pineslog | ( march intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

( march intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

INTRODUCTION LOG

waking up

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed. You're sluggish, covered in a scattering of minor injuries you only vaguely remember getting, not to mention the vaguely-healed remnants of any wounds you might've had before.

It's a shame you won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Your memories are an indiscernible fog if not absent altogether, only a few standing out in your mind with any kind of certainty.

Whether or not the room's empty when you wake, it's not for long. Nurses bustle in, taking your vitals and asking your name and anything else you might remember. Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

Much of what you say (especially anything unusual, anything about monsters or magic or outlandish technology) will earn placating speculation of head trauma “from the accident”. You'll be told to stay put, not to push yourself, and to wait for the doctor to clear you before you leave... Then you'll be left alone. The hospital's population is quadruple the usual, and you get the impression the nurses are working themselves ragged just running damage control. You can even leave your room without much fuss - whichever doctor or nurse intercepts you gets called away almost immediately to deal with something even more pressing.

Mingle, visit your fellow patients, even poke around for a few basic answers. Or maybe, maybe just stroll right on out the front door.

heading outside

One step outside and it's perfectly clear that your hospital gown simply isn't going to cut it for long. the sidewalks and buildings covered in snow and a crisp winter wind whipping at you through the thin cloth. It's like a scene out of a holiday greeting card or a snow globe, picturesque and nearly untouchable. And yet you're here. Touching it all. Dressed in nothing but a hospital gown. You should at least think about getting some mittens if you're going to keep, you know, touching it.

Trees line the street at regular intervals, carefully manicured and coated in a thin layer of pure white snow. Cars cruise by at a safe and respectable speed. Pedestrians spare you glances, some wary and some concerned.

This isn't even the picturesque city center, though a colorful nearby sign reads "Main Street" with an arrow pointing due south, followed in smaller font by a list of businesses you don't recognize and one that you might: Wayward Pines Police Department. Whether you asked for yourself or simply overheard, you've likely caught wind by now that all of your earthly possessions now lie with the Sheriff until you see fit to claim them.

Might as well head that way, right?

items reclaimed

So you've visited the Wayward Pines Police Department and reclaimed... well. Most of your stuff, anyway, though you can't quite remember what's missing. Best to put it out of mind, as you head down the steps toward the Main Street sidewalk. At the very least, pedestrians have stopped looking at you like you're sick or crazy. (Then again, depending on what you're wearing, maybe it's gotten worse.)

The sheriff also forked over what looks like the key to a house ("A cozy place to stay while you're here in town."), plus the address that it belongs to. You could check it out, see what kind of digs they're putting you up in.

Or you could stick around Main Street and sight-see a little. Also a perfectly viable option. Hell, maybe it'll jog your memory a little. A few of the shops do feel inexplicably familiar...

( ooc notes )

Welcome to the second newbie mingle log! We apologize for the delay.

This log is meant to cover characters' first day in Wayward Pines. For the most part, only the five memories detailed in your character's application are remembered throughout the duration of this log, although the first couple of false Wayward Pines memories might begin to surface (in those who've opted to utilize this mechanic) as the day wears on. These memories, as noted in the FAQ, feel very real and are accompanied by as much emotion or sentiment as a real memory would be.

Any questions about the log or its contents can be addressed to our FAQ or the intro log's designated Plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I must too, since I do now. [ She doesn't know if Elena appreciates Damon's style of humor or not. If she's wrong, then it can be blamed on a foggy brain.

Trust. She can't extend it to the mysterious Stefan until she's in the same room as him, but she does believe what Damon has said. So, she nods, pondering for just a second when Stefan will be contacted. She wants to talk to Damon in that moment, only him, so her focus rests there.

Her features tense when he mentions a wall, but they soften when she sees him look around. Naturally, so does she, spotting the cameras. One gets a puzzled flash from her before she looks back to Damon, taking his hand and standing. Since being awake, everything has felt like one big mess of confusion, and when he takes her to the showers? Her feet stop, head shaking faintly. Then he gets more specific, though she gives him a stare-down when he starts. She blinks. ]

Oh. By who? The sheriff? Do you know why? [ There are cameras, so she knows his claim can hold true based on logistics. Furthermore, she's still extending trust that he has a better grasp of what's going on than her. ] There has to be a reason. No one just...watches people. [ Do they? ]

You - [ He smiles to himself. ] For the most part, when my humor isn't ... poorly timed. [ Which it can be. ] But, you think I have my moments and that in general, I am just amazing. Not the lost cause I frequently think I am. [ Her hand in his, he slows down, bringing it to his lips. Oops. This is too easy, falling back into this. ] You believe in me, Elena Gilbert.

