[ okay, mr broody tuesday, you can tone down the grouch factor. she's not put off by it... mostly because she's an expert in Ignoring It. instead, caroline pours herself another glass, tipping it gently in his direction before taking a sip. ]
And you know what I meant.
[ back to the safehouse, not back to where they came from. if they wallowed in that misery, they'd never get out of it. all they can do is keep moving forward. persevere, like scarlett o'hara. ]
If you want another glass, you have to actually talk to me. I didn't get this so you could sulk.
[ all right, even he can admit that might have been a knee jerk overreaction. hard not to have them after everything but it wasn't her fault. she hadn't brought him here. he holds up a hand in apology and blows out a breath. ]
Talk to you about what?
[ he folds his hands in front of him and nods. if she wants to talk, he's been known to be able to do that here and there lately. he could hold a conversation without being a total jackass. ]
[ she shrugs off the apology. it's not like he insulted her. she's heard worse. ]
I don't know. You said I don't know you, so let's change that. [ as if to entice, she drapes a half-pour into his glass, sliding it over to him. ] Or we can play 20 Questions, if you'd rather.
[ he takes the drink and curls his fingers around it but doesn't immediately do anything but hold it. he taps the glass against the wood, thoughtful for a few seconds, before figuring out something easy he could tell her. ]
Soy de Bogotá, Colombia. Probablemente nunca hayas estado, pero a veces hace calor y está mojado e incómodo No es un lugar fácil para vivir a menos que conozcas a las personas adecuadas. Ah, y puedo hablar español.
[ he actually follows that with a smile because maybe she knows spanish, maybe she doesn't but he's pretty pleased with himself for going that route with some information. don't worry, he'd translate if needed. ]
[ for marcos, he's zipping off a snappy comeback in español, perfectly accented with his columbian drawl. for caroline, though, it's all neat english, cleanly translated by the implant.
her brow furrows in confusion, not by the words themselves, but why he'd start with something so basic. ]
Okay. [ she does not speak spanish, but that's probably obvious from the everything about her. ] I'm from Mystic Falls. It's in Virginia, it's really small, nobody's ever heard of it. [ mostly because the supernatural vibes prevent that... but still. ] And I haven't been to Columbia, but I do really like margaritas.
[ it takes marcos a few seconds to realize what happened and when he does, he just grumbles silently and shakes his head. all right, backfire but at least she can't tell it was a backfire and do you think he's going to admit it?
maybe after he has another few drinks. instead, he just motions to her with his hand and says: ] Twenty questions, then. Go.
[ ask your question, caroline, and we'll see what falls out of his mouth on this fine day. he does file away the information she's given him. it is simple and plain but it's still something about her that he likes knowing. ]
[ at least he's playing along, rather than just slamming back drinks again. she doesn't mind a slow share of a bottle, but she likes marcos. she doesn't want to drink him under the table. ]
Okay. If you could choose, would it be always summer or always winter?
[ starting off with something easy and probably not likely to have traumatic backstory. ]
[ it's what he's used to. it's hot in colombia, hot in atlanta, hot in all the places he's been with the mutant underground. it's always comfortable but it does make a lot of things easier. ]
It makes moving around a lot easier if there's no snow on the ground. I can deal with rain but cold weather makes things difficult.
[ and when you needed to move resources or people, you didn't want it to be too hard. ]
Plus, I can get a good tone. [ ha ha, that's a joke. he can make them sometimes. ]
[ that's fair. it doesn't exactly snow in virginia, either, so she doesn't have a ton of experience in real winter. not like new tokyo winter, anyway. she can rock a cute coat, though. ]
But you can only take so much off, though. [ a pointed arch of her brow as she sips at her drink. ] At least if it's cold, you can always layer, right?
That's true but the pros outweigh the cons of summer. [ it helped that he hadn't really dealt with a heavy winter until he'd been dropped here. everything else had been chilly but not terribly cold. they could wear jackets and hats and gloves and still be okay while they were moving around. ]
Anyway, my turn. [ he'd answered her question so he got a question. that was how it worked, right? ] Morning or night?
