voice; @elena » open

[otrazhenie]

Has anyone found a way to burn things yet?

[ The voice that comes over the network is clearly exhausted, an almost husky rasp to the words that are slightly muffled, as if her mouth might be covered by a layer of fabric. ]

Because I'd love to get rid of these damn flowers and burning them sounds really cathartic right now.

[ She sounds weary, frustrated, and a little bit sick. And for good reason: one of the perks of being a vampire is an enhanced sense of smell. ]

Alternatively, are there any magic users out there who could set up a ward or something to keep this smell out?

Comments

[song_of_ice]

I know. These sort of things happen. There were tombs before, now there are flowers that grow on graves.

Well enough. The smell doesn't bother me.

[otrazhenie]

It doesn't bother you?

[ Oh yes, she is skeptical. ]

Jon, aren't you living out there in a tent? How is it not bothering you?

[song_of_ice]

It's a smell that I've been surrounded by a number of times before.

I was a soldier before coming here. I've been fighting since I was 18. I've stopped noticing the smell of the dead.

[otrazhenie]

[ He'd been a soldier in a place where they'd had to smell the bodies decaying. She might have known he was a fighter before, but this... She can't imagine what that must have been like.

She's quiet for a moment before voicing the next thought to come to her mind. ]

I wish I could stop noticing it too.

[song_of_ice]

Your senses are too strong?

[He's guessing, still learning about the differences between humans and vampires.]

It could fade on its own? It's likely brought here to torture us.

[otrazhenie]

Yeah. I can smell it like the flowers are inside my apartment.

[ It sucks. A lot. ]

From what I remember, they're not supposed to live very long. But there's so many of them out there...

[song_of_ice]

There will be something else soon enough.

[Which isn't really reassuring if they think about it.]

The more you fight it, the worse it will be.

[otrazhenie]

That's easier said than done.

[ She's silent for a moment, and when she does speak again, it's quiet and... sad. ]

I keep being reminded of when my brother died. I was so sure he'd wake up again and then I realized I could smell his body de—

[ But she can't say it. Even now, she can't say it. ]

[song_of_ice]

[He nods, able to understand that and why this smell is so horrible for her.]

How can I help?

[otrazhenie]

[ After a moment of silence, she sighs heavily. There's regret in her voice when she answers. ]

You can't, but I wish you could.

[song_of_ice]

[That's not the answer he wants to hear, but he can't think of any other one.]

It will pass.

[Soon he hoped, for her sake.]

[otrazhenie]

[ She hopes it's soon for his sake too. He might be used to it, but he doesn't deserve to have those memories brought up like this. ]

It's nice talking with you.

[ The words slip out before she can think about what they might really mean, and she tries not to think about them afterward. ]

[song_of_ice]

[He doesn't think much of the meaning of it, only that she was trying to reassure him he was doing something instead of the nothing he felt he was offering.]

Don't know how many would say so.

[otrazhenie]

Maybe they just don't know you well enough.

[ He's been a wonderful conversationalist in all three of their encounters. And boy is it strange to think they've only known each other for such a short time. ]

[song_of_ice]

I don't usually say very much.

[He had more on his mind, preferring to mull over it in his own way. It was just with her of late that he had actually spoken about himself.]

[otrazhenie]

You're a good listener, though.

[ At least, he has been with her. And she's appreciated it more than she can say. It isn't easy talking about the things they've gone through, yet they covered so much ground during that night together...

More things to avoid thinking too deeply on. ]

[song_of_ice]

[He can only smile at that, a chuckle beneath his breath. Aye, that would be a fair assessment, if he thought about it very much. But who is he to take compliments? Especially of late, it was always easier to push them off.]

Are you sure that isn't me being thick headed?

[otrazhenie]

[ She can hear that quiet chuckle and it warms her heart. To have even an ounce of light in this darkness is worth more than almost anything else in this strange place, even if that light is only a moment shared with someone else. ]

I doubt it. But maybe that's just me seeing value in a quality we share.

[song_of_ice]

You think we're alike?

[It's soft and curious, surprised as well as not. He knew they were alike and that she shared more with him than they first realized. He doesn't mind this connection, even if he hasn't thought about it very deeply, still on guard at the idea of losing more people and being left in the darkness.]

[otrazhenie]

In some ways, yeah. Enough that we understand each other.

[ And maybe not so much that they'll get bored of each other. She hopes not, anyway. Having Jon around, even if only just to talk with like this... It means a lot to her. He means a lot to her, in ways that have been sudden and almost overwhelming at times. ]

[song_of_ice]

Maybe more than I first thought.

[Or was even really prepared for. Elena came into his life in a way he never expected or anticipated, but she managed to upend so much for him. Now he didn't want to picture the loss of that presence, as unexpected and unsought as it was.]