[ Oh, and here the locker room is.

Catching up now, nobody is removing any clothing. His hand comes up, palm facing her. It's OK, Elena. ]

Beats us. The Sheriff is involved. You'll meet him. Smiley guy, but you don't want to cross him. Not that I know firsthand, he just gives off that vibe. There are signs. [ Literally. ] Rules we follow. [ His hand comes up, one finger illustrating each rule. ] Do not try to leave. Do not discuss the past. Do not discuss your life before. Always answer the phone if it rings. [ His hand forms a fist then. ] Work hard, be happy. [ His fist opens, palm flattening. ] You're going to start to think you belong here. I don't know how they're doing it, if it's our minds, some days I think nothing here is real, like it's all an elaborate distraction from -- [ Too much again. ] Elena, we're from Mystic Falls but we have lives here. Stefan and I own a garage. You'll regain your memory. But, with it you're going to remember other things, memories from this town.

[ There he goes with affection again, but Katherine does not mind it one bit. Elena may have been the sort of girl to question, pull back, when utterly unsure but she's not. So, she smiles with his answer. ] I wish I could remember, but...it feels right to believe in you. [ That, she actually means, and she's not sure why. Likely, the thought does not stem from the same meaning Damon has referenced -- the way Elena believes in him. ]

Rules? [ She whispers it in disbelief, eyes narrowing a hint with each one he lists off. Breathing, finding it difficult to do a lot more than that, the lines of her face crease in disbelief when he goes on. She's about to interrupt, to ask what he meant, when he says her name. Well, Elena. Then there's the name of a town they're from. Her head cants slightly over hearing about this garage, Stefan being brought up again.

Her lips press hard together when he says she'll get her memory back, that uncertainty rising back up when he tacks on that horrible, final detail. ] You already know I don't remember Mystic Falls -- don't you?

What kind of memories have you had about this place? Has Stefan had them too? [ They'd talk about it together, right? Brothers and all. Sharing information. She steps in closer to him, looking down over his form. ] Damon, maybe we should all be here. To talk, I mean. It could...maybe it would help? Make things a little clearer? Or...maybe not? [ She's putting the ball in his corner all while thinking that, yes, she wants to hear what both of the Salvatores might say about this wild and crazy place. ]

[ Is he lifting his arm to twirl her, maybe a hint of the last time they spent together? He is. He twirls her around once. As she said before, it feels right. ]

[ As the shower heads spray, "Elena" and Damon continue their secret rendezvous, in perhaps not as scandalous as the situation could be. ]

I didn't, not until now. There are things we remember. Specific things. What do you remember, Elena?

[ When he and Stefan had gone through this, things had been easier. Wrong, considering they thought they lived in this town, in that house with their photographs and a car that was his. ] We both have. I remember living here, working here. I remember going to lunch at an Italian deli almost every day. I remember names of people I can't picture, people who also supposedly live here.

[ He stands, the water reaching his shoes, but only the soles. ]

No. We should bring Stefan here. He should know you're here. There's a phone at the nurse's station.

[ And so he moves around the far left, turning the knob, and then does the same for the other two, one after the other. ]

Are you okay? Tell me at any time if you need anything.

[ He knows how it all sounds. But, she's right, she nods and he leads her back out of the shower area, through the locker room and over to the nurse's station. Surprise, it's unmanned. Keeping his eye on Elena, he rounds the desk, picking up the phone. ]

[ How can she not laugh softly at that? A real laugh. No artifice or mischief. It's warm. A sound Katherine is completely capable of making, even if any sound of humor she generally makes races out of her lit up with attitude. Not that she can remember that characteristic of herself, or that no one in her life has been able to generate more pure emotions within her for ages.

