driftfleet | Paisley mingle

[ His brow furrows and he drops a hand on Stefan's shoulder, giving him a light pat with a cold metal hand. Sorry, that's just his dominate hand. ]

I'm sorry to hear that. The galaxy- the world is a dangerous place.

[ A beat ]

Do you trust her?

[It's still a kind gesture, and one that Stefan needs more than anything.]

I trusted her with my life. I don't doubt that she's safe. She has my brother, after all.

[He takes a sip of the tea] It's just weird, you know? One day they're here and one day they're... not.

[ He thinks about what he would feel like if one of his closest people left, if Ahsoka or Obi-Wan had simply disappeared. ]

That's not easy. You miss her. And you'll likely be missing her for sometime.

[ Trying to lighten the mood... badly:]

Who knows, she might come back later. I'm not going to underestimate the kind of sick joke this place has in store for us.

Edited 2016-03-03 04:23 (UTC)

[Now that's a thought. Stefan lets out a laugh,] That's entirely possible. Atroma's unpredictable when it comes to who'll come and who'll stay.

I don't know if I'll ever not miss her. She was home. [Alex is home too, but a different home. She's Alesci home, while Elena was Salvatore home.] Er, it's complicated, and probably sounds weird without getting into stuff.

It's better to have them here, for how ever short or long, isn't it?

[ He's not sure who he's asking. But he kicks back in his seat. He stares at his hands for a moment. ]

I know how that is. It seems like everything here is complicated. [ He lifts his head ] You don't have to tell me, but no one else is awake and it's not like I have anything to do right now.

[He nods, taking another sip of tea. At least he made new memories with Elena - new, long-lasting ones that lived far longer than the ones he had with her at home.]

I don't mind, but... I guess I should ask. Do you believe in reincarnation? Or remembering more lives than the one you currently live?

[ He paused at that question, looking down and occasionally back at Stefan as he forms his thoughts. ]

I don't think I've ever thought about it enough to believe it.

The Jedi believe that we all become one with the Force when we die. Our sense of self disappears when that happens. That's... That's what they teach.

[He's from Vima's world? And Ahsoka's and Obi-Wan's? Stefan blinks back surprise, trying not to let it show on his face.]

Ah. I can't say Vi or Obi-Wan mentioned that, but on Earth, we usually believe that you head to the afterlife.

Except, uh - there wasn't an afterlife for me. I got reborn into someone else, so I've got two sets of memories rattling around in my head.

[ He frowns but clearly thinking about the entire possibility of afterlife, and ultimately not sure if he believes what Stefan says or wants to believe it. ]

... I can't imagine how difficult that would be. Have you always had memories that aren't your own, since you were born?

[It takes him a moment as he sifts through each memory he's regained. Some larger than others, and some more painful than the ones before them.

Quietly, like he's resigning himself to his fate,] No. I got my first memory back at sixteen, then again at twenty one, and... it kind of got worse from there.

[ He blinks, one long slow blink. He can't even ... imagine. ]

What do you mean worse? [ He scoffs. ] Having it happen more than once isn't enough?

Nope. It was constant from that point on. Everything became some kind of trigger. [He gives a helpless shrug.]

It happened a lot less back home, but ever since I landed on the Fleet, it's been like... every week?

Every week? [ He doesn't excuse himself for the reaction. ] How do you sleep?

Okay, usually.

[When you've been dealing with this for close to two years now, you get used to it.]

I mean, I don't get nightmares or anything. At most, it's restless sleep, like I'm sifting through too many memories and can't catch up.

That hurts my head just to think about.

[ And it's somewhat... familiar. He can't place it so he doesn't mention it ]

What are your... past lives like?

Actually, I only remember one life. [...] His name was Stefan Salvatore.

[Which may or may not have been the name he gave Anakin when they first met. Overidentifying with the past life much?]

He was... complicated. Guy was super smart and he acted like he had his act together, but he was barely holding it in. He wanted to be a doctor like me, but uh, stuff got in the way of that.

[ He can't picture it. Two lives in one. He tries to picture Stefan as another person but it just doesn't make sense. ]

So you have his memories, and his name?

Only some of his memories. They come in here and there, and then uh - other things, like his ring and his tattoo. [Stefan rolls up his sleeve to reveal a rose tattoo on his right shoulder.]

Which by the way, I would've never gotten myself.

[ He tilts his head, eyes narrowing slightly ]

You mean, you woke up and got a tattoo on your arm. And a ring materialized on your finger.

Now, you're pulling my leg.

Not all at once. [He shakes his head.] The ring came when I was sixteen, and the tattoo over this past summer.

It comes in pieces, like I'm an unfinished puzzle. [...] If you're from Vima's world, couldn't you tell if I were lying?

[ He shrugs ] I could. But I trust that you would tell me the truth without me having to use my abilities.

Is it still happening then? Do you know what's coming?

Yeah. More now that I'm here, and I... kind of?

It's hard when you don't remember, but Elena knew everything, so. [So she told him. More than he wishes she had.] She helped out more than I ever expected her to.

She sounds important. [ And also very much in the past tense ]

She is. [Hard to keep someone in the present tense when she's not exactly part of his life anymore.]

But not just because she helped me remember. She was... she made me feel like me again.

Paisley mingle

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/slides in really really late

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