i welcome death

ELSA VAN HELSING ---> 25 --> RECEPTIONIST --> NEW SALEM

Species: Cursed Human Sexuality: Questioning Pronouns: She/Her Favorite Song: The Drug In Me Is You by Falling In Reverse Big Three: Scorpio sun, Virgo moon, Aries rising

Dani shook her head at the offer for a smoke; she had always thought it looked cool, but upon her first puff of one, she thought she was going to cough up a lung. Max probably wouldn’t remember that, though, since it was at about the same place they were standing now. “Yeah, I do. Why else do you think I keep finding my way here?” Dani agreed, giving her friend a small smile. “Maybe we should just rip the bandaid together. You know, holding each other accountable, some bullshit like that. I should probably get home for dinner, anyway.”

-

Elsa shrugged again. “I mean, I don’t even give a shit about the Sanderson Sisters and this place sucks me in its vortex sometimes. I mean, I can only look at that hideous painting of them so many times before I wanna commit acts of vandalism.” She almost tried tagging the place once, but she got a little spooked. Like the building was alive and was gonna eat her or something. But she wasn’t going to tell Dani about that. “Alright, fine,” she flicked her cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. “I guess all great things must come to an end.”

Dani had been hanging around the periphery of the Sanderson house more than she wanted to admit since Max had dragged her and Allison there. She had only run into one of the sisters once, so she would consider that a bit of a victory, but she hadn’t expected to see anyone else outside. Dani looked at one of Allison’s friends, who she recognized easily, with a smile, approaching the house. “Van Helsnig,” she greeted, leaning against the siding of the house. “You know, just a little solo research trip. My stupid brother brought Alli and I here last week, but I figured I could do more on my own. What about you?” Dani asked, nodding her head toward the house.

-

“Always racking that big brain of yours,” she teased, flicking some of the ash off of her cigarette. “Just the classic tale of loitering. I was on my way home but...I dunno. The weird pull this place has pulled me in today. You know how that is.” She didn’t think it was because of any weird magic or anything like that. Then again, weird magic wouldn’t be far-fetched. Elsa has seen plenty of weird shit in this town. At least...she thought she did. Every time she really tried to remember she got a headache. Probably for the best. “You want a cigarette?” She couldn’t actually remember if Dani smoked, but hey, it didn’t hurt to ask.

Elsa always hated this museum. It wasn’t because it was spooky or anything; in fact the creep factor was the only thing that really invited her to it half the time. It was just the fact that she couldn’t remember how long it had been there. A nagging voice in her head wants to say since forever but she knows in her soul that isn’t right. She can’t really explain it, but something felt off whenever she was near the place, so she tended to steer clear of it altogether. The only reason she was even outside it today was because she desperately needed a cigarette and this was the closest place to loiter on her trek home. She had just fished a cigarette out of her bag when she spotted a familiar redhead and she gave a small wave and a slight grin to the girl. “Hey Dani,” she said, bringing the cigarette to her lips. “What brings you to think old place? I thought you hated this place too.”

☾

Allison listened as she talked and felt the tension in her chest loosen. Everything Elsa was saying was nice, just not how she’d been seeing it. In fact she’d been doing anything but see it for what it actually was. Whatever feelings she had for him were phantom pains now and a friendship that could be close again was hard to imagine with their history. “I don’t even think he’d want that… I don’t even know if I want that!” She said pointing at herself before getting out a deep exhale. When it came to boys though, Elsa was most certainly right. “And that they are,” Allison said letting out the last bit of air from her lungs. “I just want him to be happy, I don’t care if it isn’t with me. We’re not there yet and I wouldn’t expect him to wait for me to like maybe get there anyway,”

-

Elsa wanted to shake her a little bit. If she still couldn’t see the way Max looked at her. It was like she was the coolest girl he had ever seen in his life; and if she was that blind to it maybe she was the crazy one here. She would never call her friend crazy though, so she just shook her head. “He would wait for you though. You know that, right?” She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but hey, Allison deserved to at least know that much if she wasn’t already aware. “I mean...he’s been waiting. At least, that is what it looks like from the outside. I don’t really know much about actual relationships, so maybe I’m the stupid one here but...it just kinda looks like you both want to make a move but aren’t sure how to get there again. Fresh starts aren’t the worst thing in the world, right? Right. So maybe restarting a relationship wouldn’t be the very worst thing in the world?”

