driftfleet | 01 | action + video

Entry tags:

01 | action + video

Who: Stefan Salvatore and YOU!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Paisley
When: Following the shuffle!

[action]

[Instant teleportation sucks. Especially when it's too quick for him to process - and then bam! He's... somewhere. Somewhere that's throwing confetti into his face and playing loud, welcoming music?

He nearly stumbles back into the wall, instead regaining his bearings in time to take a look around the ship. Stefan's step is hesitant as he grips his messenger bag tight and explores various places. While he's not exactly stealthy, he's not trying to intrude on anyone either.

In the end, he's settled down in the med lab, inspecting the equipment and trying to discern what's different from the hospitals and labs he's worked in back home - it's not what he's expected, but he could get used to it.]

[video]

[Stefan had held off on announcing his presence via communicator - partially because it wasn't the Network, and partially because they're recording him 24/7 anyways. Does he really need to give the NSA (or whatever this universe's version of the NSA) more fuel for their potentially Islamophobic fire?

Once he's holed himself up in the med lab, he fiddles with the communicator until he's found the video function--]

The longer I'm here, the more I wonder about people's - various species? - taste in television. [He smiles, though it's thin.] Or our showrunners' definition of "informed consent." Doesn't seem like anyone here remembers signing those NDA's.

I... well, this is kind of a weird question, but does anyone know what direction the sun's in? Or how I'd find out what direction the sun's in? It's pretty important. [More than important - it's necessary for his prayers, though he knows better than to voice that out loud.]

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[Elena's not entirely sure how to interpret his surprise at seeing her. She expected some because he probably thought he was the only person from Mystic Falls here, but there's a weight to it that feels...off and she can't quite put her finger on it. Or maybe it's just not what she was expecting. Even with as much as Stefan and Elena have put behind them and moved forward from, it's hard to know how Stefan will react or respond which at times bothers her since he was the only stable piece of her life at a very important time. And at other times, it catches her completely off-guard because she hasn't thought of it in a while.]

[She draws a breath to ground herself and brushes it off. It's nothing. Probably.]

Yeah. You, too. [She smiles, faintly.] How long have you been here?

A couple of days? Something like that. [If the communicator's time-keeping mechanisms aren't lying to him, anyways. Honestly, it doesn't feel like two whole days - though, he supposes that's the beauty of outer space. Time keeps slipping through his fingers.] What about you? How long've you been around?

[If he focuses on the small talk, rather than the thought that he's speaking to Elena, maybe it won't feel so weird. After all, she was a large part of his Echoes - just as much as Damon was - and she meant so, so much to Salvatore.

Maybe he could focus on the pieces of his past life's memory and pretend, for her sake, that nothing's changed.]

[She has to think about it, pushing aside the date that it had been in Mystic Falls to the vague date this place kept track of. It's hard to think of days when you're stuck relying purely upon sleep-wake cycles and who knows if those even match with the correct hours anymore being out in space and all.]

Almost a month. [How it's been that long, she doesn't know.] I guess someone already filled you in about everything here?

A few, yeah. I've gotten the basic gist of what's going on - but I wouldn't mind a refresher. [He means it too. While he's heard various things over the past few days, he can trust her perspective more than some of the... characters he's seen.]

What kind of augment - I think that's the word - do you have? I've gotten one for the med bays. [If he sounds awed, he can't help it - after becoming Numbered, he didn't think he'd get the chance to heal people again, so being assigned to lab support is a dream. A dream within a nightmare but a dream nonetheless.]

[The awe is a little surprising. Not that Stefan hasn't even shown himself to want to help people (beyond just simple redemption for his Ripper days), but she's never noticed any particular pull towards the medical field to do that. Then again, it seems like she's been learning things about Stefan since the day she met them, and it makes sense. When you live well over a century, there's a lot to learn about you.]

I got the same one. I'm on the... [What was it? Oh right.] Starstruck.

