Miss Everwood

Taking a breath he smiled trying to be supportive —do what’s best for her, he told himself. “Does it now, little one?”

“Yeah...really good.”

He almost felt it too —the minute she turned it off. It was like her entire stance changed but he simply tightened his arms around her a little more. —He lost her.

"Oh, my god." She hummed, leaning her head. "This is amazing."

"I’ll take it as a compliment."

"Don't."

He was worried about her emotional state, her sanity. Coming to terms with dying yourself and realizing you would outlive everyone that’ll ever come to matter to you were two very different things. “It’s never too late.” he said a bit uncomfortable. Worried.

Shock was an understatement and, if he was honest, in all the centuries he walked around the earth he had never bothered turning off his emotions —he never had many to begin with. “Are you sure it’s for the best?” he asked just for the sake of giving her something to reconsider. “You will lose a big part of you..maybe never get it back…”

"It's too late for that." She whispered, looking away.

"Oh? That practically makes us family too, doesn’t it? Extended, perhaps. What with your friend being cosy with my sire. And he’s - well - we’re quite close. Much like siblings."

"No, that makes you a nuisance. Just like your master."

"I know, Ali love, I know…" he sighed stroking her hair. "I’m so sorry… I wish I could bring them back to you —for you." He had been alone for centuries, insensitive to the loss of family, but she wasn’t. She was too young to be. "I’m sorry…" he kept muttering against her hair.

"I'm turning it off." She whispered, stilling her body against his and closing her eyes. "It's too much."

"Oh, so Alice is not your friend, then."

"No, she's not. She's family."

Natasha managed to dodge the boulder just before it hit her, though she didn’t retaliate. “Every time I see you you’re upset. Perhaps you should kill yourself. I hear it’s the easier way out.”

"You go first." 

He sat next to her and pulled her to him. “This isn’t your life, love…” he sighed. “I understand it —it must be hard on you. And I know from experience how easy it is to just..not care” he said stroking her back “—but you are so much better than that. So much…”

"Dev, there's only so much I can take..."

"He wasn’t wrong. You are smart. FYI, not Klaus’ little minion. But if it makes you feel better, sure, call me that. It’s funny how your friends are comfortable around me, and you… Odd one out? How’s vampirism treating you?"

"Smart is an understatement." She replied, watching him. "I don't have any friends here so I'm not exactly sure you're referring too. And I don't know where you got this idea that I'm going to open up to you as if we're old buddies but I'm not. So save your breath."

Are you always this cranky?

Yes. Now, what do you want?

Ali love —are you okay? What’s wrong?

"...Let's see. My parents are dead, my hometown is supernatural wasteland—causing me to relocate across country, and I'm fighting the exceptionally strong urge to cut off my humanity. Other than that everything is just great. How about you? Are you okay?"