Baby I need a friend, but I'm a vampire smile, you'll meet a sticky end. [Open]

[elasticheart]

Who: Caroline Forbes + YOU

Where: All over!

When: October 13th

Rating: PG-13 to be safe? Will update if needed.

Summary: Caroline arrives in Wonderland. Not sure if like.
Notes: There will be a few starters! Add your own if you like. Prose or action are both fine!

The Story : 

The amount of voicemails she's left in her life has given Caroline the uncanny ability to know instinctively, in her gut, exactly how much time she has to talk before the time runs out. So when her fingertip presses the End Call button on her touchscreen phone this time, she knows she barely has a second to spare before the heartless and emotionless computerized voice asks her if she's satisfied with her message. Hitting it just in time gives her a surge of adrenaline, making her previously steady hands shake ever so slightly as she runs her fingers through her hair. Okay, so maybe the reason she's shaking isn't because of something as lame as the thrill of perfect timing. Maybe it's because of what she left on the voicemail to Stefan and the tightened nerves and emotional release of saying everything she needed to say to someone who won't even call her back. An uneasy feeling in her stomach reminds her of the times she called Tyler, using his voicemail as the only place in the world she could say what she was really feeling, and she's reminded of the trainwreck of that failed relationship. But she refuses to accept defeat with Stefan, wills herself to believe this time it will be different. One of these days, and one of these days soon, by the way, he will pick up the phone and call her back and tell her he's going to help her fix everything. Just like he used to.

Caroline, now more or less back to her optimistic and determined self, receives her check from a pretty waitress at the diner. She leaves cash with more of a tip than she can probably afford, and moves to start carefully packing away the newest batch of occult books she's been reading. When she opens her bag, however, there's something not quite right in the darkness that she sees there. Frozen with a book in hand, her eyes are transfixed by the emptiness staring back at her. At first she thinks she's had way too much coffee and nowhere near enough sleep, but that's nothing new these days with working so hard to get her home back. Then she feels something.

A lurch in the air, a pull in her chest. Startled, she stands clumsily out of her chair and knocks over her coffee cup on the way. With quick reflexes, she moves to catch the cup before it shatters on the ground...

Only to find herself in the middle of a dark forest, feeling dizzy like the entire world flipped upside-down and she's getting used to being on the wrong side of the earth. 

Comments

The Beach - Closed to Klaus

[elasticheart]

[Caroline Forbes is not a quitter. Not even a little bit. She's the type of girl who would not only take on the impossible, but somehow find a way to force it to bend to her will, first by inches and then all at once. But with the light in the sky starting to fade and the air beginning to cool, she can't help but feel a little bit defeated. If this strange new world remained unchanged, if day never turned into night, she might be able to fool herself into hoping that it's all a strange dream she'll eventually wake up from.

The truth is, she can't fight the dying of the light no matter how much she might wish to. This is real. The home she'd been fighting so hard for has been taken from her once again, and something tells her that all the reading in the world won't be able to fix it this time.

As Caroline finally accepts all that she's learned, she finds herself stepping into the sand of a long and empty beach. Pulling off her sandals and carrying them by the straps in one hand, she walks towards the shore, enjoying the feeling of the warm sand between her toes, feeling the calm that comes along with the salt-sprayed breeze teasing her hair. She lets the tension in her shoulders and the worry lines on her forehead fade away.

She finds a spot to sit and stare out at the waves, and after a moment, delicately wipes away the stray tears from her eyes that leaked out without warning. Soon enough, Caroline has had quite enough of the uncomfortable feeling of hopelessness, and she decides to summon some from the light in her heart, the eternal optimism of her soul.

Taking a breath, she sits up a little straighter, and with a determined clench of her jaw, Caroline Forbes not only starts to see the bright side, like the beauty of this solitary beach, but she starts to put together a plan to turn this freaky hostage scenario into something worthwhile. She can make this place a temporary home, at least. She can help where she's needed, get to know her fellow captives, and make some lemonade out of this sour situation.

