Day 56: Magus Park (Morning)
Getting to check up on Neku had been good (even though Sora realized that he was the one who'd been approached, rather than doing the approaching), but when the buses finally made their way through the snow and into the town, the boy was completely distracted by the view that followed. It really did remind him of Christmastown. There were no lights
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But this woman - Rose - knew Stefan's name. More than that, she knew him. There was nothing feigned about her confusion; she really did seem like she expected him to have recognized her. But by now, Stefan was certain that he didn't know any Roses. His memory wasn't perfect (that's what the library of personal journals was for), but it was pretty good, especially when it came to names and dates. It wasn't possible for them to know each other... unless Rose had met him after Founders Day.
It already been unsettling enough when Stefan thought his memory trailed Damon's by a few blank minutes. Now Elena kept flashing back to things which had yet to happen, things which couldn't have happened while they were trapped here, and Alaric had implied remembering events even beyond what Damon's knowledge.
None of it made sense. "I'm not- I mean, yes, I'm Stefan. Stefan Salvatore. I just can't..." He pressed his lips together for a second, trying to find the best way to approach this. "Rose. I'm sorry, I know this all sounds very strange, but can you just answer this for me: how long have we know each other?"
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"Is Elena alright?" she asked, suddenly feeling an urgent worry for the girl, realizing the last time she'd seen her, she'd tried to eat her, and maybe that wasn't the best thing to bring up to her apparently-amnesiac boyfriend currently standing in front of her. "She's safe, isn't she? Is Damon here too?" Wherever here was. She still hadn't puzzled that bit out and Yomi hadn't seemed to know. It could still be in Virginia, from her surroundings. Or a dozen other states she could recall off the top of her head.
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There was no mistaking the wary surprise in Stefan's face when he met her eyes again. She was a vampire. And not just any random vampire, if she possessed a daylight ring. Just how complicated was this situation with Katherine returning?
"She's fine. They're both fine- Why?" Stefan asked, his voice suddenly sharp. If she really did know them, it wasn't strange to ask after Elena or Damon, but there had been something else in her tone which gave him pause. She's safe, isn't she? It was bizarre to wrap his head around it - he knew she was safe, he'd been with her all of last night, so Rose had to be talking about something outside of Landel's, maybe the thing none of them could remember. Realizing he wasn't explaining anything, Stefan quickly added: "They did something to us when we got here. Damon, Elena and I. We don't remember anything since- well, since before I met you, at least."
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At least they were all relatively safe. Or as safe as one could be, when kidnapped by unknown forces and held captive in... whatever this was. Although this was the oddest form of captivity Rose had ever come across. Military bodyguards, midnight Battle Royale the supernatural edition, and now field trips to Pleasantville. Although everything was still just word of mouth for the moment and Rose still had her skepticism of... well, anything at this point.
"I was told a little bit about this place on the bus ride here," she admitted, turning to stare across the snowy park as she carefully chose which words to say and how much to tell him. "About how everyone was abducted and brought here and that strange things happen after dark. And that the people in charge know things about everyone before they arrive. Do you know more than that? Have the people in charge shown... a more than casual interest in you? Or Elena?"
It was a terrifying thought, that Klaus could be involved, but she pushed it forcefully away. While his witches probably could tamper with memories and trap them here, why were there others here? There had been several buses of people dropped off here in town and that didn't add up. There had to be something more going on.
As if they hadn't had their hands full with the last crisis.
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Or so he hoped. "You could say that," he sighed. "Did whoever you talk to mention the experiments? People get taken after dinner and..." It was Stefan's turn to avert his gaze this time, but he didn't falter for long: "Elena was one. We're still not sure what they did to her, but the 'doctor' she saw was a vampire. He compelled her. Now she has random flashes of, uh, things which didn't happen yet. From our perspective, I mean. She might remember you, if she sees you."
It was a strange thing, to realize that he'd befriended someone, that whole weeks of his life had gone by with Katherine returning after 145 years and even more vampires arriving to Mystic Falls, and he couldn't remember any of it. For him, the past week had been largely composed of getting his bearings in Landel's Institute. He didn't feel like the same person he'd been before coming here, what with having to struggle to discern voices in a crowd, or not being strong enough to fight off an orderly.
Rose must be experiencing the same. "Listen," Stefan began, voice lowering as he leaned in. "If you were staying at the boarding house, that tells me you're a friend. And even besides that..." He smiled at her. He knew it was a gamble to trust her after just five minutes of knowing each other, but he didn't sense any deception from her. Damon could yell at him later. "Our kind should stick together here. It's not easy to control ourselves with all the restrictions."
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Then again, if Elena was getting memories back, she'd have to be careful. She didn't know how much the girl would remember. And while yes, they'd had a brief length of friendship, Rose's first and last memories of Elena were of kidnapping and bloodlust. Not really a great way to make a new first impression...
She was drawn out of her thoughts when Stefan spoke again, and her worried frown melted into an amused look at his words and earnest tone. "You shouldn't always be so trusting, Stefan. No wonder Lexi liked you so much. But thank you, I appreciate the offer." It couldn't hurt to mention their old friend in common. She'd suspected playing that card the first time around had been what had given herself enough time to plead her case. Not that he was prepared to stake her at the moment, but still.