[She smiles, a little sheepish, and glances down for a brief second.]

I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing though. I'm really hoping nobody ends up needing medical attention.

[It's just like her to also work in lab support. Stefan should've guessed, even though it feels so obvious now. Salvatore had abandoned his dream of medical school over a century ago, but Alesci... well, Alesci hadn't quite given up.

Stefan laughs a little, gesturing towards the augment in the back of his head. It's weird to think that they'd implanted it in him without any kind of consent - but then again, he still can't forget the string of Numbers in his head.]

I'm sure you'll do a good job. After all, you've lasted a month without anything serious. That already sounds better than Mystic Falls's track record.

[more seriously:] If you want, maybe... I could drop by your ship sometime? Help you get some more not-so-serious practice in? [He's not suggesting that he seriously injure himself, all in the name of medicine, but he - Alesci's got enough hospital volunteer experience to know the basics without an augment.]

[She does laugh about the crack at Mystic Falls, looking to the side for a moment as she brushes some hair back behind her ear. He's not at all wrong about that and it does feel a little morbid to be laughing about it. But it's one of those laugh or cry situations always when it comes to the death rate in Mystic Falls.]

[Elena's definitely beyond crying anymore.]

[She nods at his offer.]

Yeah, that would be good. [Smiling a little wider, she continues,] I'm sure my crew would really appreciate that.

But you know you don't have to come by just for that, right? [Elena shrugs a shoulder.] We can just hang out.

[Which is something that's been admittedly a little difficult since they broke up. Grieving road trips out of town aside, it's been a little complicated trying to find their footing with one another. But difficult doesn't mean impossible and it also doesn't mean Elena's willing to give up either.]

[Her offer was an olive branch if he ever saw one. Stefan doesn't remember the details of why they broke up, just that they did and it made everything so much more complicated. Even if this isn't Earth, maybe he could Echo the reasons back.

He's not counting on a sudden memory regain, though.] Sure. I'd like that too.

[Stefan's almost certain that he's grinning, so he tries to hide it with his hand as he scoots back in his seat. The effort's very much in vain.] Once I figure out how to get there. I'm over on the Paisley - I think there's a way to connect us by the bridge?

I know I don't have to see you now. [He should theoretically settle in, and at least familiarize himself with the ship some more.] But I don't think I have much to catch you up on, concerning stuff back home.

[It's a little hard for Elena to know what to do with the the smile Stefan is wearing. She recognizes the very real possibility that she is reading too much into it, but it has been a very long time since she's seen him smile like that. And not just smile like that, but smile like that at her. She purses her lips a little, but not with a frown. Instead, it's a smile that became a little more nervous along the way. Elena hopes he doesn't notice or that he just writes it off as nothing major, just nervous about what she might have missed back home.]

[In the end, it's just good to see Stefan smile. She didn't think he could, wasn't sure he would want to after he lost his brother. And yeah, Damon was an awful person. He hurt people and was selfish. But he was still family to Stefan. Elena can't fault Stefan for feeling that sad about losing him. She's just glad to see it hasn't consumed him. Family or not, that's not a person worth mourning or losing that much to.]

God, I hope not. [A beat. This is probably a conversation they should be having in person, but she's already starting to commit to it.]]I was worried about you, Stefan. I should have reached out to you, but I was so worried about Caroline. And Jeremy. [She sighs a little, her smile a touch dimmer before it fades. What else is new?] You know, I didn't realize how much I missed Bonnie until I got here? I don't think I had a chance to miss her until I ended up here.

[Had he said something wrong? Stefan's brows furrow ever-so-slightly as he mentally goes back over his words. He'd wanted to see her - was that bad? Ex-boyfriends shouldn't normally be so happy, right? Maybe she expected the brooding, moody Stefan who feasted on chipmunks and random wildlife. Technically, that was him. He just... also wasn't the Stefan that remembered everything Elena expected him to.