She thinks that question over for a moment, already having decided that she's not going to mention the Katherine Pierce name. She's Elena Gilbert, to Damon, so why should she bring it up? Every instinct is telling her to not mention it. ]

My name. [ Plural, and she feels a pang for lying. ] That's...it. Other than knowing you and Stefan. [ Lie number two, omitting the being a vampire. She trusts him, but what if he doesn't know? She doesn't know how to broach it...

Taking in his answer, weighing how ridiculous is sounds to have memories of a place when you know you're from somewhere else, she doesn't have much to say -- ] That's...confusing.

[ Damon agrees about reaching out to Stefan, and Katherine nods, already moving along with him. When he offers her that, she smiles softly, reaching to take his hand as they walk. Girlfriends hold their boyfriend's hands! She gives it a squeeze. ] I will.

[ She peers around the station, brows going together at its lack of occupancy. How unprofessional. Moving, she finds a spot to sit atop a desk near the phone. Her legs stay uncrossed and hang down straight, snugly together, palms resting on the top of the desk, curling onto the edge, watching Damon as he dials. Listening in, all the while. Oh, hey, she has really good hearing... ]

Maybe they locked down our memories after the first run.

[ He counted his because they were his first priority, but Elena has had him. ]

Causes many a headache. [ And he's a vampire. ] And you know I don't really get headaches. You did. Strong constitution.

[ But does she, Damon? Moving on.

He'll replay this day at the bar later, every small tic, her dangling legs, disregard for desks, her penchant for boredom and eavesdropping, the crossed legs in the locker room and her overall tone from the beginning. But for now, his ear is trained on his brother. ]

Edited 2017-03-03 06:49 (UTC)

[ Are you used to her uncertain looks that blend into acceptance yet, Damon? Are you? Katherine nods, wondering what the hell is really up with the town they're stuck in.

Until there's a curious hold over her face for a couple of seconds at the headache comment. There's so much he could mean by that, isn't there? Some people just don't suffer from certain ailments.

Listening, she's even able to dart her gaze away now and then, multi-tasking with sight and her super special (vampire?) hearing. Convenient. ]

[ He regrets using that tone with his brother, but this is Elena. He's frustrated with everything. This is the first thing that's happened that feels right, even if it's all wrong. He holds his hand on the hung up phone for a second, before turns to face her. ]

He's on his way. Sorry about that, things can get -- Stefan and I have a complicated relationship. Brothers.

[ Eavesdropping, Katherine's face is turned away as the phone conversation wraps up and when Damon speaks to her once more; looking idly at a camera. Turning back, one shoulder gives a tiny pop. ] I wouldn't know...or, if I do, I don't remember. [ Did you ever tell her who Jeremy is, Damon? Did you? ] It's okay.

Should we -- go someplace else. Or are we gonna meet him here? [ Literally right there. Camped out where they probably shouldn't be. ]

I told him we'd be here. Unless you'd prefer the lobby. Elena, we can be wherever. Do you want to meet him outside? Let's go. [ And he -- goes to walk her back towards the sunny, sunny day. ]

[ Her body stiffens at that notion, head shaking. Maybe too quickly, too much. She reaches out to grab onto Damon's hand. ] No. Let's...just -- I want to stay here.

[ Sunlight, the very death of her! ]

[ He squeezes her hand. ] Elena, you're OK. You're here now. We found each other. We always find each other.

[ Relief washes over her face as she gives a weak smile. ] I feel safe with you. [ She really does. ] But I'm, just nervous, I guess. About going out. [ A realistic notion, she hopes. A symptom of feeling safer within walls, even the ones she woke up within, maybe? Possibly? ]

[ Although Stefan is hurrying it still takes him a bit to make it to the hospital although not too long given what a tiny, insular little town this is. When he walks into the area they've seemingly commandeered for themselves, his gaze immediately locks onto "Elena's" familiar form. ]

Hey. [ He barely spares a glance in Damon's direction at first until he remembers what his brother had come to the hospital for in the first place: ] ... Did you make our weekly withdrawal? [ You know, as in from the blood bank? ]

[ He's been a bit distracted. But, Stefan has a point. Instinctively, his hand lets go of Elena's when he sees Stefan, not out of guilt, but - yeah, out of residual guilt. Let's be honest. ] I should, shouldn't I. [ Which means he needs to get back to the car, grab the cooler, come back in... ] Elena, this is Stefan. He's my brother. You can trust him. I won't be gone long.

