Impossible Child

D O E S   S H E know what she’s doing ?? telling daphne how to access the alternate universe ( even with her doubt ) when daphne had just warned of the greed of people. either she was naïve or she believed in the good of people, something daphne hadn’t experienced in years. “ there are a few ways , “ daphne answers and the coy smile from before is suddenly back. “ information, i know more than most but finding something I don’t fetches a high price. favours of course, the occasional spell…” she shrugs. “ people pay what they are able, i never ask for more than they can owe. “ of course there were others that offered themselves, their honesty, their loyalty, their lives. in this world there was nothing that couldn’t be bartered with. “ in exchange i can give them a lot of things. “ ( from advice to artefacts to power. but those who dealt with her were few and far between. she was the ghost in the corner of your eye. you wouldn’t know her unless she wanted you to )

.

Hope didn’t think of herself as easily swayed or influenced, but there was something about her companion’s smile, something about her eyes, that made it all but impossible to look away.  If she’d been more cognizant of the effect she might have wondered what produced it, how she was drawn in like a fly to a bug zapper, but that required a level of awareness that she didn’t have just then.  So rather than examine the effect, or herself, she smiled in return.  “I’ll keep that in mind; I do have questions that I can’t answer, and I’m not sure what I have to offer in return for answers but we can talk about that when the time comes.”

“The cold is kind of the point,” he laughed. “At least in England. It was never really hot enough to go swimming. Unless you got lucky in summer. So there was a game of jumping in the freezing water as a dare. It was about if you had the guts to do it. Though, you had to know the water well enough to know when it would freeze over, don’t really know that here. But I suppose i can find something else to do.” 

.

“Ohhh, so it was like one of those polar bear swims but all year round, huh?” Hope smiled.  “That sounds like an interesting dare, but I can spoil how it’d turn out here: the water in Mystic Falls is very cold until about July.  So if you want to try that, you’ll end up cold.  I’d recommend finding something else.”

Alex laughed at her sister’s words. “You know I was thinking about the hollow… i can tell i donn’t have it, you know? But I was thinking, if we move it to me, at least part of it. Do you think that would effect the spell that’s bring people back?” Was it something they should think about before doing. “As I recall, I did have more friends than you when I went to the salvatore school,” she joked. “So i think it will be okay.” 

.

Hope was silent as she considered that, regarding her sister.  “I don’t think it would.  The spell’s been cast, it’s out in the world, and as far as I know even the Hollow can’t call it back now.  It should be safe to split it between us, as far as I can tell.”  Although they could still study it first.  Alex’s reply made her laugh.  “Not much of a contest, I was never good at making friends.”

N O W  T H A T was quite the piece of information. daphne finds her interest peeked and renewed. “ if you want my honest advice … “ daphne sighs and lowers her voice. “ you don’t explain. you don’t tell them , not something like that . you tell only the people that need to know and even then be careful . “ she knows what knowledge does , how dangerous it could be . it’s why the artefacts and grimoires she’d found remained secret and hidden . “ if you tell them , some will panic and others … my faith in people is not absolute , they’ll want to conquer the way they always do. and an alternate universe with power and artefacts with different fates to the ones in ours will be coveted like no other . “ she knows too well the greed of men ( it was something she felt , an aura they all had, sins clear and unhidden in a sirens eyes ) but that’s all the advice she’ll give no matter how pretty the face that has a dilemma. “ but that’s all you get from me for free, sweet girl. “

.

Hope nodded, taking all of that in along with a sip from her soda.  “The alternate universe is probably okay,” she explained, “you’d need a wish to get there and even then I doubt it.  What worries me is if that same monster, guarded by the same company, is in this universe.  Because that would be a problem.  You’re right, though.  Alex and I both thought something similar, that telling people is just...asking for trouble.”  She raised an eyebrow, curious.  “Not that I necessarily want more, but...if I did, how does a person pay for it, exactly?”

W E L L  T H E N … that was something you didn’t see every day. leif’s eyebrows raise before he nods. “ right … i have a feeling im gonna need a bigger post it note. “ there’s a touch of him that’s wary , the combination of wolf and vampire is something he knows to be unique to his brothers. maybe he needs to do more research. she seems nice however, almost familiar … “ witch too huh , what happened ?? hand slipped when choosing your fate ?? “ he jokes before becoming a touch sombre. “ being dead for a thousand years … i hadn’t thought the world would change this much . “

.