[ well, he doesn't know that! maybe was all about the sun rising over the mountains while sipping freshly brewed coffee. but apparently she was the 'bury yourself in bed until noon' type. nothing wrong with that. ]
Invisibility. More benefits to that one than flying.
[ flying was a great way to make an escape but so was no one being able to see him. but invisibility meant getting into places he shouldn't be without anyone noticing as well. couldn't do that with flying. ]
Would you rather tell someone a secret or confess your biggest regret?
[ he wasn't asking what they were, just what she'd prefer. ]
[ he was too cute to need to do that. she's pretty sure he could get a view if he just asked nicely.
but as far as getting a straight answer out of her... well. maybe not. caroline visibly fidgets, a thumb dragging around the rim of her glass, as she tries to decide how to answer. ]
What if they're the same?
[ in reality, they aren't. caroline's secret (her vampirism) isn't a regret. but killing a man to stay alive... that was. ]
[ okay, he hadn't expected that and it gives him pause before he shrugs. ]
Then I guess the question would be: confess or lie?
[ not any easier of a question, he knows. there's a lot of things that he's lying to her about now by virtue of not telling her when he probably should.
but, they're talking about her right now and not him. ]
[ she tries to look casual in the sip of her drink, but it's a futile thing. caroline has never been a good liar, even worse when asked outright, and though he's not explicitly asking her whether she's going to confess something or continue keeping it a secret, she feels the heat under her metaphorical collar all the same. ]
Neither.
[ not the way you play the game. but she doesn't care. ]
I wouldn't confess, but I wouldn't lie either. If they didn't ask, it's not a lie.
[ she makes a good point. he reaches for his glass and tips it back, swallowing some of the alcohol before settling the cup back down. ]
I agree with you.
[ if no one asked you what you were hiding, then they wouldn't know you were hiding anything and thus you didn't have to lie. he nods once and then gestures to her. ]
Go 'head. [ even if he doesn't press her for answers, he does notice that she'd gotten a little less confident than usual during that question. which he takes to mean there's something she's not telling him. he hasn't earned the right to ask her about that though. ] Do your worst.
[ as the cup settles on the table, caroline leans forward, topping off his and hers glasses with a small pour. not enough to be a full glass, but just enough to refill from what's been taken in. ]
If you want something, do you think you should go after it or wait for it to come to you?
the thought rips through him and he slumps a little against the table, trying to cover the sudden surge of emotions by appearing to be in thought. he wants his kid and nothing had worked then. he'd gone after her, nearly died. he'd stayed away and lorna had just...sent her away.
that's what he wanted but he wasn't going to get it. ever. he picks up his drink but doesn't knock it back. ]
[ she nearly reaches out, hand arching forward to rest against his own, but something stops her. the empathy bond, the tension in his voice, the way he clutches at his drink but doesn't commit to it. her palm falls to the table between them with a soft thump instead, only to retreat to the side of her glass. ]
Would you have been satisfied if you hadn't tried to go after it?
[ to caroline, that's the difference. if she really wanted something, she went for it. it may not work out, she may not succeed, but if she wasn't willing to make it happen, she didn't really want it. ]
[ he takes a sip of the drink and blows out a breath. ]
I needed to try.
[ but he just hated failing. he wallows for a second longer before he shakes his head. he needs to stop thinking about this or it's going to ruin his entire mood. ]
Having a lot of friends that don't know you very well or having a few very close friends that know everything about you?
[ it was a tough question. before she'd died, caroline would have said a lot of friends, hands down, no question. she'd practically been the queen bee of mystic falls — having a lot of friends was a necessity. but in the wake of coming back to life (or something like it), caroline had found that she didn't want a crowd.
she still had lots of friends — even here, she seemed to make one everywhere she went — but it would never be the same. so her answer is considered, a touch more serious, when she finally gives it. ]
A few that I can trust, I think. I've done the 'everybody's your friend but nobody really cares' thing, it's not all that great.