"Maybe you should explain about these restrictions, however. The girl I rode the bus was human, as far as I could tell. Are there things here that apply to us that I should be aware of?"
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He was considering how much of this to explain when Rose smiled at him, and suddenly said something that sent all of his thoughts into disarray. "You knew Lexi?" he said, staring at her. Of course there was a part of him - that part which had survived 145 years as a vampire, mostly alone - which knew he had nothing but her word. If Landel's had vampires in their employ, then they could certainly send a random vampire to claim a future friendship with him and a past friendship with Lexi. His best friend had known a lot of people.
But... he wanted to believe her. Rose was right, maybe he shouldn't always be so trusting, but the alternative was to make enemies with this woman, or possibly risk another vampire attack to draw suspicion on them all. Stefan gestured to the empty park before them and started walking away from the buses. "Well, you probably already noticed that you're not as strong, and your senses aren't as sharp as they used to be. Compelling or fighting the staff here doesn't work either, so you should give up on trying to feed off them. There are animals here, but they're a lot bigger and lot meaner than back home. A couple nights ago, two of us hunted down a squirrel the size of a mountain lion. It snapped a collarbone with only its teeth."
He glanced over at Rose, trying to gauge her reaction to this. Not so much the giant squirrel bit, but rather having to drink from animals, period. Everyone had to do at some point, he knew, especially now in the days of forensics and missing persons reports, but for most every vampire except himself, sustaining entirely off animal blood just wasn't an option.
It would have to be here. They were already in enough trouble after Damon's run-in with 'Jungle Barbie'. "Hunting at night is the only option. We're watched every minute during the day, and they won't hesitate to subdue you if you act out of line. On the plus side... it seems like we can go longer without feeding. I went four days once without feeling any weaker for it." Except for his hunger, anyway. So much had been altered about their physiology, but that ever-present hunger remained as strong as ever.
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At his surprised question, she couldn't stifle her bubble of laughter, turning to flash a grin at him. "Lexi thought it would be a good idea to attempt to set us up together about a hundred years back," she informed him with amusement glinting in her eyes. "You came very highly recommended."
As he started to explain about their surroundings and the situation they were trapped in, her expression turned more serious. She'd noticed a few of her new limitations, but hadn't been sure what to blame that on. She had almost died, after all, and she'd chalked up her guard to having supernatural strength, not that hers was decreased. The last bit had her sputtering in surprise as she turned to search his face, certain he must be having her on.
"A squirrel the size of a mountain lion?" she echoed in disbelief. "You're... you're serious?" Slater would have loved hearing about this place. Just in case, she glanced around at the surrounding trees with a sudden wary suspicion, as if half expecting to see some giant fluffy rodent stalking them. "Well, damn. Congratulations. That's the most far-fetched thing I've heard in at least a century or so."
As he explained about the feeding thing, she blinked, filing that information away for later. "Well, at least that's a comforting thought for the time being. Confined as we are, I can imagine finding a decent meal becomes quite a bit more challenging." She was used to taking care of herself, had been doing it for a very long time, but the more she learned about this place, she had to admit it all sounded a little daunting.
Her lips quirked in amusement a moment later, however, as another thought occurred to her. "I'm sure Damon's thrilled with the... challenge of being subtle."
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He didn't have words either for her obvious incredulity about the giant squirrel, just a helpless shrug and equally disbelieving shake of the head. If Stefan hadn't jumped on the creature himself, he wouldn't believe it either. The squirrel had provided a good meal in the end, one which would hopefully last him another day before his hunger threatened to overcome his control again.
He worried that Damon was already past that point - while his brother didn't have the same... difficulties... with human blood, impulse control and patience weren't exactly his strong points. From the wry familiarity of Rose's comment, she was thinking along the same lines. "Oh yeah," Stefan answered dryly. "If he was any more thrilled, someone would be dead." He stopped once they were in the middle of the little park, well out of earshot of any passersby. If Rose was a vampire staying with them, no doubt she'd already know better - Damon wouldn't have tolerated anyone who might compromise their cover - but Stefan had to make certain. "But... luckily, no one is yet, and we need to keep it that way. We're already come too close to being exposed."
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Not to mention Lexi had never quite fathomed Rose's taste in partners. She hadn't had a high opinion of Trevor, either. And Rose could just imagine what her old friend would have to say about Damon The thought amused her.
As did Stefan;s warning that followed a moment later as he pulled her aside. "It's good to hear Damon's restraining himself admirably," she commented wryly, her lips quirking about the corners. "You don't have to caution me, Stefan. I've spent a long time flying under the radar. You won't risk any additional exposure from me, not if I can help it. Although considering you don't know me, that's a lot to take on trust. I've never liked hurting people. It's not me. I'll be careful. But if you don't mind my asking, what's happened that's risked your exposure? I thought those in charge already knew what we are?"
Her daylight ring was proof of that, after all. In this case, she appreciated her secret being known by someone at least.
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