it's almost like she hadn't figuratively buried her aunt. ]

I pay attention to a lot of things in this town.

I know you do. Right now, my focus is on you and your continued inability to admit that something's wrong.

( he doesn't want to get angry but she's starting to irritate him. if she's injured and she needs help, he wants to give her that. )

I'm asking you to be honest with me.

( after a moment, he adds: ) Please.

[ people often ask her if she's okay, but they never really want to know. she knows it's not caroline's fault or bonnie's fault. it's not even jeremy's fault for not wanting to open that wound. if she's not okay, then they'll feel compelled to fix it, but there's no fixing how she feels.

elena keeps her hands in her pockets as they walk, her feet feeling heavier against the snow that seems to want to swallow her whole. ]

Your brother killed my last relative. Damon killed Jeremy because... [ she shakes her head, feeling anger and resentment bubble to the surface. she swallows and keeps her gaze on the snow. ] Every person in my family has died, and it's because of vampires wanting to get to me. I'm not okay, Elijah, but I have to be.

[ poor soon-to-be-dead john doesn't count as a relative. ]

I understand what you're saying, Elena, but you don't always have to be all right. You don't always have to be strong. I've had to learn that...the hard way.

( especially considering recent events. he'd been unable to keep things locked up behind the red door and he'd paid the price. )

If you refuse to let people help you, Elena, then what? I'm not asking you to tell me your secrets. I just want to make sure you're not hurting.

[ he honestly sounds like stefan. but where he'd be a little gentler, elijah's more akin to a bull trying to nudge her out of the way—or perhaps in a particular direction. ]

What if I am?

[ she turns to look at him, stopping in their walk returning to town. she lifts her shoulders, hands curled into the pockets of her coat. she wants to turn around and walk very, very fast, but her feet stay planted in the snow as if it's locked her in place. ]

What if I am hurting, Elijah? I can't do anything about it while we're here. It's not going to help anyone.

You can rest. You can allow someone to look at your wound. You won't let me give you my blood so we can find someone that might be able to do something more for you.

( it's something to do for the physical side of things. it won't help the emotional. )

On the other side...

( he sighs. )

You can talk to me about it, if you would like.

[ elena keeps her gaze downcast as if the snow will melt away and reveal to her the answer to every question she's ever had. the one she wants answered is the one he won't be able to provide her a satisfying answer. where does she go from here?

keeping her gaze downcast, she lets her shoulders sink. she murmurs, ] I feel guilty that spectre died. What if it was the only way out?

[ it's all stupid to him, she knows. they don't know a lot about the spectres, the shadows, the creatures and people who are and aren't here.

but it does pose one question she doesn't want to ask. ]

What if taking its lantern means I can't leave?

I think those are very, very big leaps to make but suffice it to say, Elena, I'm not going to leave unless you do.

( meaning he wasn't going to leave her alone here. he's glad that she admitted it to him, though. it's something, it's start. )

But I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think something as major as your exit from this place is going to depend on a lantern. I know you're upset about what happened and that's okay but I think there's more to this place than that.

There's more to it that not even you understand.

[ elena doesn't pride herself on feeling deflated, but it weighs her down and makes her feet turn to lead. if elijah, one of the oldest vampires in history and one of the oldest people here doesn't know what's going on, then she knows that they're doomed. she wishes caroline's peppiness and positivity was here to cheer her up.

she removes a hand from her coat to brush her knuckles against the underside of her chin. she looks to the side, hand still beneath her chin. ]

You don't even know me. You don't have to protect me here.

[ she knows she's the doppelgänger, but surely she only needed protection and for everyone to lay their lives on the line for her when it came to klaus? ]

I'm not protecting you, Elena. I'm trying to do the right thing, something that I don't always do. You don't deserve to be here and I'm not going to leave you alone. Not because you're the doppelganger but because no one deserves that.

( maybe damon deserves it. damon definitely deserves it. )

You don't need to take all of this on your own. It's not going to work and it's only going to make you even more tired than you are.

I'm not tired. [ defiantly mumbled by the girl who is tired. why can't she just be a normal seventeen year old girl who doesn't have to worry about vampires and witches and werewolves and hybrids?

keeping her gaze downcast, she lets herself sulk for a moment. looking up at him, she glances away. she doesn't want a protector, and that's what elijah is, no matter how he slices it. he's here, protecting her because she's the doppelgänger. he's protecting her because she's the only person he knows here.

she appreciates it, but she's exhausted using this card. she can't be protected anymore. he can't protect her as there's nothing left to protect. ]

I need a friend. [ she turns to look at him but keeps her eyes away from his face. ] That's what I need. That's what's going to help me here.

I don't know if I'm very good at being anyone's friend, Elena.

( he was more the 'pick up the pieces' of the various things his brother breaks sort. he was the guy who took the heat while niklaus escaped scot free.

he sighs. )

But you seem to have made your mind up about my intentions anyway, haven't you?

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