Elena Gilbert (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
proweird) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
driftfleet2017-04-03 10:14 pm
proweird) wrote in driftfleet2017-04-03 10:14 pm
(no subject)
Who: Elena Gilbert
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Yes (on the hospitality deck of the Marsiva)
When: Now
[ Elena wakes with a start, her first thought being that she'd fallen asleep in one of the unused patient rooms. She rubs her arms with her hands, an attempt to chase away the chill and gives the room a good look. This isn't any room in the hospital. She puts her feet on the ground and stands. She's still dressed in the long-sleeved thermal top and blue scrubs she wears at work. She tucks a strand of her dark hair behind one ear.
Once she orients herself and does a little bit of exploring, she heads to one of the screens to browse the network and get a better grasp of this place. After that's done, she makes her own broadcast, giving the video screen a sheepish smile. ]
Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert. I just arrived and I've got no idea what to say here. Am I supposed to tell the class all about myself? I think I used to be good at this. [ She takes a deep breath then releases it. ] Whatever this is. I can honestly say this is my first time on a reality show though.
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Yes (on the hospitality deck of the Marsiva)
When: Now
[ Elena wakes with a start, her first thought being that she'd fallen asleep in one of the unused patient rooms. She rubs her arms with her hands, an attempt to chase away the chill and gives the room a good look. This isn't any room in the hospital. She puts her feet on the ground and stands. She's still dressed in the long-sleeved thermal top and blue scrubs she wears at work. She tucks a strand of her dark hair behind one ear.
Once she orients herself and does a little bit of exploring, she heads to one of the screens to browse the network and get a better grasp of this place. After that's done, she makes her own broadcast, giving the video screen a sheepish smile. ]
Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert. I just arrived and I've got no idea what to say here. Am I supposed to tell the class all about myself? I think I used to be good at this. [ She takes a deep breath then releases it. ] Whatever this is. I can honestly say this is my first time on a reality show though.
video; private
He tilts his head thoughtfully, trying to imagine Damon and Elena. He must've seen it back home. He must've, and yet he continues to be greeted by static and white noise. It sounds about right: even as vampires, their priorities had been different. Their entire life philosophies had been different. When they took passion out of the equation, what was left? Nothing, if he's hearing her right.
Fire can rebuild and sustain people, but it can also destroy and consume without a second thought. ]
And you both reached this conclusion? [ his laugh is genuine, if a little disbelieving. This doesn't sound like the Damon he remembers. ] Well, inshallah, I hope that you'll both find the people who sustain you.
Re: video; private
[ Before she'd dated Stefan, she'd only ever dated Matt so it was good to expand her romantic horizons. Liam had not turned out well, but that's what your teens and twenties are for, right? Dating the wrong guy, figuring out who the right guy is.
Some days Elena isn't sure what even drew her and Damon to each other. For the longest time, she believed he only saw Katherine when he looked at her and then...she didn't. Now, she can't really list one thing they'd had in common outside of Stefan and that's not something to build a relationship on. ]
Eventually. [ Damon had insisted they could work it out, but they hadn't; they couldn't. They weren't the people they wanted the other one to be. Her brow furrows as he utters another unfamiliar word. ] Stefan...you keep saying things like y'allah and inshallah...words I don't think I've ever heard you say. What do they mean?
video; private
[ That's right. Salvatore had been a godless heathen. Stefan half wonders what Salvatore would've been like, had he discovered faith and the sheer relief and spirit it provides. His belief grounds him, even when he's whole galaxies away from Earth and the Ka'aba he prays towards.
He presses his lips together, suddenly unsure of how to proceed. Confessing faith isn't much like confessing vampirism or any affiliation with the supernatural. It's a part of him that he doesn't want to let go of. He never wanted to be a vampire, but he sure wants to be Muslim. His faith defines him, more than anything else he could call his own. ]
They're Arabic. Inshallah means "God willing," and Y'Allah is like "dear God." [...] I'm Muslim, Elena. Have been for a while now.
