she doesn’t quite understand the depth of it all. while the circumstances of their meeting can be questioned easily, she doesn’t do so. it feels intrinsic, even if she’s having trouble keeping her cool.  “ thanks. it’s … getting better, with time, ” she replies with a small shrug, mirroring his smile. as dismal as the subject can be ( especially in recent times ), elena finds that it isn’t at the center of her scope, for once. he doesn’t seem like the type to indulge in something so artsy, so her eyebrows raise slightly at the fact that he writes, too. then again, she’s only just met him. there’s a natural intuition and need to know more. in due time, of course, should time warrant that opportunity. “ definitely. but i’m assuming you don’t write in yours at a cemetery. ” a beat. “ are you— going to school here, too ? ”

veronika’s face fell swiftly as the realization dawned on. “dear god what has she done this time?” she muttered, energy draining by the second. she rustled uncomfortably and prepared for a fight. “listen whatever katerina has done this time i’m sorry but i can’t help you. if it’s already done it’s done and i can’t be held accountable for the bullshit she pulls. or katherine, whatever name she goes by these days. i lost track quite honestly.”

it had been a long day of trying to be normal, merely trying to fit in. and part of him didn’t even want to bother trying to be human, but it was elena that was keeping him here, she was driving his every action, making him crave the feeling of being alive again and she didn’t even know it. and because of that, he didn’t want anything to ruin this. for once, he wanted something to work, something good to happen for him, without anything getting in the way, his brother damon included.

he hadn’t seen his older brother in years and at this point, that was how stefan preferred it. ‘an eternity of misery’ he promised him, and stefan knew that if damon even got the slightest hint of elena’s existence, he’d come running to mystic falls in a second. as he made his way up the stairs of the salvatore boarding house and into his room, his brows furrowed in confusion. the windows were wide open and some of his belongings were scattered on the floor. and suddenly, it was as if he thought to soon. he felt that familiar, cold presence of doom standing behind him and slowly, he turned around. “damon.”

i defff wanna get more threads going for stef and ophelia, so give this a like if you want a private starter and specify in the replies which charrie you'd prefer or i'll just pick at random!!

“ah no. i’m from seattle, though my family is bulgarian. i’m here…visiting… my sister.” she said, teeth gritted. a colder breeze picked up rustling the leaves on the ground. the sharp tang of autumn filled her nose and she inhaled, hyperaware of everything around her. “i’m the curator at the mystic falls history museum. you kids should come down sometime. i promise nothing in there bites, well at least not anymore.”

“  you’re really getting into it, huh ? you thinkin’ of joining the football team, being one of the cool guys ? damn, something’s definitely gotten into you  —  i’m onto you, salvatore.  ”  she clicked her tongue, trying to think of a reasonable excuse to be a high schooler again.  “  i’ll have you know that i have not broken any glasses, just… nearly dropped the one.  ”  lexi couldn’t hold back a smile, letting one emerge onto her lips. at the mention of his motorcycle, she spun around to face him.  “  the ol’ motorcycle, huh ? not as nearly as beautiful as your porsche, but definitely fun. come on, let’s get out of here.  ”  she set down the glass on the bar, checking to see if they were in the clear, and went toward the door. thank god it was cloudy out.  “  speaking of weird things, like you going back to high school, what’s your verdict on the animal attacks ?  ”  lexi questioned, once outside.

“ right, ” she nods again ( lots of nodding going on ) before shooting him a gaze that spills with sympathy. “ i’m sorry about your family. ” of course, elena has no idea that stefan’s rather erudite on the topic of her own life’s events. to her, he’s just a stranger who happened to have come across her pen. ( a really nice, likable stranger, at that. ) there’s a hint of regret that piques in her eyes at having mentioned the purpose of their shared visit so quickly, since the topic of dead family members isn’t very good chit chat material. still, they are meeting at a rather peculiar place; what else could she have expected ? “ my story ? well, uh— i’m visiting people, too. and i like writing here. hence, the diary. sounds weird, i know. ”

the mention of his parents goes by almost unnoticed, but even that is a rather commendable feat for someone whose thoughts have tread that path for what has felt like countless eternities strung together by a grieving fate. she lets it pass easily. instead, she’s fixated on him; his every detail, his story. though she doesn’t realize it, it’s one of the few moments in which her mind hasn’t traveled to dim, dreary quarters in weeks, maybe months. she nods as he explains his origins, entranced by his every word.  “ is that why you’re here ? to get away from the creepy stares ? ” she asks, a playful smile crossing her lips before her previous one even has a chance to properly fade. no one visits the graveyard for no reason, but there’s always a unifying theme when it comes to the motives of the cementary’s visitors; they’re usually seeking solace or visiting a loved one, and elena’s interested in finding out if either of those apply to him.