Caroline and Jeremy aren't names he expected to hear; frankly, they're names he hadn't thought about since becoming Numbered. And Bonnie. Something terrible had happened to her, hadn't it? Stefan sits straighter at the mention of her name, even if he can't remember the details. There was something about the Other Side collapsing? And Bonnie and--

Damon had disappeared alongside her. No wonder Elena had seemed surprised. Stefan suddenly feels his stomach sinking: funny to remember a brother you loved desperately, only to remember him disappearing too.]

No, I should've checked up on you too. I guess, I got wrapped up in other stuff. [He must've. Not that he remembers what he did.] Uh, should we... talk about this face-to-face? I can meet you, if that'd be easier.

[She doesn't fault Stefan for needing the time away. Why wouldn't he? But she appreciates him saying something about it now all the same, unaware that he doesn't even remember what he was doing while he was mourning his brother. Elena draws a breath and holds it for a moment before nodding.]

Yeah, you're right. This isn't something-- [It's not something they should be talking about over the communicators is what she means to say, but she stops short and changes direction.] Do you know how to get here?

[No, no, he does not. Stefan barely knows his way around his own ship, let alone the rest of the Fleet.

Under normal circumstances, he'd insist that he could find his way around and get himself on board her ship - the Starstruck, right? Pride isn't the answer here, though. She's been around for a month, so maybe it's time he learnt to rely on her more.]

I think so. [He's already starting to pack up his stuff - which, in this case, is just his messenger bag.] But just in case, maybe you could give me a refresher?

[And a refresher she will provide. There's probably crazy space jargon involved that she fumbles through, but tries to avoid falling back on Little Mermaid tropes of thingamabobs and the like. Hopefully it's enough to get him there and not, like, vaporized or turned into a newt or something. Because that would be way unfortunate and she's definitely not qualified to un-vaporize people. Or de-newt them for that matter, but that is another matter altogether.]

[The point is, she walks him through it the best of her ability and is there to greet him when he does make it over. Her first impulse, quite honestly, is to throw her arms around him and hug him. But that really isn't a thing exes should do, no matter how happy and relieved she is to have a familiar face around. So, she stays firmly rooted to the spot with only turning herself back and forth slightly as though really trying to ground herself to the spot.]

Hey, you made it. I guess we'll have you walking on moons next.

[Stefan's a quick learner, thankfully - he's not entirely familiar with the space jargon, but it's enough to get him on the ship. (He remembers to thank her just before he pushes forward too.) Thank God: he wasn't really keen on becoming the next space victim.

He'd lived through something like it once. It wasn't going to be better the second time around.

Once he lays eyes on her, it takes him a moment, because she's really here, and she's so, so much more than his memories had him believe. Stefan's tempted to ignore the proper ex protocol and hug her then and there. (There's gotta be an exception for "life threatening emergencies that ended up with him getting reincarnated".) Instead of caving to his instinct, his hands cling tighter to the strap of his bag.]

Yeah. How'd that old saying go? One small step for a man, but one giant leap for our kind? [He laughs, though it's a bit forced.] Makes the stuff back home seem less crazier in comparison.

[Elena smiles, but while it does have a touch of politeness to it that isn't entirely natural. What she does genuinely smile for is that his lame sense of humor can at least be relied upon no matter where they are.]

Yeah, home is starting to sound a lot better lately, [she agrees with a small nod. She wants to say it's good to see him, but refrains. There's a small beat of silence before she points with a thumb over her shoulder, turning slightly.] C'mon, I'll show you to the lab. [Her brow furrows a little as it dawns on her.] Although it's probably in the same place as yours.

[Elena turns to lead the way regardless. At least they'll have some relative privacy there and it won't be tight quarters like her room. Relative privacy, however, is the operative phrase in that sentence. She tries not to think on it very hard, but the idea that someone is watching them while they fumble their way through being exes is hard to shake right now.]

[His sense of humor isn't lame, it's--who's he kidding, it's terrible.]

