moody on the beach

[songofhappiness]

Who: Caroline Forbes and whoever she runs across!
Where: On the beach at first, then throughout the area.
When: Morning of the 14th
Rating: Safe for the kids
Summary: Caroline has arrived, and she's on a beach. Not that she's dressed for the beach, but there she is! Confused. Somewhat annoyed. Obviously in a great mood.
The Story:

She's on a beach.

This, among other things, has Caroline confused. Maybe baffled is a better word, since it seems more appropriate. She's not even irritated (yet), just...baffled.

One moment, the world goes to hell - literally, the Other Side just disappeared, thanks to some not so awesome magic shenanigans. Bonnie and Damon were lost and God knows when they can get them back (she's less worried about getting Damon back, but Bonnie. Bonnie is way more important and they need her. Not just for her witchy powers, but just because they need Bonnie Bennett in their lives.)

Yet, here she is. Standing on a beach, looking at the ocean with troubled eyes, and getting sand all over her really freakin' expensive boots. Seriously, she splurged on them and now she's gonna have to spend however long making sure every single grain is cleaned off.

Get it together, Forbes. She shakes her head, trying to focus on the issue at hand. That issue being she has no idea where she is. There's plenty of other things on her mind, but this is the best one to focus on for now. Everything else can come later.

With that thought in mind, Caroline starts her trek through the sand, heading in the direction of the only place that makes sense - the large building in the distance.

[OOC: Caroline can be encountered literally anywhere on the grounds or in the mansion at any time. Just run into her, or msg me about an encounter and I can put up a comment! I'm open to any and everything. BRING IT. ]

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[songofhappiness]

This new information sets Caroline's brain into overload and she opens her mouth, wanting to speak. The words don't find her, though, and she shakes her head once again, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"How is that possible?" No, seriously, Elena was just there with her. "I just saw you, like an hour ago or something. We were all together and Bonnie was -"

She stops herself, her lips pressing together tightly. She's thankful for Elena's grip, her friend's steadiness helping her even now. "It just doesn't make sense."

Not that anything really makes 'sense' anymore, but she was starting to get used to how it worked, dammit! This just throws a wrench into all of that.

[interpersonal]

Elena keeps a hold of Caroline's hand, gentle but steady. Firm.

She doesn't want to overload her friend with more information just yet. Not when Caroline is struggling to process where they are. Silence follows and Elena allows it, pushing her own doubts aside. There's no room for doubts. She has to be certain where truth falters.

"I know. Trust me, Caroline, I'm still trying to make sense of it all myself. One moment I'm seconds away from calling you about my birthday party, and the next I'm—here." Nearly drowning in the Mansion's indoor swimming pool.

It wasn't a great experience, let us tell you. Her whole stay in Wonderland has been an exercise in realizing all of her previous tactics don't work. Elena is no longer the doppelgänger, a central figure to the problem; she can't use her blood and cunning to negotiate or alter their situation. She is only one of many residents, most of them fruitlessly trying to find a way back home. Some of them have been attempting to do so for years.

[songofhappiness]

Caroline bites her lip, thankful for Elena's grip, still trying to absorb all this strange newness that's happening so fast. The whole idea of time being that warped just doesn't compute very well for her right now.

"I guess, I mean anything's possible when there's weird magic involved." She squeezes Elena's hand, trying for a smile. "That's what a lot of this is, right? Magic, or whatever they want to call it. I'm pretty convinced it's all the same thing in the end."

Doesn't matter if it's a coven of witches or some crazy person with a few spells up their sleeve, it can wreck all sorts of havoc. Maybe even some children's book related havoc.

"Which birthday party was this, 'cause I don't even remember you having much of one this year." Yes, she's going to focus on that for a moment, because Caroline is all about a good party, even if the most recent one they had wasn't so hot.

[interpersonal]

Elena squeezes her hand back in response, but she can tell Caroline's smile is faltering. She knows what a real Caroline Forbes smile looks like. It's all sunbeams and promise, but it means something that she's trying. Elena wants to give that back to her. She wants to give reassurances and the same promises she gave Bonnie: we'll figure it out together and we'll go home.

But it's been a month and they're no closer to a solution then they were at the start.

So she falls back on what she does have: facts. Facts about Wonderland. Elena is about to explain its magic, how the place operates in a pocket dimension apparently frozen in time, when she finally starts to sense that something is Wrong.

"That depends on what year you mean." She's heard of this. Comings and goings. Ruptures in timelines. Years turning upside down. She holds her breath, her chest filling like a balloon. Dread. "The birthday party I remember is the one before our senior year."