+ FOURTH WALL EVENT: FOREST PARTY +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: E V E R Y O N E
Where: The Forest!
When: Sept 7th to Sept 10th
Rating: G to PG-13 (please label higher ratings, thank you!)
Summary: Could it be that you (GASP!) don't want to be here? Do you maybe want to make like a tree and... leaf? Then how about you do the next best thing, and come to the woods to party! And don't forget to have a look at the Fourth Wall Master Post for event rules, puzzle clues, and more places to mingle!
The Story:

Beginning on September 7th, colourful ribbons will hang from several trees by the forest. Whoever follows their path will be guided deeper, right to the scene of a forest party.

Wooden benches, swings in all shapes and sizes, tree trunks, and other arrangements give plenty of opportunities to sit together. Tree houses and tents provide shelter, and come nightfall the festivities will light up for you.

Campfires provide additional light and warmth and a great place for ghost stories. Camping coolers store more than smores, and all around you nature twists and turns to give you room to dance to the music, to wander in the quiet, and to simply have a good time!

(...Are you the curiously perceptive, or the perceptively curious sort? If so, then you might also notice the small bird sitting on a branch nearby.)

Comments

[mypartnerintime]

[She continues to look at him with the same expression.] Important how? What do you know?

[The more important question actually being what doesn't he know. In some universe, is it possible Max doesn't regret what she did with her powers? That she's at peace with everything that happened, and continued to rewind?

Or maybe that other Max is from a different point in time, before the full implications of time travel were revealed to her...

In any case, Max's tone has shifted from cheerful, lighthearted banter to something more serious, pointed. Stefan may be treading on some very touchy ground.]

Did I tell you about Oregon?

[stefanged]

You didn't, no...

[But Chloe had. Stefan rubs the back of his neck, as the pieces are finally starting to fall into place. He doesn't have all of them - nowhere near all of them - and he's starting to regret that.]

Very, very short version: my Chloe said that she was from your future, and some ugly crap went down. I don't know what. She didn't say anything beyond that, and it's not my place to ask.

[In other words: this is Max's call. Stefan refuses to pry into his friend's life, no matter how much he wants to know, because everyone deserves to keep their secrets.]

I'm gonna guess that other-Max's attitude then wasn't very much like your attitude now.

[mypartnerintime]

[Chloe, huh? Not... not her Chloe, the other Max's Chloe, which is probably the same thing... And that's a weird thought that Max doesn't know how to feel about.

She shrugs at him, trying to play it cool, but so obviously bothered.]

I guess I'm from the same time as "your" Chloe. Some bad shit did go down. [She shrugs again.] And I lost the... time powers. It's for the best.

[stefanged]

I see.

[He doesn't question it. Stefan doesn't feel like he has the right to, especially when she seems so uncomfortable with "the bad shit," whatever it was.

But he gives her a small, hopeful smile.]

As far as I know, my Max hadn't experienced that yet, ergo? That makes you hella strong. Your powers may have been important to you at one point, but they don't define you.

[mypartnerintime]

[Hella strong huh? Max makes a face at that, looking away to try and hide her expression.

Strong. Right.

But the other thing he says softens her up, and she sighs.]

I know. I've been okay here even without them. I don't need them, and I don't... even want them. [She shakes her head.] Sorry, Stefan, I'm not trying to be dramatic.

[stefanged]

[She never wanted them...?

Stefan never told his Max the truth about his powers, and he's not sure that now's the proper time. Then again, when would there ever be a proper time?]

No, uh, if that's how you really feel? You're one of the lucky ones. If I ever got the chance to be normal again, I'd take it too.

[mypartnerintime]

[At one point in her life, she did. It made her feel like an everyday hero, special and useful.

But things like that can be so deceiving...

She looks up at him, fully aware of how lucky she is.]

...What do you mean?

[stefanged]

I mean, I'm not human. Haven't been for a while.

[He shrugs, avoiding eye contact as he peers at the lights above them.]

The full story's kind of long, and not entirely mine to tell, but I have powers of my own. If I could get them taken away, I would. No questions asked.

[mypartnerintime]

[That's... unexpected. But considering where they are, Max shouldn't be all that surprised. She looks at him curiously, wondering at his vagueness, and intrigued by the notion that he might actually understand her whole situation.

She really ought to give him space since it's probably a sensitive topic but... she's nosy.]

Powers?

[stefanged]

The worst kind. [He scrunches up his whole face.] If it were just me, I'd tell you, but... that isn't my story to tell.

[Damon, Katherine, Klaus, Rebekah... they all suffered from the same affliction, and Stefan wouldn't betray their trust for the sake of a friend. Even if he adores Max.]

But basically, I don't age. I'd give anything to turn the clock forward again.

[mypartnerintime]

[Max looks at him with a newfound curiosity.] Wait, so... how old are you exactly?

[Then she cringes.] Ugh. I probably shouldn't ask. Sorry, I just...

[In all honesty, she mostly just wants to get the topic off herself and her time powers. All the old wounds tend to open whenever she talks about it- but then, he probably feels the same way.]