Sure. [He nods, following her to the lab. The ship's slightly different from his (for one thing, their hallways are larger), but he's not focusing on their surroundings.

Whatever he and Elena were, that was all in the past - and so they've still got a lot to work through. He's not going to complicate that with memories of Alesci's life, even if he's yearning to tell her about his siblings and the parts of his life he remembered so much more clearly. Once they're inside the lab, he allows himself to relax as he sets his bag down somewhere.]

So... I'm sorry I didn't call. Or text. Or well, anything that summer. I didn't mean to worry you. [He's fishing for details here, even if he's trying hard to not seem like it:] Were Caroline and Jeremy okay before you came here?

[Though honestly, he's struggling to remember why Jeremy would've been devastated. Something Bonnie-related, he's sure.]

[Elena shakes her head a little at his apology.]

It was your brother, Stefan. I know I didn't like Damon, but he was still your brother. I get it. Besides, [she says, glancing down briefly. There's always going to be a small pang of guilt that pushes its way out in her chest whenever she reflects back on that brief period in her life.] I think you handled losing your brother a lot better than I did mine. I don't exactly have a lot of room to complain.

[As for Caroline and Jeremy?]

I think Caroline would probably want to hear the apology out of you more than me. [Elena draws a long and deep breath that leaves in another that sounds quite close to an exasperated sigh.] She wants to get back to Mystic Falls, she wants to be able to go home. I think she's frustrated that none of the rest of us are trying as hard as she is. [After a slight beat of silence, she adds with an apologetic tone because it's not her perspective, it's Caroline's.] You least of all.

[She loves Caroline, but Caroline processes grief in a very different way than the rest of them. She digs herself in, buries herself in activity so she doesn't have to think. And when people aren't keeping up, she gets harsh and critical. Not that Elena doesn't get the desire to run away from feeling that way as much as possible, but it's still unfair of Caroline when it happens.]

And Jeremy? [Elena exhales sharply. She folds her arms, looking down at her feet and shaking her head.] He won't talk to me. He won't talk to anyone.

[She looks back up at Stefan, her eyes honest in their worry over her brother.]

I don't know what to do. It seems like everything I try just pushes him further away. And since I can't get back to Mystic Falls...

[He just uses that as his ticket to do whatever the hell he wants. Most of it self-destructive.]

[Wait, Jeremy died? For real? Stefan definitely didn't Echo that back - and for a second, guilt flashes across his face. Mystic Falls' track record was worse than he remembered. Way worse. Still, he remembers Jeremy coming back to life, so maybe the record got reset somewhere along the way.

He winces at the accusation, even if it's from Caroline's perspective.] I can't blame her. If I hadn't gotten so wrapped up in searching for a way to bring Damon back, I... [Stefan's guessing at what his Other had felt, to abandon Mystic Falls, but he's not sure he agrees with that sentiment. After all, he had defended his hometown from invaders - other-Stefan would've (should've) done the same.

He takes a breath.] I know. Once we get back, I'll talk to her. For real this time.

[Granted, he's not sure how he'll accomplish that, but the promise is a start.

Oh Jeremy... Stefan's stomach sinks upon seeing Elena's worry. He knows that feeling now - he's an older brother too. If their roles were reversed, and Olette was the one throwing her life away, Stefan wasn't sure he could reconnect with her. He'd just put his foot in his mouth, rather than trying to guide her back to the straight path.]

I'm not sure I'd know, either. [Stefan runs a hand through his hair. Jeremy's a self-destructive, but ultimately good, kid. It's not like Stefan can recite Qur'anic verse and expect the kid to listen. How'd he get Danny to move in with him, again?] But deep down, he knows you want the best for him - he just may not be ready to move on.

Matt's watching over him, right? Maybe he needs that space. Let him talk to Ric and Matt on his own time - and when we get back, I'll see if I can knock some sense into him. [He pauses, amending:] Verbally, I mean.