[ He gives Elena a look, hopefully convincing her before moving to Stefan, a hand coming to his shoulder. He nods once, squeezes his brother's shoulder. He's sorry. But, Elena's here. Not burned up. Alive. Somehow. He also knows he still has more to make up for.

Heading down the hall Stefan came from, Damon goes to make their withdrawal. ]

[ Being able to picture either of them did not come with recognizing their names, and Katherine isn't looking in Stefan's direction as he approaches. She's peering over to Damon for reassurance (specifically that the going outside is no longer an option), giving the start of a smile when a voice sounds. Head turning, her focus hones in on the speaker.

Whatever he's, Stefan's, asking about is lost on her, and her eyes bounce back to Damon when he lets go of her hand so quickly. A tiny frown that fades back into the uncertainty she's been rocking for the past hour. Stefan. Of course -- she looks back over. Yeah, they definitely look like brothers.

She slides off the desk, stepping just behind Damon even after he's given her that parting expression. Pausing and watching the two of them. Something goes on between them that she's not sure about, lips open, questioning etched into the lines of her face, watching as Damon departs. Then, back to Stefan. She breathes in, chest falling slowly. ] Stefan. I... [ she blinks, head shaking ] can't remember much. [ Her arms cross over her chest for a second -- ] but Damon said I will.

And...he told me about the -- rules. [ Of course Stefan knows of the rules, too. She stops then, letting him pose whatever thoughts, ideas, he might want to, maintaining eye contact. Nice eyes too; these Salvatores have great genes. ]

[ There was a time when everything that Stefan did was for the benefit of Elena. When each decision he made was for the explicit purpose of keeping her happy and safe.

Stefan has different priorities these days. She's not the person he puts first anymore.

But he will always have tender feelings for her. When Damon makes his exit, Stefan has the chance to really look at her, eyes softening with an obvious compassion for her predicament. When she speaks, he nods with his characteristic kind understanding. ]

This place is a lot of things. [ The words 'confusing' and 'weird as hell' come first to mind. ] But it doesn't seem to be dangerous. Damon and I will keep you safe. Until your memories come back. And after that too. [ He reaches out to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, thumb lightly stroking where it rests. ] I promise.

[ The Katherine Pierce standard for determining what makes for acceptable relationship dynamics has yet to return. Or, fully. Her head tilts a little when there's a surge of emotion while seeing the way that Stefan is looking at her. Soft eyes, a warmth coming through in his tone that almost makes her forget that she wants to listen to what he has to say.

It's a captivation she swallows away, silent about it, and not appearing nearly as unabashed as she would like to be. If she's Elena and loves Damon as genuinely as he made her feel their love is, then feeling an immediate connection that's a deeper affection than one ought to have for the brother of their boyfriend (future husband) can't be right.

He has her attention, brows going together, yet again, when he says it's not dangerous. Then another promise of keeping her safe. A lot like Damon's, but with no affection. Until his touch finds her shoulder, attention sliding over and giving his hand a long look. Back to him -- ] Thanks...Stefan.

[ Her lips press together for a moment. ] It doesn't feel very safe, not to me, but -- I trust you. [ And Damon, although he's gone in that moment, and her phrasing really could be a blanket statement; she does trust them both, a familiarity with the Salvatores that she can't explain but she's grateful to have. She takes a partial step toward him, voice lowering. ] Should we...talk somewhere else? [ A glance over to a camera. ]

[ After a moment, Stefan's hand falls back down to his side and he takes a step back giving her some more space. She has enough to worry about on her own, that much is clear; he doesn't need to burden her any more with his tense hovering. But she soon closes the distance again of her own volition this time. ]

They're everywhere. [ He remarks in a quiet voice of his own, keeping his gaze focused straight ahead, not needing to glance over to know exactly what she's looking at. ]

[ She only trusts two people -- and the jury's out on how confident she is with all of her own thoughts still -- so of course she wants to keep close to the one that's there. They're still at the scene of where this crazy insanity began, so she's on guard. Giving his statement a nod, she sighs under her breath. Eyes just narrowing, she centers them back on Stefan, arms straight at her sides, fingers curling up, tops of her them brushing against the fabric of the dress that's apparently now hers.