☾

There wasn’t always a right answer, no matter how much Allison wanted one. Everything with Max felt more complicated recently. Not that she wasn’t happy to be back with him and Dani, adventuring like apparently they used to, it just brought up so many feelings. Her heart was finally full but she had no idea where the memories were to explain why she felt this way about them. Dani was like her little sister and Max could still make her smile when he walked in a room. It was like her heart remembered more than her brain did. “I want to but… Max is weird too. There’s like this girl he’s been talking to and now she’s showing up at my work and stuff. It all gives me a bad feeling.” Allison exhaled and crossed her legs to get more comfortable. “Why do boys have to be so weird about everything? Like he could’ve just told me he was seeing someone but he hasn’t even mentioned her. It’s not like I’m going to freak out and ruin it, I want him to be happy.” 

-

Elsa raised an eyebrow. She was kinda glad she never had to really deal with jealousy. Viktor was a social outcast and he isolated himself even as a kid unless he was with his friends. Max? He seemed like a social butterfly. The good kind of guy that plenty of people would want in their life. “Allison, no offense, but have you seen yourself? You’re smokin;, you’re smart, you’re popular, you’re sweet and thoughtful....if Max doesn’t get back with you or isn’t still begging for it, he is verifiably insane.” She was being really serious too. Max was fun and all but Allison was the one who had nothing to worry about. Max should be more worried that Allison is gonna fall for someone new. She deserves to be happy. “Boys are just wired to be complicated and a little dumb. Even when they are textbook geniuses.” She gave her a look. “I know you want him to be happy but....do you want him to be happy with you or someone else?”

☾

There was comfort in knowing someone appreciated having Mavis around, a reminder that others liked her presence enough to be around her was rewarding after a life of very brief friendships. While the idea of breaking rules was daunting, she had to recognize the merit in being daring and the adventure that can come from it. Perhaps having someone around her with a rebellious nature might be what she needs to fully get what she can out of life. “As long as you don’t break the rules around the hotel, I can get on board with that.” It wasn’t hard to fathom the need to escape from what the other had experienced, “That I can understand, no one should be forced to do anything they don’t want to. I don’t blame you for wanting to get out of that environment.” With a recollection of Elsa mentioning feeling trapped in New Salem, Mavis was left wondering if being around her uncle was the cause of it. “I hope you don’t let it affect the way you see your hometown though, there’s got to be some good around here, right?”

Mavis had never thought about it before, the way she and ghosts communicated was something she picked up in life. The very question surprised her and brought out an honest answer from what she’s experienced. “You can just feel it in the atmosphere, the way a scenery will react is the most telling. Like, just then the wind moved the branches and it could have made this crazy garbled mess of branches slapping against one another but instead they all just swayed to the side almost like shushing us.” It took her a second to realize she’d disclosed evidence on the supernatural. While it was mainly vampires she looked out for, other creatures deserved privacy and confidentiality from humans. “Or so I’ve read! It’s something I picked up in a book once, it’s not grounded in science but it’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to answers. Better than all those fake shows that use all those radios and recorders, anyhow. If the dead could truly speak to us then I doubt they’d reveal themselves for a reality show.”

-

Elsa snorted. She would never actually break any rules that would ruin her once paradise. The hotel was a little intense sometimes, but it felt more like home than her actual home did. She would be stupid to fuck that up. “I promise to never ever mess with the hotel and it’s glorious rules. Scouts honor. I was one of those once. I do not want to talk about it though.” Another example of things her uncle made her do that resulted with her getting kicked out for being too gloomy. Which she supposed that was relevant to what they were talking about, but she really didn’t need to hold emphasis on it. She had to think about some sort of good. It was a real brain scratcher. “I mean, I have some friends. Though some of them aren’t the same people they used to be...and I don’t think they even live here anymore...but at the time it was really nice. I miss how things used to be here sometimes. Forced town spirit and all.”

