ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ sᴇᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ's ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴs.

[interpersonally]

WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK

USERNAME:
STEFAN

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Comments

[interpersonally]

Well, brother who isn't my therapist, I promise that I aways have Elena's best interests in mind.

( Barring literally the last three months. )

The library confirmed everything remains in stasis back home?

[blooded]

Not exactly. They did send a memento, and they didn't say she's not okay.

They also said they'll demand my services "at the appropriate time for my enrichment", whatever that means. They'll give a real update then.

[interpersonally]

So, no news is good news?

( So to speak? )

You owe the library now? Did a librarian hand down your sentence, or the Buffy-approved chute?

[blooded]

If it's anything but good news I'm going to burn this manor to the ground and drink the Balfour's blood from their brainstems

So yes, it's good news.

[ no elena in the world could convict him... probably. ]

The chute, obviously. We're keeping a low profile here, I'm not going to kill a librarian yet

[ yet. ]

[interpersonally]

Good to know we're not suddenly on everyone's shitlist.

Sorry, you're not.

And also not damage said chute. I just want to know what we're dealing with and who you owe. Or, I guess what. What exactly did the chute say? ... Message from the chute.

[blooded]

[ have a pic of the whole ensemble, stefan—the note, the rose, and the long lock of brown hair attached to it.

look, his 1800s sensibilities consider this insanely romantic. ]

If you want a rose [ or the hair that comes with it ] get your own.

[interpersonally]

I'll pass.

( He's hard-pressed to take the note at face value like Damon does, but he'd rather he not be preoccupied with Elena's life. She survives. Life goes on. And then it doesn't. )

How do you feel about owing an inanimate object?

[blooded]

[ look, it's either he take the note at face value or he murders the balfours in front of the whole manor at breakfast, and while he hasn't ruled it out—he's a dead man anyway, might as well go out with a bang—wouldn't it be so much better if he could get out of here and go check on elena himself? ]

I don't owe anything until it ponies up.

Surprised you're not chasing debts of your own, brother—which means you've got something you're trying to keep from me.

[ your brother was not born yesterday, stefan. ]

[interpersonally]

( to be fair, his debt is paid. damon's alive. here he goes, spinning his plates. )

Or, it means that I'm gathering information when and where I can. Like, the Balfours apparently react the same we do when something like a circus pops up. We can't leave, as there are people who've been here for months. Go too far off the grounds and you wake up the next day. You call it hiding something, I call it not making an impression. Am I worried about Elena, of course. But, she's not here and for all intents and purposes she's right where we left her.

I miss her, Damon, is that what you want to hear?

[blooded]

[ hmmmmmmmm. ]

Two things can be true at once. You know I'm going to figure out your scheme eventually, Stefan, you might as well tell me now.

[ you're never as slick as you think you are!! ]

[interpersonally]

Scheme? Do you think I brought us here? Because, the last thing either of us wanted was to be trapped in the English countryside with strangers including an uppity blonde who apparently thinks vampires are around.

[blooded]

God I'm so much better at this than you

You haven't even denied it, you're just deflecting

Asshole

I'm going to figure it out and I'm going to kick your ass when I do

[interpersonally]

You do that, Damon.

🎀

[blooded]

[ only losers worry about getting the last word!! ]