stefanged | entranceway; ic contact

[ it probably was a bit of an addiction, tbf. but as far as addictions go... ]

Fourth floor, room 116. It's right across from the movie theater, you won't miss it.

Got it. I'll see you soon.

[Elena was right: the Youth Center's hard to miss, and as Stefan walks inside, he takes a moment to really soak in his surroundings. Despite all that he's seen and done, he's still technically a seventeen year old boy - and that guy wants to let loose.

The board games are calling his name, and so are the video games. Everything is, really.

He pulls himself together long enough to look for Elena, though. Since she suggested the place, maybe she'd be up for a round.]

[ elena can be found in the conversation pit.

leather covers the depressed section of the flooring, creating a circle in a comfortable, far-off corner. a book is on her lap, but she's quick to close it when she spots stefan's familiar frame. she waves at him to let her presence be known. ]

What do you think?

[ when bonnie first came up with the idea, elena thought it was brilliant. they'd been missing caroline at the time, and wanted to channel her relentless productivity in the face of adversity — while also giving the younger crowd a safe space from wonderland's deception. ]

[Thank goodness, too - he wouldn't have noticed the pit right away. Stefan heads down, taking a seat beside her and taking another good look around. The lighting, the color scheme, and even the activities feel so warm. He could practically spend hours here (if not now, then definitely in the future).]

It's really nice. [He can feel the love - genuine love - as opposed to the typical artifice that surrounds Wonderland. Stefan leans back a little too.] Was this place your idea?

[ elena shakes her head fondly, a faint smile touching her lips. it doesn't reach her eyes, her sadness and worry somewhat inescapable, but she has decided to place it aside for the next couple of hours. it might help stefan to be distracted with something else, too. ]

No, it was Bonnie's. I just helped, though we both tried channeling Caroline.

[ when in doubt, ask yourself: what would caroline forbes do? ]

Well, you both certainly succeeded. I'm sure she'd be proud.

[Caroline should be proud: there's a scary amount of children in Wonderland, and they're way too young to be exposed to the dangers of this memory-stealing world. Bonnie's outdone herself, and so - Stefan makes a mental note to thank her later.

He pulls one leg up under him, glancing down at her book. It's weird, honestly, thinking that just a few days ago, they were in a library full of ruin and now they're back here. Wherever "here" is.]

[ elena was dumbfounded when she first stumbled upon dipper pines.

wonderland on its own is terrible enough, but to bring children into it is cruel. bonnie and elena alike have felt protective of them, and the youth center felt like a natural progression to ensuring their safety. it's charmed to protect, should an event prove dangerous.

her smile turns more genuine, placing her book on her lap. ] It feels weird to say I'm glad she's here, considering where here is, but ...

[ things weren't the same without caroline. ]

I get it. [He returns that smile.] Things are a lot easier when you've got friends with you.

[Not that he would personally know: his journals rarely spoke of friends beyond Sheila, Lexi, and Caroline. He'd drifted from town to town, never staying long enough to befriend the locals. Stefan couldn't ask his memory why: he'd think he could've had a few lasting friendships.

Maybe, he could treat Wonderland and its never-aging population as a second chance. No one would think twice anymore; as far as they were concerned, immortality came as easily as breathing.]

It is easier. Wonderland is hard enough. It helps to know you're not alone.

[ that there are people around you in the same boat, looking for life vests. she lingers in their smiles before she straights in place. ]

Oh! I almost forgot. I have your chai.

No way.

[He's not Alesci (nor will he ever be), but he sure wasn't expecting it that soon. Hastily, he rushes to his feet.]

Let me help you get it, at the very least.

I can't take credit for it. Wonderland makes it so that I never have to cook.

[ or prepare much of anything. ... trust us, it's a good thing.

elena leads him to a kitchenette-like area with a mini stove top, and right next to it, all the essentials: tea bags, cardamom, milk, and a few other spices for his choosing. it already smells good, ngl. ]

[He shoots her an amused look, because cooking really isn't that hard.

(Stefan has vague memories of SOMEONE being tragically bad in the kitchen. All this time, he kind of assumed it had been him.)

As they reach the kitchenette, he takes a second to survey the set-up. Everything's perfect, except... um....]

Elena? Where's the recipe?

[ (it was totally her. elena cannot be trusted in the kitchen.) ]

... Oh.

[ pink dusts across her cheeks sheepishly. ]

I knew I was forgetting something. [ she lifts up her finger in a be right back! kind of way, disappearing into one of the closets. when she returns, she brings a book that contains various tea recipes, including his beloved chai. which... she forgot only alesci could do from memory. ]

[At this point, Stefan's assuming that old-him (the non-amnesiac one) must've loved chai, for both Elena and Katherine to associate these fragrant spices with him. Whether it's right or wrong, he's not sure.