Re: video; private
[ Cue a very confused look. She has no experience with Islam or Muslims and only a passing familiarity with any sort of religion. She doesn't object to nor does she find any sort of judgement with anyone that is religious, but she hadn't been aware that Stefan was. ]
Either I am a horrible friend and ex-girlfriend or this is new-ish...new since I last spoke to you.
[ Stefan did not die Muslim, not that she knows of. There had been no particular religious ceremony at his funeral and he'd left no religious instructions for his funeral when he did die. Selfishly, she hopes this is new otherwise she really is that self-absorbed, horrible, friend that Bonnie had once accused her of being. ]
video; private
Stefan laughs, leaning back a little in his seat. Unfamiliarity, he expected. Unfamiliarity is easy to change, especially with an Interfaith Center and the strong religious community he's built on the Fleet. Faith transcends religion; it's a belief in something bigger than all of them, be it an omnscient creator or a pantheon of gods or even the seraphim that have been captured here too. ]
Very new, don't worry. It's only been about eight years? Which doesn't sound right, I know, but... [ instinctively, he fiddles with his daylight ring. ] the story's a pretty long one.
video; private
Faith is something that Elena can have. Faith is something she's always had, but usually in her friends. She doesn't know if he can talk her into religion, but it won't change the way she feels about him.
Yeah, that gets him a little of a curious look and she notices the way he fiddles with his ring. ] One that might be told better in person with big cups of hot cocoa?
[ Besides, they both have a lot to think about. Perhaps they ought to take some time and think about it. ]
video; private
[ If she weren't stuck on the hospitality deck, he would've taken her there and talked with her in his favorite spot in the entire Fleet. Now that he stops to think about it, Stefan couldn't have imagined this life (owning and maintaining a communal religious space), but it's one he wouldn't trade for the world.
Faith isn't something he would push onto anyone, let alone anyone as special as Elena, but it suits him. It grounds him, it comforts him, and it gives him the hope that these five days will go by fast. ]
In the meantime, though... you should check out the movies on the network, and I'm always a phone call away, so... don't hesitate, okay? I'm here for you. Always.
Re: video; private
The Center? [ She's curious about ti because Stefan's voice sounds as if it's a place he's fond of. She wishes he was able to take her there simply because it's clearly important to him. Also, it would mean they wouldn't be having this conversation via vid screen rather than in person.
Once she has a little time to think about it, she will realize how well it suits him. Stefan has always looked for something to ground him, comfort him and give him hope. She might be a little irrationally jealous at first because at one time she was that thing. However, she's mature enough to get over that and realize they are two entirely different things. ]
And Jarvis told me to check out the kitchen. It sounds as if a movie marathon snuggled in my bunk is in order. [ She pauses a moment. ] We could watch them together. Over the network sometime when you've got the time.
[ because she understands that he probably doesn't have as much time as she has since he's the Captain of a ship. ]
video; private
[ Okay, so he wholeheartedly threw himself into his work and he built the place with the help of his friends. He might've been unconsciously channeling Caroline, but the effort and time had been worth it. ]
Mr. Jarvis is right. Once you leave, the quality of the food gets iffy. [ He relaxes. Jarvis is good people, and he couldn't have asked anyone better to talk to Elena. ] Also, you're talking about me. When it comes to you, Elena, I've got all the time in the world.
[ . . . except for when he has to take breaks to pray, but that's nothing he can't handle. ]
video; private
I'll stock up. Like a bear preparing for hibernation though it seems like half the time I eat out of vending machines these days so it might not be much different from what I'm used to. [ How can she not smile at that. She ducks her head, cheeks flushing, stomach tumbling with butterflies. ] I'll get settled, grab some food then we'll pick a movie. I'll talk to you more in an hour, let's say? [ She wants to shower too. ]
video; private
Sounds good. Take your time, though - I'm in absolutely no rush, and I can still work on stuff while we watch.
[ Especially his lab work. He's gotten to the point where he can finish it on auto pilot about 90% of the time. ]
video; private
[ She smiles at this then nods. ] Okay. Talk to you in a little while then. [ She goes ahead and clicks the video off to do what she needs to do and settle in. This will probably be a common thing over the next several days, possibly longer. ]