[It would be nice to have Stefan back, Elena thinks, the more he talks about actually coming back home. While it's true that Stefan hadn't lived in Mystic Falls for most of Elena's life, it still seems strange to think of the town being without him. She's not sure if that's just because it's just always going to be Stefan's home no matter how long he lives or because he remains important in a different way. Whichever the case may be, she has the beginning of a smile on her face.]

Yeah, I guess you're right, [she admits with a small sigh and nod.]

[He's saying the exact things she's been trying to tell herself to make things seem alright, but it's not easy. Especially when Jeremy can always hide in Mystic Falls since Elena can't cross the city line. The physical distance just exacerbates that emotional one.]

Although with the way he's acting, he might try to make it a little less verbal.

Wouldn't be the first time. ["Wouldn't be the first time a teenager's tried to lash out and punch me," he means. He wouldn't retaliate - that's not Stefan's style. Plus, he gets why Jeremy would lash out. Losing Bonnie (again) and most of his friends to that barrier would do a number of anyone's psyche, let alone Jeremy's already fragile one.

Still, there's no use dwelling on something he can't change (and may not ever be able to). If they haven't reached the lab already, Stefan's expression softens at the sight of it - and how similar it is to the one back on his ship. Figures the Fleet would even standardize the med bays.

It's the equipment for experimentation that he's especially interested in. Before he gives himself away by rushing towards them, he figures he should probably change the subject somehow.] So... did you ever figure out what you were going to major in?

Yeah, I did, [Elena says with a small smile.] Pre-med.

I don't want to follow exactly in my father's footsteps, but I don't know. [She gives a slow shrug of a shoulder.] It just felt right, you know?

[Certainly more right than being a writer like she had wanted to be for so long. Which doesn't, of course, mean that she's entirely lost that passion. It's just not her path anymore. She used to think that was because the girl she used to be died, but she's slowly come to realize that's not the case at all. She's just changed and grown up. Elena's learned to let go. In some ways, actually, she's still learning how to let go. Impermanence doesn't scare her like it used to anymore, anyway.]

[If she was following in her dad's footsteps, Stefan's now guilty of the same - Alesci's parents were surgeons, and his grandparents had worked extensively in the medical field in Jordan. Medicine's become his legacy too: he even graduated with a degree in biology.

Still, he perks up at her admission, fighting the grin tugging on his face. Medicine suits her perfectly, even if he hadn't imagined it before now.] Yeah, I think I do. You'll help a lot of people that way - back home and on the Fleet.

[She doesn't need him to watch over her anymore. It feels weird but almost freeing - maybe he can keep this up, this grand lie that nothing's changed since they were last together. Stefan finally caves into his temptation and gestures towards the lab equipment.] One of my degrees was in Biology, actually. "Ecology and Evolutionary Biology," if we're gonna be specific.

[Thank you, Princeton, for drilling that into his head for years.] Wasn't exactly planning to put it to use, but... that's how these things usually go.

[She can't help the smile at Stefan's compliment. It's a proud one, glad to know that he thinks that way of her, but she also looks sheepish as she glances down at the floor momentarily as she brushes some of her hair back out of her face. No matter their history, Elena still values Stefan's opinion of her a lot.]

Well then, it's a good thing you came prepared, [she says looking over at the lab equipment for a moment before looking at Stefan,] because I definitely don't really know where to start.

[Of course he would: in nearly every memory he has of her, she's one of the most compassionate, caring souls he had ever encountered. Their relationship may have ended, but he would still do everything in his power to help her - just as her friend this time, not her boyfriend.]

Mm... you'll get it, though, one step at a time. [His voice's light as he folds his arms.] Plus, I said I'd help you get in extra practice.

By the end of this season, I promise you'll be a full-fledged graduate of the Salvatore [well, actually, Alesci] system.

Is that so, Professor Salvatore? [she teases with a wide grin.]

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stefanged - 2015-08-04 00:26 (UTC) - Expand

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