Starting right now I'll be strong...

[otrazhenie]

Who: Elena (Gilbert) Salvatore
Where: Around Town, especially Between the sPines
When: Month of May
What: Catch-all for the month as she gets her memories back and deals with Pines life, including suddenly being the owner of a bookstore.
Warnings: Mentions of death in some prompts.
[Open and Closed]

[Open and closed starters in the comments. Elena's Pines info. Want something specific? Let me know at taintedcrimson or via PM.]

Comments

[seaweedbrain]

Percy is pretty sure this is maybe only the third or fourth time he'd ever stepped into this shop. It's not that he doesn't like reading, not once he can get through a page or two without wanting to do just about anything else, but it just takes forever. And the words get scrambly in his head, letters sort of blurring in and out ... not unlike his memories as of late.

He's sure he'd appreciate books a whole lot more if he could actually sit still to read them. But he'd been meaning to stop in to say 'hi' to Elena while she was here, so. Here he is.

Saying hi.

He raises a hand to get her attention first. Because that's important.

"Hey, Elena."

[otrazhenie]

The bookstore was... overwhelming, to put it lightly. Stepping inside for the first time since the accident meant she was bombarded with memories of her life in Wayward Pines, recollections of people she'd never known and things that had never happened. Unfortunately, those memories failed to include much useful information on the state of the store or how to manage the financial books, so Elena buried herself in them, taking over the counter during a lull and doing her best to focus.

Even with the bell from the door, she didn't quite notice the young man until he raised his hand, the flicker of motion at the corner of her eye catching her attention. Glancing up with a curious expression, she was about to ask how she could help him when--

Percy. The boy Damon and Stefan had taken under their wing, the practically adopted member of their family who she loved to catch up with after family dinners. How had she forgotten him?

Because she'd never known him.

"Hey Percy," she greeted him with a bright smile, setting down her pencil and moving around to the front of the counter. "What brings you here?" Because as much as she adored this kid, she was well aware that reading was just not his thing.

[seaweedbrain]

"I was told to check the place out, see how you were doing," Percy replies. "And I was in the neighbourhood."

It's his day off from work too, so he had some spare time.

He idly thumbs one of the nearby books, feeling a little like a fish out of water.

Dumbly: "This is a lot of books."

No kidding, Percy, you're in a bookstore.

[otrazhenie]

The comment made her smile. "We like to have something for everyone," she explained with a nod, reaching over to straighten one of the yellowing texts that had tilted to the side.

She was quiet for a moment before glancing back at him, regret written in her expression. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the family dinner the other night. I missed seeing you." She didn't at the time, actually, but now she does. This place is complicated, but she wasn't not going to question the affection she felt for him.

[seaweedbrain]

"Nah, it's no big deal. You were in an accident too, right? That's what Damon told me," Percy says. He's sympathetic because yeah, he'd definitely gone through the same thing only a week (at most) earlier, a little bit lost, a little bit confused, definitely unaware of the actual accident itself. He could only remember the barest things about his life, people's names and faces ... his memories of them ...

Anyway, his expression is one of understanding. He straightens a little.

"I'm glad you're okay."

[otrazhenie]

Elena nodded at his question, wishing for a moment that he hadn't been in an 'accident' and wasn't experiencing all of this now -- but then she wouldn't know him, would she? That was how it worked, right? However they got here, it culminated in an 'accident' that they didn't quite remember. And if she didn't know him, she wouldn't have these memories that echoed a relationship she'd had with someone else, someone who... meant a great deal to her. Her younger brother, maybe?

"I'm glad you're okay, too," she said softly, echoing his words. There was little more than a heartbeat before she couldn't hold herself back anymore and she moved forward to wrap him up in a hug if he'd let her.