001. i'm not afraid of anything, even time. [holo]

[saintsanguine]

On the third day after the summer solstice (three days, in terms of Biblical context, is the proper chronology for resurrection), Elena steps out of his room and into the hallway, and Stefan learns a valuable lesson on the permutations of silence.

Comments

[Voice]

[deadmanbrucolac]

Hello, Sefan. [The voice that answers is a rough whisper.] What you are seeing is real. You have been brought to a place called Taxon.

[Voice]

[saintsanguine]

Taxon. [He repeats the unfamiliar word like it's vaguely distasteful, some light accent audible in those two syllables.] To whom am I speaking, sir? If this is real, then - a name to go with the voice would be a comfort.

[Voice]

[deadmanbrucolac]

The Brucolac is name and title both. There is more comfort, in that your kidnappers will make no demands of you and will see to all your needs, save for your need to leave here.

If you carry the tablet to the door, it will open for you.

[Voice]

[saintsanguine]

My needs. [There's a sound that might be a laugh, if it were less bitter]. Thank you for the information, then; where does it open to? Taxon is - a city? A country?

[ visual ]

[herquietude]

"I daresay it'd be unwise to comment on the sanity of a stranger, Master Salvatore," Petra says, a little wryly, "but I promise you that this place is no conjuring of your mind. My name is Petrana, Countess of Gatas, and you have arrived in the city of Taxon. As pleasantly gilded as the cage is, I'm sorry to tell you that we are captives."

[ visual ]

[saintsanguine]

"Stefan, please, signora--"

He stops as though the address surprises him, faint, vaguely ~foreign accent lilting, shoulders straightening automatically even as his head tilts in deference. It makes him look older, somehow, and even more out of place. "Contessa. Thank you for the reassurance, however--cold it may be."

Would he rather be crazy or just ...here? It's a toss-up. "Captives of whom, if I may?"

It's not the question he wants to ask, and his face is white, but he looks calm, if not shattered.

[ visual ]

[herquietude]

"Would that I knew - would that anyone here knew, Stefan." His accent rings somehow almost familiar to her, like she might have heard a snatch of something before; it's interesting despite being too faint to place. "We have been left mostly to our own devices, whatever they may be, and whoever is responsible for all of this hasn't seen fit to claim it."

[ visual ]

[saintsanguine]

Some manic, tooth-edged light flares and dies in his face, as though having an enemy would make sense and thereby be some comfort of its own. "I've been taught that neither cowardice or cleverness will tip its hand; I should--reserve my judgment."

Although ...he isn't, clearly. He touches the bracelet bound seamless to his wrist, the set of his mouth grim. "'We?' Then--there are others."

Closer, then, to something he won't name for fear of the answer.

[visual]

[levilup]

Levi lets the visual click on.

The tablet is situated across the table from him, set against a couple of books. His feet, which are clad in heavy army boots and appear as the largest objects in frame, are settled on the table's surface. Levi himself can be seen a bit further away from the screen, examining his nails with an uninterested expression on his face. He's wearing massive amounts of eyeliner today, too, so Stefan might take that into account.

"And what if you have gone mad?"

[visual]

[saintsanguine]

Stefan's posture changes subtly, which is not all that impressive when the height he's drawing himself to barely manages to scrape 'average,' but there it is. "I suppose I might question my own ability to remain so self aware under the circumstances."

His brows go up; it's not challenging, exactly, because he's vaguely scanning for the possibility of something much bigger and darker underneath the disinterest and eyeliner, and that is not something he wants to draw the attention of, particularly. Even if it is an equal kind of darkness. "But it would be just like me to torture myself with philosophical implications, if it were the case."

[levilup]

Hoo, boy. This one seems to have the same problem as Angel; a perpetual stick up his ass. It doesn't really matter much to Levi, though. He really does enjoy those few vampires who don't seem to be quite as relaxed as the rest. It's fun to try and get them to react, really.