“I’d suggest maybe a cork board, something you can hang on the wall and pin all of your notes to,” Hope smiled.  “I mean, it turns out I’m just not that good at making decisions and so I picked everything.  No one told me that was against the rules until afterward.”  Which was oddly close to the truth, somehow.  “A thousand...wow.  Yeah, the world’s changed a lot even in the last hundred, never mind the last thousand.  Are you settling in okay, though?  If you need money or food or whatever, I can help.”

She nodded in agreement. “Someone throw a snow ball at me and I already went full wolf on them,” she admitted, knowing that that reaction was going to be hard to turn off. “It’s only happened to me a few 100 times so far, I guess you will get it in return when I make some friends.” 

.

“Oh damn - yeah, that’s fair enough.  It would have felt like an attack, especially after how long we were on edge.  But as long as you didn’t kill them or wound them too badly I’d say you’re doing alright.”  Hope laughed, nodding.  “I’m sure I will, and that’ll happen before you know it.”

“Yes,” she chuckled. “And I’m also pretty excited to find another of these plants. I haven’t seen one since I was a child.” She moved to place the plant behind the counter on the display she had been setting up. “So what can I help you with?”

.

“Oh cool - I didn’t know it was rare.  Does it have any special qualities, or just childhood memories?”  The question brought her back to her original purpose in the shop, and Hope smiled.  “I was hoping to order some flowers to send my Aunt for New Years.  Some pink roses, and whatever might go with that.”

“Well Raf and Cassie had planned to go to UVA, so it was kind of in the plans back then…” At least it had been. They hadn’t really talked about it recently or wonder if that supernatural school helped with college. “There is a college here? Kind of figured it would be a little out of my price range.” In that he had zero dollars to his name. 

The shock covered his face when she mentioned the knife, jumping right into the thing that he had been worried about. “I-” he wanted to try and explain but her words didn’t really make any sense. He just nodded at her order. “As in take it away from here? This town?” He wasn’t following but he wanted to help. “I didn’t mean to take it, you know which i know doesn’t make sense but I-I didn’t want it to be like that. i wouldn’t do that after how nice you all where.” 

.

“That would have been a good plan, yeah,” Hope nodded.  “There isn’t yet, but there’ll be one open in time for the fall.  And money won’t be an issue if you wanted to join Raf there.”  The Mikaelson funds would go a long way toward creating an endowment, as they had for the Salvatore school.  “So keep it in mind, at least.”

It still took her aback occasionally to realize that the things she knew, the things Alex knew, weren’t known by anyone else.  Only when he gave her a surprised look did Hope discern how rapidly she’d jumped into the topic.  “No - it doesn’t have to go anywhere, just make sure no one knows where it is.”  His apology softens her expression a little, and she nods.  “I know you didn’t - I promise.  I understand a lot more about the way the knife works now, and it wasn’t your fault.  It wanted to be taken, you were just the easiest way to make that happen.”

Anna looked at the old ancient flower, that she recalled her mother telling her was from the old realm. It was perfect for the apothecary shop. To be as close to her roots, now that she remembers all the things that she had forgotten. She sniffed the flower as the food to the shop opened. “You know what I did miss,” she said. “Flowers. Just being able to smell things.” There was none of that on the other side. And peace was just a blur at this point. There was something alive about being able to smell the world.

@mysticofthefallenstarter​

.

Hope had wandered into the flower shop looking for something to put in the house for New Years Eve, although she was sure her aunt was a million miles ahead of her on preparations.  Hearing the soft voice from beside her, she looked over with a smile.  Clearly the person either had just gotten over a bad cold, which was the less likely option, or she was one of the returned.  “Things are definitely nicer when they feel more real, huh?”

“I would hate to point out that it’s not paranoia if we are right. There was people trying to kill us back there. Or things… i guess is a better word.” She nodded in agreement. ‘Yeah, I guess we shouldn’t be on guard… it’s just hard.” Alex chuckled. “Well we can’t been the same at everything. That would be boring.”

.

“Oh, that wasn’t paranoia, no.  That was mindfulness, or whatever word you want to choose for it.  But I know it’s hard, and trust me when I say I haven’t stopped looking over my shoulder despite my best efforts.”  Hope laughed in response, nodding.  “Plus then we definitely couldn’t get told apart.”