Her mental pep talk/to-do list is interrupted, though, as her senses start to give her hints that she isn't alone anymore.]

every move you make~

[hybrida]

[ Caroline's arrival has not gone unnoticed.

That much is obvious by the encounters she's already had, encounters that have been observed from a distance. There is only one reason why he hasn't approached until now - he does keep his word when he makes a promise, such as the one he made the last time he saw her. Though if he's going to get technical about it, he did only promise never to return to Mystic Falls, and this certainly isn't a quiet rural town in Virginia.

Once she's on the beach, he has a decision to make. Klaus could leave her to her own devices, discover his presence in due time, but that's not the choice he prefers.

So it seems there really isn't a decision to make at all.

His little trick of vamping himself into another's personal space, suddenly appearing in order to startle, is his usual method of greeting someone. This time, however, he simply walks up to her. ]

It's astounding how every new arrival brings another surprise.

[ Rebekah and Hayley's entrance had been a slightly more worrying surprise, since he can't be completely confident in what he's been told happens once they leave home. Time coming to a stop? The thought is ridiculous, and yet he has no way to prove it right or wrong. ]

where's the white oak stake when you need it

[elasticheart]

[Caroline turns her head, looking over her shoulder to see who the cause of the approaching footsteps is. When she sees him, she immediately looks back at the water, hiding the brief reaction of panic on her face. The sound of his voice sends shivers down her spine, a thrill of something between fear and excitement stirs in her chest, and Caroline has to push her toes further into the sand and steady herself enough to even breathe.

For a second there she feels like a fawn in the woods, frozen, as the big bad wolf gets ready to come in for the kill.

But when she slowly releases the breath caught in her lungs, she remembers who she is and how somewhere, deep down, she already somehow knew he was here. Caroline stands and brushes the sand off of her dress before turning to face him, all fear and surprise erased from her eyes, and she greets him, unamused and distant with an exasperated sigh.]

Of course. [Arms somewhat stretched out at her sides, her sandals dangle from her fingertips. She doesn't really look at him, but looks up and around instead, as if addressing her captors.] Of course you're here too.

Because just when I think this day can't get any worse.. [Caroline pauses and places her free hand on her hip before finally looking up at him. She needs to make sure he doesn't get too close, after all. That's the last thing she needs.

Her expression softens, just a little, a flicker of familiarity that isn't all unpleasant. Then Caroline goes ahead and hardens her look right back up. But her voice is more tired than irritated now.] What do you want?

as far away from wonderland as it can be >:]

[hybrida]

[ Her reaction is met with an amused quirk of his lips. He knew his appearance wouldn't be welcomed too warmly, but when has he ever let that deter him?

Drawing near, he comes to a stop right at the line between invading her personal space and keeping a distance. He didn't think he would be seeing her so soon after they parted, perhaps a few decades or more down the road. The world is small, something he's learned in his years, and Klaus had no doubts they would cross paths once again down the line.

There are no complaints on his part about her arrival. In fact, there's a part of him that's pleased with it. There has always been something about her that draws him in, makes him look at things just a bit differently. With anyone else, it would annoy him. Caroline, as usual, is special. ]

Thought I would come by personally, since it's only a matter of time before you discover I'm here as well. [ Also, he just wanted to talk to her. ] Didn't want you to have yourself an unpleasant surprise waiting on the horizon.

for now........

[elasticheart]

[Caroline knew they'd meet again. She just hoped thought it would be in like, many, many decades from now. Of course she'd also considered the possibility of potentially having to go to New Orleans if someone she cared about was bit by a wolf, but Caroline preferred to think positively. Be prepared for the worst but plan, plan, plan for the best. In her positive everything-will-work-out-the-way-I-plan-it way, no one would ever get a werewolf bite ever again and she'd never get tired of Mystic Falls, never feel the need to go anywhere near Louisiana and maybe in like eighty years they'd bump into each other randomly and have coffee. And by then she could tell him she was definitely, completely, totally over everything about him, and by then he'd be so over her too, and they'd part on good terms for like.. ever. Maybe they'd exchange Christmas cards.