Stefan won't find anything much bigger and darker under the fabulous. It's really just fabulous to the core. However, Levi's doing his best poker face, picking at the black nail polish.

"Are you always quite so serious about yourself, Mr. Salvatore?"

[saintsanguine]

It is a stick of incredible woe, Levi--no it isn't. And Stefan should be better at not reacting, given his brother, but he's never been built that way.

As such: Levi has a better poker face than he does, or at least a different one. Stefan's is something colder, more 'correct,' for certain usage of the term. It's a look not really broken by the fact that he laughs, self-deprecating like drawing breath. OR BLOOD hi

"Just about anyone who knows me would tell you so, yes. But as we are I'm afraid you've just got my word for it." He doesn't actually tilt his head at Levi, but the tone of his voice suggests he might be doing so mentally. "And 'Stefan' is fine."

Since he doesn't really like, need to feel any older.

[visual]

[fordification]

It's about halfway through Stefan's transmission that Ethan decides it's been way too long since he last abused welcomed a newcomer. There's something else, too, drawing him to this particular arrival, but as far as this vampire knows - or cares - at the moment, it's just boredom -- plus the guy has a level of stick-in-assness that reminds him of a certain Ford sibling, and that can't go unaddressed.

When he responds, he's laid-back, casual, and looking at the tablet with a raised eyebrow. "But a delusion would tell you you aren't losing your mind, kiddo. Kind of a no-win."

[visual]

[saintsanguine]

If only the ass fixation were vocalized on either count, then Stefan could probably associate Ethan with Levi off the bat. As things stand, though, the sibling resemblance is mutual; it's exactly the kind of thing Damon would say and with the same kind of casual familiarity. Kiddo. Little brother.

As such, there's a second where whatever it is that keeps him so composed (or stick oriented, if you will) breaks for less than a second, not even long enough to blink.

But then it's gone, and Ethan is looking for entertainment, not a connection, so there's no reason it should matter. "Maybe. But you're not the first person I've talked to, and eventually I've got to trust that because second-guessing myself will make me crazy."

He refrains from saying that actually, he might make up someone like Ethan, because if he were going crazy, then wouldn't it stand to reason that evidence thereof would remind him so much of his brother? No one on earth is better than Damon at pushing him that direction.

[fordification]

"If," Ethan amends, "you aren't crazy already. Food for thought." He smiles, but it's not so much friendly as it is... well, slightly patronizing, actually, leaning on the 'I may or may not be purposely messing with you' side. But he's thinking, too, about Stefan, eyeing him, wondering if that really is his spidey sense tingling or if he's just imagining things. There's something about him, at least, and Ethan decides to keep an eye on him.

[saintsanguine]

Oh, being purposely messed with. It's just like home, which means Stefan looks amused rather than irritated, although it is the kind of amusement which suggests the previous could also happen. While he does his best not to actively like, radiate menace, he ...is what he is, so that particular cast of his features might not do anything to indicate Ethan's tingling should abate.

"If I am, then I ought to be flattered my own delusions are so dedicated to the principles of rhetoric. It's very Aristotle of you." His smile is nothing like patronizing, sir, he would never dream of such a thing. That would be ungentlemanly.

[ voice ]

[revivedqueen]

You're not insane. I--I know something about crazy and I can tell that you're not.

[ voice ]

[saintsanguine]

To be so self-aware speaks well of your own sanity, signorina. [Let's blithely guess we're talking to an unmarried lady, shall we?] But the reassurance is, as I've said, not unwelcome. As would be anything else you can tell me.

[ voice ]

[revivedqueen]

Oh. I can do that, but um... have you already talked with the others? Just so I won't repeat anything that you've already heard about this place.

[ voice ]

[saintsanguine]

Actually - [A pause, hesitant] - I haven't learned much about the environment of the city itself. Is it all entirely--urban, I think, would be the word, or are there places one might call more natural? It's just--well, I can hope a certain degree of disquiet on my part is forgivable, so somewhere--calmer might clear my head.