“You know, what? Not today. Though I did see an awesome lake that I’m planning to go jump in at some point,” he said. “Though might be a good idea to wait till summer for that.”  

.

“I’m not an expert or anything, but the water does get a little cold around here in the winter.  So either wait for summer, or just invest in a really good wet suit before you try that?  That’d be my thought at least.”

“College was never really in the cards for us, maybe community college could work, but they plan was for us to get a place and just, work it out,” he said. So he would save his money for that plan. Landon frown slightly at her words. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s got to get better, right? That’s what people always say. Anything I can do?”

.

“Well, don’t write it off completely - there might be a new college in town that you could get into.  But getting a place together sounds pretty good too.”  She was sure Raf would love that.  “Yeah, that’s definitely what they say,” Hope agreed.  “Honestly, I’m not even - no, you know what?  There’s something you can do for my peace of mind.  That knife you stole?  Do not bring it back.  Keep it somewhere hidden and don’t let anyone find it.”

H E R  L A U G H makes him smile and he catches the clothes, slipping them on quickly. “ you aren’t surprised. “ he notes as he smoothes his shirt down. most he encountered were, but this was a different time, a different world. “ are you wolf too ?? fairy ?? witch ?? “ he’d encountered those two the most. “ or do i need to add more to my supernatural glossary ?? “ it was a post it note. but it hey , make do with what you’ve got !

.

“No, it would take a lot more than a wolf to surprise me at this point,” Hope chuckled, only turning back when she was sure that he’d finished dressing.  “I hate to give you more terms to add to your glossary, but I’m a tribrid.  Witch, wolf, vampire.”  She didn’t bother qualifiying that she hadn’t actually activated her vampire side as yet, since it was hardly the point of the conversation.

Finally deciding to make his parentage know to anyone who may be concerned about it, Benji headed back to the Salvatore School. He knew his cousins were now students there and they would be able to explain about his father, and what he was like. Reaching the school door he spotted another and headed up to them. “Hello, I wonder if you could point me in the direction of anyone related to Jo Parker?” 

@mysticofthefallenstarter​

.

Hope wasn’t spending much time at school as she dug more into the mystery of Malivore, but she’d come to classes for the sake of appeasing Alaric - he’d been fairly adamant about it.  She was looking through a notebook when a voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up curiously.  “Jo?  Um, sure - the headmaster was her husband, so we can start there, or I can try and find Josie and Lizzie.  Maybe Alaric’s the best bet?”

// @mysticofthefallenstarter

his father used to say he had a world in his eyes, one a blue so pale it was almost grey, like the light of a silvery moon. the other a deep brown that in the light turned a burning gold, like the ever bright sun. there’s no world to be seen tonight as his eyes burn a different type of gold. his bones crack and shift as the full moon fades into dawn and slowly a wolf turns into a man. leif stretches tilting his head at the other, he’s unsurprised at their appearance. he heard them coming, wolf instincts sharper than human. “ a little early to be in the woods, “ he calls out stepping behind a bush to hide the more exposed parts of himself. “ there’s some clothes in that tree trunk there, can you throw them to me ?? conversations are always a lot more awkward naked. “

.

It was hardly the first time that Hope had seen the aftermath of a shift, so she simply did her best to avoid looking directly at the source of the voice she’d stumbled across.  The evening was crisp and clear, and her evening walk through the woods hadn’t been meant to stumble across anyone, but at least it wasn’t one of the creatures whose appearance she’d been fearing since arriving back in her own world. Grabbing the indicated clothes, she tossed them over and turned her back.  “Naked conversations are almost never fun,” she agreed with a laugh.

“I always liked the second one because at least that way the problems that happened where because you walked into them. And there was at least a little fun before live knocked you on your ass.”

.

“Yeah, I think that’s the option I’d pick too,” Hope admitted.  “Speaking of fun, you been playing golf off any of the rooftops lately?”

“Thanks,” he said. “Honestly it kind of sucks without him around. But I figure it just a little longer and high school will be over and then we will be back together again,” he said. He didn’t need to rush it. At least that was what he was going to keep telling himself. “How are you?”

.

“I know he misses you too,” Hope nodded.  “But you’re right - there’s not that much of school left, really.”  And after that, who knew?  “I don’t even know how to begin answering that,” she admitted with a laugh.  “I’m here?  I’m doing alright, really.  The last while has been pretty rough but that’s life.”