[ see: drunken caroline in the grill, crying about being everybody's second choice. ]
[v it's the answer he would have chosen too. he'd never been popular, not with how he'd come up in the world but the people around him now (or the people that had been around him) had been some of his closest friends and therefore he'd trusted them with everything.
it was hard to be back at the beginning with people he doesn't know and trying to decide if it was okay to trust them enough to open up. he's still not sure. ]
It doesn't sound like it is.
[ again, it's never really been his thing. he'd either had no friends or done the close friends things. he'd had professional allies that he used when he'd done the unthinkable to survive and he had the underground. his family. ]
[ it's not. but she doesn't want to dwell on it, either, because it doesn't matter. she may not have stefan here to lean on when her cravings get bad, and she may not have her best friends here for when she needed them, but she was making it work. ]
Would you rather be poor and in love or rich and alone?
[ this time, she doesn't hide the way she watches him for a response. ]
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[ okay, mr broody tuesday, you can tone down the grouch factor. she's not put off by it... mostly because she's an expert in Ignoring It. instead, caroline pours herself another glass, tipping it gently in his direction before taking a sip. ]
And you know what I meant.
[ back to the safehouse, not back to where they came from. if they wallowed in that misery, they'd never get out of it. all they can do is keep moving forward. persevere, like scarlett o'hara. ]
If you want another glass, you have to actually talk to me. I didn't get this so you could sulk.
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Talk to you about what?
[ he folds his hands in front of him and nods. if she wants to talk, he's been known to be able to do that here and there lately. he could hold a conversation without being a total jackass. ]
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I don't know. You said I don't know you, so let's change that. [ as if to entice, she drapes a half-pour into his glass, sliding it over to him. ] Or we can play 20 Questions, if you'd rather.
[ truly adult conversation starters ]
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[ he takes the drink and curls his fingers around it but doesn't immediately do anything but hold it. he taps the glass against the wood, thoughtful for a few seconds, before figuring out something easy he could tell her. ]
Soy de Bogotá, Colombia. Probablemente nunca hayas estado, pero a veces hace calor y está mojado e incómodo No es un lugar fácil para vivir a menos que conozcas a las personas adecuadas. Ah, y puedo hablar español.
[ he actually follows that with a smile because maybe she knows spanish, maybe she doesn't but he's pretty pleased with himself for going that route with some information. don't worry, he'd translate if needed. ]
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her brow furrows in confusion, not by the words themselves, but why he'd start with something so basic. ]
Okay. [ she does not speak spanish, but that's probably obvious from the everything about her. ] I'm from Mystic Falls. It's in Virginia, it's really small, nobody's ever heard of it. [ mostly because the supernatural vibes prevent that... but still. ] And I haven't been to Columbia, but I do really like margaritas.
[ that's... not the same. at all. ]
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maybe after he has another few drinks. instead, he just motions to her with his hand and says: ] Twenty questions, then. Go.
[ ask your question, caroline, and we'll see what falls out of his mouth on this fine day. he does file away the information she's given him. it is simple and plain but it's still something about her that he likes knowing. ]
I'm an open book.
[ ha ha. ]
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Okay. If you could choose, would it be always summer or always winter?
[ starting off with something easy and probably not likely to have traumatic backstory. ]
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[ it's what he's used to. it's hot in colombia, hot in atlanta, hot in all the places he's been with the mutant underground. it's always comfortable but it does make a lot of things easier. ]
It makes moving around a lot easier if there's no snow on the ground. I can deal with rain but cold weather makes things difficult.
[ and when you needed to move resources or people, you didn't want it to be too hard. ]
Plus, I can get a good tone. [ ha ha, that's a joke. he can make them sometimes. ]
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[ that's fair. it doesn't exactly snow in virginia, either, so she doesn't have a ton of experience in real winter. not like new tokyo winter, anyway. she can rock a cute coat, though. ]
But you can only take so much off, though. [ a pointed arch of her brow as she sips at her drink. ] At least if it's cold, you can always layer, right?