“  hey, i totally would have caught that if you hadn’t caught it first !  ”  doubtful, yet hopeful. she shoved her shoulder against his, shaking her head.  “  oh, so this is some last hurrah before you’re subjected back to that hell ? which, may i remind you, is a stupid decision. i mean, school over getting paid with a job or even just relaxing at home ? you’re losing it, stef. ”  she squinted at him, trying to understand his method of madness. stefan was already smart, already knew everything that school could teach him, so why was he so insistent on being a high schooler again ? lexi walked back toward the bar, setting down the glass before turning back to the other vampire.  “  you got me, i’m in. anything on your mind ?  ”

“That’s correct..” he could tell the male was reading him like a book, which only made him even more amused; he’d been this way for over four hundred years now and he had his reasons for it but that time had done nothing but make him ruthless, vulgar and easily able to bend situations and people to his will…if he needed to.

“Hey, some of us want the picket fence lifestyle don’t hold it against us…-” a lie of course, he knew exactly why he was here and it was far from that reason.

she’d been in town for about a week, continuously checking off tasks she needed to do. surprise and overwhelm stefan salvatore with her return, check. acquire a badass job that was easy to do, check. stay out of other peoples business and let someone else handle the suspicious animal attacks… well, she was working on it. lexi had offered to deliver one of the plates to the tables, as she was back in the kitchen, but managed to drop the empty glass she was carrying in the other hand. “  well, aren’t you a gentleman ? ” she questioned, spinning around.  “  don’t you have school, or something else to do besides save my ass from getting fired ? ”

the time lapse would have seemed longer, had she not be in a trance herself; she assumes it’s only because of the sudden encounter. maybe he feels something, too ? elena is accustomed to sporting a smile of forged origins, but the one that crosses her countenance now is far more genuine than usual. still, she’s on edge, trying incredibly hard ( an understatement ) not to embarrass herself more than she already has. her head tilts to the side in a timid manner, eyes trained on him. during the brief moment that he’s glancing towards their surroundings, she fidgets slightly, beaming to herself even when their gaze isn’t connected.  “ stefan, ” she repeats. “ i’m elena. ” her eyebrows furrow slightly, taking notice of the fact that he’s so unfamiliar. a rare occurrence here in mystic falls, definitely worth noting. “ you’re new around here, aren’t you? ” she asks, feeling a sudden urge to clarify her words. “… it’s small town. ”

every year, on the week before classes started, caroline would go shopping for new clothes to wear at school. she always thought that dressing well was important && now that she was definitely one of the most popular girls at school, it mattered even more. she couldn’t walk around in sweats && her hair up in a bun, not when she wanted to stand out && be NOTICED by everyone. the blonde just had existed one of her favorite boutiques when she felt someone touch her arm && speak to her. what could she possibly have dropped ?? caroline thought to herself as she swiveled on her heels to face the person who had spoken to her. the second her eyes landed on him, she FROZE. the first thing caroline noticed were his eyes; they were a shade of green she had never seen before in her life. then her gaze dropped and she was met with his chiseled jaw; her fingertips tingled, wanting to touch it. but she didn’t want him to think she was CRAZY, especially before she even had a chance to flirt with him. caroline’s gaze dropped once more, this time to his hand, && she spotted her wallet. ❝ oh… ❞ her brows furrowed instantly. she could’ve sworn she had placed the wallet inside her purse; but giving the amount of shopping bags she had in her arms, dropping something along the way wasn’t that unlikely. ❝ i thought i’d put this on my purse. ❞ caroline voiced her thoughts to the stranger, reaching to take the wallet from his hand && brushing her fingers against his when she pulled back. ❝ i feel like most people would take it, especially if they saw there was any money inside. ❞ she chuckled, brushing a stray hair out of her face. ❝ so thank you…?? ❞

If Alek had been feeling a little less…interested he would’ve been sure to let the amused expression at the vampire before him but for now and for the sake of keeping up appearances, he’d play along and let the male attempt his clear need for normality and humanity for that matter.

“New, looking for a fresh start…-what made you come back?” he barely gave time for an answer before he let out a calculated laugh. “Don’t tell me you came back for the white picket fence life..-” he already assumed there was more to that story just as there always was.