Brief subject shift, since the hallway is not the place for most of what she could ask. ]

What's Damon getting here? [ That withdrawal. Scorn for the hospital, truthfully. Blood, blood bags, aren't yet a concern considering her she's not currently hungry. Her tone softens. ] He was surprised to see me. [ A beat. ] Neither of you knew I was here. [ Stating facts, working to be on the same page. ]

Edited 2017-03-04 08:21 (UTC)

[ This time, Stefan's gaze does find hers, narrowing slightly as the first inklings of suspicion raise to just below the surface of his mind. It's nothing solid enough yet for him to consciously grasp hold of and for the time being, he writes off her haughtier tone as simply being the product of an overwhelming frustration with their situation. ]

It's been over a month since Damon and I woke up in this very same hospital. That's four weeks that we've been living here. Why weren't we notified about your accident? Pretty... strange, right?

[ He lets the implication hang there. It's dangerously close to saying something that could get him into trouble if anybody's listening in and yet it stops just short of actually breaking the rules. ]

What all do you remember, exactly? Any little details sticking out to you? Favorite food, maybe? Or... What you liked to drink?

Edited 2017-03-05 04:49 (UTC)

[ Katherine nods, not looking away. ] Well the nurse I talked to didn't have anything useful to say, and she seemed...creepy. So -- yeah, pretty strange. They should've told you.

[ That question coming from Stefan, the brother she (Elena) isn't in love with makes her eyes slide to the side and hold there as he gives options for what she may have remembered. She's a beat away from telling one less lie than what she told Damon (why does she want to be truthful to Stefan? she doesn't know), pondering a comment to throw out to hint at her being a vampire. To see how he might reply.

Then he tacks the latter portion on. Plus, he didn't answer her question about Damon. ] No. Are those important right now? [ A serious question, cheeks rising in brief disdain that smooths away. ] My name. And after Damon said your names, I remembered that I knew you both too. [ Knew...how? She's not completely sure yet, other than what Damon told her, which didn't include a breadth of detail. ] Is there something else important I should be remembering? [ Without the sweet (not real, on her end) sensations created by affection and love from Damon, more of her true self is slipping out. Oops. Not that she's slipped over entirely, not yet. Her tone is still uncertain, not entirely demanding, but edging toward that point. Soft, for Katherine, still. ]

[ There's only so much outright prickliness that Stefan's brain is willing to write off as normal before he's forced to consciously question what he's seeing and hearing. Her demeanor is both foreign to him and yet disconcertingly familiar at the same time. Like... He can't imagine Elena saying any of these things -- which isn't entirely the same as thinking he can't imagine someone with her face saying them.

Stefan folds his arms across his chest and studies her more intently now. Observing the way she holds herself so imperiously; the raspier quality of her voice; her petulant tone and more contemptuous mannerisms.

He slowly turns all the way around, feigning sudden disinterest as he pokes his head out the door. ]

No. Forget it. Let's just wait for Damon. He should be on his way back by now.

[ Her mouth opens, bewildered with this full tilt from someone that her future husband told her that she should be able to trust. To talk to. To find out more information from! There's no stamping of her feet, but Katherine does step ahead when he turns placing herself at Stefan's back, reaching up to touch over the side of his shoulder. ] What? Stefan -- you said you'd help.

[ Well, that you'd help keep her safe. Why aren't you helping, Stefan? What's the deal?

Maybe she can't trust him? No. That's not it, she immediately decides. Her hand falls away as she places herself further up at his side and at a comfortable distance in front of him, wanting to be back in his line of sight, petulance finally cropping up in her expression. ] I wanted to talk to you both [ the sulky hold doesn't fade ] but it kind of felt like Damon thought, maybe...it was good if we talk, just us, too. [ Finally her expression shifts into one of a greater neutrality. One shoulder shrugs a teeny bit -- she has no idea why Damon would've wanted that, but it was certainly what it looked like. Meanwhile, she doesn't realize her attitude is off, compared to what they'd expect from Elena, at all. ]

[ He focuses his keen hearing ability but there's no sound of Damon in the hallway just yet. ]

Okay. Well... What do you want to talk about? [ He relents. If it is Katherine, playing dumb or otherwise, then he doesn't want to give her too much of a chance to figure out that he's suspicious of her. It's probably better to continue engaging her in conversation for the time being.

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