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Anyway, my turn. [ he'd answered her question so he got a question. that was how it worked, right? ] Morning or night?
[ she went simple so he returns the favor. ]
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[ dances, fireworks, underground fights, clandestine meetings... ]
Pick a superpower: flying or invisibility?
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Invisibility. More benefits to that one than flying.
[ flying was a great way to make an escape but so was no one being able to see him. but invisibility meant getting into places he shouldn't be without anyone noticing as well. couldn't do that with flying. ]
Would you rather tell someone a secret or confess your biggest regret?
[ he wasn't asking what they were, just what she'd prefer. ]
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[ he was too cute to need to do that. she's pretty sure he could get a view if he just asked nicely.
but as far as getting a straight answer out of her... well. maybe not. caroline visibly fidgets, a thumb dragging around the rim of her glass, as she tries to decide how to answer. ]
What if they're the same?
[ in reality, they aren't. caroline's secret (her vampirism) isn't a regret. but killing a man to stay alive... that was. ]
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Then I guess the question would be: confess or lie?
[ not any easier of a question, he knows. there's a lot of things that he's lying to her about now by virtue of not telling her when he probably should.
but, they're talking about her right now and not him. ]
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Neither.
[ not the way you play the game. but she doesn't care. ]
I wouldn't confess, but I wouldn't lie either. If they didn't ask, it's not a lie.
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[ she makes a good point. he reaches for his glass and tips it back, swallowing some of the alcohol before settling the cup back down. ]
I agree with you.
[ if no one asked you what you were hiding, then they wouldn't know you were hiding anything and thus you didn't have to lie. he nods once and then gestures to her. ]
Go 'head. [ even if he doesn't press her for answers, he does notice that she'd gotten a little less confident than usual during that question. which he takes to mean there's something she's not telling him. he hasn't earned the right to ask her about that though. ] Do your worst.
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If you want something, do you think you should go after it or wait for it to come to you?
[ something, or someone? or both? ]
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[ he's done it both ways with varying degrees of success but it's all very dependent on what you're going after. or who you're going after, as well. ]
One way might work for one thing but not for another. Can you be more specific? What am I going after?
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[ a brow arches as her glass is lifted to her lips, a considerably slower sip punctuating the statement. ]
What do you want?
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the thought rips through him and he slumps a little against the table, trying to cover the sudden surge of emotions by appearing to be in thought. he wants his kid and nothing had worked then. he'd gone after her, nearly died. he'd stayed away and lorna had just...sent her away.
that's what he wanted but he wasn't going to get it. ever. he picks up his drink but doesn't knock it back. ]
What I want I won't get. I've tried it both ways.
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Would you have been satisfied if you hadn't tried to go after it?
[ to caroline, that's the difference. if she really wanted something, she went for it. it may not work out, she may not succeed, but if she wasn't willing to make it happen, she didn't really want it. ]
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[ he takes a sip of the drink and blows out a breath. ]
I needed to try.
[ but he just hated failing. he wallows for a second longer before he shakes his head. he needs to stop thinking about this or it's going to ruin his entire mood. ]
Having a lot of friends that don't know you very well or having a few very close friends that know everything about you?
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she still had lots of friends — even here, she seemed to make one everywhere she went — but it would never be the same. so her answer is considered, a touch more serious, when she finally gives it. ]
A few that I can trust, I think. I've done the 'everybody's your friend but nobody really cares' thing, it's not all that great.
[ see: drunken caroline in the grill, crying about being everybody's second choice. ]
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it was hard to be back at the beginning with people he doesn't know and trying to decide if it was okay to trust them enough to open up. he's still not sure. ]
It doesn't sound like it is.
[ again, it's never really been his thing. he'd either had no friends or done the close friends things. he'd had professional allies that he used when he'd done the unthinkable to survive and he had the underground. his family. ]
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Would you rather be poor and in love or rich and alone?
[ this time, she doesn't hide the way she watches him for a response. ]
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