She listened intensely when she spoke about the ghosts. It was one of her special interests so she was happy to have the knowledge. She had never thought about these kinds of things before and now she was only going to think about these kinds of things. “I can be super quiet if the spirits want me to. I am not trying to upset anyone here of all places.” She titled her head curiously at her. She did talk like she knew from personal experience but her claiming she read about it contradicted that. “What book is this? I would really like to check it out for those nights when sleep is impossible.” Which was at least four of the seven days out of the week. “I admit I do indulge in the fake shows sometimes. I can’t help it...I find them hilarious.”

Elsa snorted, shaking her head at him. “Are you constantly haunted by demons?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I am haunted by ghosts...well, not the actual ghosts but still ghosts. ‘Cause you know ghost are memories....ghost are regret and pain and longing....Normally the haunting is a guilty conscious, really. Or some shit like that....” She trailed off before laughing again. “Yeah, I’m higher than I thought I was. I’m good for now.”

Elsa wasn’t really sure how she found herself so attached to the bouncy blonde next to her, but Willow was truly a dime a dozen. She was so peppy and everything Elsa was not, but she was also so damn smart and could keep up with Elsa whenever they talked about...well, anything. She was like a hidden treasure wrapped up in a person and she was honestly so grateful to have found her in this new place, even though she never really said much aloud.

That was actually what her poem was about. They had been walking around for a while and inspiration just kind of hit and before Elsa knew it she was scratching something down as she walked, almost tripping over her own feet a few times. She had done her best to pay attention to Willow and her words too, but really they just made her own jumbled mess become something nice. It was one of the happiest and most hopeful things she has ever written. Surely, this girl was rubbing off on her already, despite Elsa fighting every urge in her to reject it. “I would really like that,” she said honestly. Sharing her work has never been an issue and she knew Willow would actually appreciate it. “You’re going to be hearing a lot of morbid stuff, but at least you know it comes from my heart, right?”

☾

While Mavis appreciated her father’s intentions, keeping someone confined is something she would never imagine doing to someone else. Elsa made the situation sound like a pleasure when it did stray a bit from the reality of it. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, I love the hotel with all my heart and my dad did keep me safe but I feel like I’ve missed out on so many things and experiences. I’m just glad I can do whatever I want now. Well— I can do a lot more now than I couldn’t do before.” She’d pondered a quick thought before expressing it out loud, “Funny how sometimes what we’re used to can be a nice dream for someone else.”

“How was it living with your uncle? What does he do for a living?” Mavis had an inclination in learning of the lives of her employees. If she was going to be a good boss, taking care of their needs and wants was a must. She pondered Elsa’s childhood as they made their way to the cemetery. As they reached the welcoming gates, Mavis beamed at the grim setting, ready to explore the new environment. Being around so many creatures, she had a keen eye to when some supernatural entities were near. Already a few feet into the graveyard, she knew she was in the presence of ghosts and looked for signs they were friendly. The rattling of tree branches in harmonious tone during a slight breeze was enough for her to determine their reaction, “We’ll be fine, the ghosts are harmless today.”

-

Elsa really appreciated her perspective. She was right in a lot of ways. People tended to fantasize about the life they didn’t have while there were people with that life who fantasized about theirs. It was funny, how people did that. “I’m glad I get to meet the Mavis I see now. The one who gets to figure herself out and see as much of our world as you can.” She smiled at her. She didn’t smile often, but it came a little easier to do so with Mavis than most people. “I am the right person to go to for new experiences. I enjoy doing most things that I’m not really allowed to do. I dunno. Me and rules are in a very complciated reltionship.”

When she asked about her uncle she hestiated for a moment. She didn’t want her to think she was some ungrateful brat because she constantly defied her uncle who gave them the comfort to live a nice life. At the same time, she wondered how Mavis would react in general. “Living with my uncle is full of....high expectations met with low standards. He umm...He works for the mayor and stuff....tried to really pull me into the New Salem spirit but as you can see....” she gestured to herself. “I am about as peppy as the graveyard.” She watched Mavis for a moment before following her in. “How do you know that?” she asked, her curioisity furhtering. “I believe you, I do. I just...how can you see that?”