It's probably a touchy subject, huh?

[stefanged]

Not that old - I'm more a hundred and twenty four than twenty four, and uh. It's okay, you had every right to ask.

[He frowns, not at her question so much as at himself, at how much he's allowed to tell her. This isn't the Fleet; he's endangering more than himself if he comes clean.]

It's more, uh, like I said. It's not my story: it involves other people, and I don't think they'd be thrilled with me spilling my guts everywhere.

[mypartnerintime]

I won't blab. The little you've told me is safe with me, Stefan.

[But she does give him a look.] A hundred and twenty four is pretty old, you know. I won't say ancient, but... [She grins, almost teasingly.]

[stefanged]

No, it's pretty ancient. [He rolls his eyes at her, though he's too amused to feign annoyance for long.] I can safely say that no one should try immortality at home.

[It's the Worst^TM in more than one light. Give him a normal life, please and thank you.]

But thanks. I'm sorry that I can't be forthcoming. I swear, if it was just us, I wouldn't care, but I'm 90% sure either my ex-girlfriends or someone else would know.

[mypartnerintime]

[Something they can agree on! Normalcy is underrated.]

I get it. Really. Besides, if I told anyone you were over a hundred they'd probably laugh at me.

[And she feels safe enough to tell him this next thing, at least.]

I told someone about the whole... time thing. He's not as good at secrets as I thought he was. [And she'll leave it at that. Her whole friendship with Sans is a little muddled right now.]

[stefanged]

[Aw, hell.

Stefan can't imagine what she's feeling, let alone how she's coping - after all, Max's rewinding was kept so close to the heart that almost no one knew. Except maybe Allen, but Allen was always immune to time shenanigans.]

I'm sorry. A lot of people aren't, I've started to realize. [He pauses, knowing how thin the ice is.] It doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop trusting people, but... it's hard, right? Gauging how much you can tell them?

[mypartnerintime]

...Yeah. [She shrugs. It's definitely her biggest secret. All the more so because of all the bad things that happened to her. To Arcadia.]

So, no hard feelings on not telling me. I'll just pretend being ancient is normal.

[She smiles.] What's your favorite decade?

[stefanged]

If we're going by general aesthetic, the 80's weren't half-bad.

[Stefan grins, humming a few bars of "Back in Time". Might as well ride that analogy to its final destination, right?]

Buut honestly? The present's got a lot going for it too. People only romanticize the past because they don't remember the ugly underbelly. Sure, you had poodle skirts, but you also had segregation and Jim Crow. Or you had DeLoreans along with casual homophobia and the AIDs crisis.

[He shrugs, his smile growing wider,] If I had to pick? I'd stay right where I am.

[mypartnerintime]

[Max has watched and rewatched the series and is such a big fan that she recognizes the song from just a few notes. She gives him an amused "are you kidding me" sort of look. Chloe has taken to calling her MaxFly in Wonderland- which actually makes her kinda laugh, despite the implications.

She nods in agreement.]

I kinda agree. Give me modern toilets and the internet any day. Vintage photography though... [She taps her bag, where the old-school camera is tucked away.] That'll never be dead to me.

[stefanged]

[Sorry, Max. He's completely cereal when it comes to 80s hits!!]

I sure hope not. Your attention to vintage photography makes you you, and honestly? Part of me wishes I'd paid more attention when it was popular.

[Sure, he gets the general gist of "point and click," but he's no photographer. The written word is his main creative outlet - and well, sometimes? A picture's worth more than a thousand words.]

[mypartnerintime]

[She smiles at that- photography is so much an art to her that she's happy to hear anyone wanting to give it the attention it deserves. But the almost flat-out compliments do make her a little awkward. She rubs her cheekbone with a finger.]

If I didn't know better I'd think you were buttering me up for a favor or something.

[And hey, honestly, she doesn't know any better. She did just meet him, but a friend of one Max Caulfield is... a friend of another Max Caulfield.]

[stefanged]

I mean, I could be, but.... [He shrugs.] I can't really think of anything.

[Should he ask, though? This isn't the Max he knew and loved, even if she's technically the same person. Different experiences and memories have shaped her. He's a complete stranger, as far as she's concerned.]

Think of this more as uh, the things I wish I could've told my Max.

[mypartnerintime]

[Well that sounds... really sad.] Hey... I'm all ears. I'm not bad at secrets myself.

[She tries to give him an encouraging smile.] Did she... disappear one day?

[stefanged]

Yeah. I should be happy for her, but I don't know.

[He gets this weird feeling that when people leave the Fleet, they don't get to go home. He's also not stupid enough to say so out loud.]

It's always weird hearing the Shuffle and realizing you've lost a crew member.

[mypartnerintime]

Seriously, chilling in space with Chloe sounds amazing. I bet she was happy there. Don't feel pressured to be happy that she left.

[It's still totally weird to refer to herself in the third person. Regardless, Max is pretty sure she knows how she would feel in that situation- flying in a starship, with her partner in crime? Hella yes.]