This wasn't in the plan. Nothing about this day was ever even remotely considered to be a part of any kind of sane plan that anyone should ever have. And yet here she is. Adjusting. Really trying not to feel the pull of her connection to the Original Hybrid, and only somewhat successfully willing away the memory of their last, uh, meeting, from her thoughts.

Caroline is highly aware of the exact distance between them when he finally comes to a stop. He's pushing against the edge of what would be considered acceptable behavior but he's smart enough not to blatantly cross over it. It's beyond annoying.]

Uh-huh.. [Klaus she can smell your bullshit miles away. pls.] And the reason you waited until now to personally deliver said unpleasant surprise is, what, exactly? [Yeah she kinda gets that he's known she was here for at least a while now.] Were you worried I'd pretend I didn't know you in public?

[hybrida]

[ In response, he simply shrugs. Getting into his actual reasons for keeping his distance until now will be kept quiet. At least for the time being. ]

Perhaps I simply wanted to admire your beauty from afar. [ If ever there was a time to call the smile on his face a shit eating grin, now is it. He figured she would have been aware of his observation. ] Can't fault me for that, can you?

[ That being said, his expression grows a little more serious, turning to look back at the mansion in the distance before he continues. ]

I also thought I might be able to answer any questions you might have. [ Yes, he is offering to be genuinely helpful, and no he won't look her in the face while he does it - so there is somewhat awkward air to him. ] Arrivals here tend to be confusing.

[elasticheart]

[Caroline breathes out a scoff of a sigh and rolls her eyes. But it turns out all of her determination and annoyance isn't quite enough to stop the smile that grows on her lips in response to his ridiculousness. Fine, Klaus. Fine.]

Oh, I could. [And don't you forget it.

The look on her face turns thoughtful as his expression changes, and Caroline finds herself torn. The easy thing here would be to let herself slip back into their old routine, their old rhythm. The easy banter and tension under insults and hostility. But the problem is their old rhythm led them to a point of no return, and she's not sure what to do with that now. It was on the terms of a promise now made useless.

Caroline can't play this game the same way anymore. She's got to confront and establish the rules. Also? She really does kind of need a friend right now. Even if it has to be Klaus and even if "friend" isn't exactly ever going to be quite the right word.]

Okay. [She accepts the thinly-veiled attempt at peace, at acceptance. At being friendly. ..Ish.] But. [She holds a finger up.] As friends.

[She isn't looking him in the eye now, in fact she's sort of starting to walk a little parallel to the shore, and she's certainly talking a lot with her hands.] I'm not talking about the kind of friends that may or may not have made certain - choices - and discussed or admitted certain things that could blur, or, you know, destroy the lines in the past. [ahem] More like friends that.. I don't know, Facebook friends that moved away and haven't seen each other for a really long time but-

[She stops walking and looks over at him, frustrated, embarrassed, lacking the words to properly explain this in the way she wants to. She gives up on the analogies and just expresses her current, exhausted feelings.]

It's been a really long day and I just don't want all that other stuff being a thing right now.

[hybrida]

[ The state of what is between them always seems to be in a constant flux - granted, more negative memories between them have been a result of some action he's taken. Heat of the moment, usually, but nonetheless enough for some kind of change.

Their last run-in when he visited Mystic Falls certainly put them in an odd position, but truthfully he would rather they have some sort of positive tie to each other than not.

That doesn't mean Klaus won't play like he's considering it, with a thoughtful look in her direction as he watches her pace back and forth. ]

Friends... [ He muses this out loud before his expression softens into a slight smile. ] I think that's doable, if that's what you want.

[ Naturally, he would want more, but he's well aware the possibility of that happening is slim. There is still a draw here, to be on some sort of friendly terms. ]