As he takes the book and flips it open, right to the page for masala chai, he sees the prim and proper method, as well as an easier, less-rigid style.

He'll opt for the former, so he holds it out and reaches for a saucepan.]

Okay, it says to simmer the milk and pour the spices in. [In the milk goes, then the ginger, the cardamom, nutmeg, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and finally, a pinch of saffron. Despite his memory loss - and the sheer fact that he isn't Alesci - his movements are swift and practiced. Maybe Tessa hadn't scrambled up as much as he'd thought.]

[ it's soothing.

elena can't count how many times she'd sit and watch stefan work his magic in the kitchen. now it's just soothing, and she focuses on that instead of the sadness. as he gets to work, elena is just going to slyly reach for a cinnamon stick to chew on. ]

I didn't realize there were so many steps.

[ she's clearly been drinking tea wrong. ]

[That makes two of them.

Stefan laughs, struggling to keep his face even as he moves onto the next step, simply mixing them together for the next three minutes. There's no sugar here; that'll be added much latter, if either of them need it for taste.]

Masala chai's pretty special. Unlike most teas, the milk's the important part - a lot of others treat it as an aftertaste.

[He hums thoughtfully.]

You said other-me liked this? He has good taste.

Edited 2016-11-23 07:20 (UTC)

[ elena props her elbows on the counter across from him, letting her chin drop into her hand as she watches. only his question pulls her away from her thoughts, reminding her of how very different his trajectory has been to the stefan who came before him. ]

Um. He did, yeah.

[ and she doesn't know that she can convey just how much that man loved his tea. ]

If I tell you the story, you have to promise not to look at me like I've grown two heads.

After the month I've had, I'm sure very little can surprise me.

[He reaches for an electric tea kettle and pours water into it, just so he can have it nice and boiling hot. It's a little unorthodox, waiting for boiling water while the milk simmers, but he'll do what the book says.]

But, [and his laugh's genuine and as rich as the milk he's simmering,] I promise. No weird staring.

[ his laughter makes her smile, even as her gaze lowers to the cup of tea she cradles in between both hands. ]

When you — the other you — first got here, he seemed different to me. He was still you, but he also felt older and ... really grounded? Like very little could shake him. When we started to talk about why, he told me he found a balance through faith.

[ as in, religion. ]

A faith that centered him without consuming him. [ she remembers his exact words. ] He was Muslim.

[w h a t.

He found God? Scratch that, he found God by turning to Islam?]

How?

[Stefan promised he wouldn't stare. He can't stare. So he keeps his back turned to her as he pours the boiling water into the saucepan and adds the tea bags (+ cinnamon sticks in). As he watches the tea simmer, he lets out a small, disbelieving huff.]

Not that I'm uh, judging him or anything, but the Mystic Falls we know is pretty damn white.

Edited 2016-11-24 02:40 (UTC)

[ elena lifts a slender shoulder in a helpless half-shrug. ]

I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of old, Stefan.

[ he's traveled the world and then some. he's gone to school and college countless of times. mystic falls is a pretty narrow-minded town, but stefan's never struck her as a narrow-minded person. and the way he talked about it, it just made sense. ]

[He turns around, finally, if only to feign an offended look:] No.

[Elena's right, though. While he's a blank slate at this very moment, he had once carried the burden of centuries-old experiences and lugged around an impossibly heavy suitcase. The memories are still rattling around somewhere, and maybe, for this other, lovey-dovey Stefan, faith had been the way to empty it piece by piece.

Stefan mulls on it for a couple of seconds, stirring the tea and making sure it looks just right.]

I get that wisdom comes with age, but honestly? I still feel like I'm seventeen.

[ elena's smile is a touch warm, and not without shared sympathy.

she leans in, as though conspiratorial: ]

If my recent foray into adulthood has taught me anything? Most people don't know what they're doing, and some days we wake up and we all feel seventeen again. So if it helps, you're not alone. [ elena notices things about people. how some of them ask how are you, but eight times out of ten it's to be polite, not because they want to know.

and she notices they don't actually have the answers. they fake it until they make it, or they find answers of their own. ]

[He sure hopes he isn't alone.

Adulthood's scary enough when it forever looms over a guy: no matter how much he wants to embrace it, he can't. He will forever be seventeen, and the old-Stefan might've had a whole century to accept this.

New-Stefan doesn't. The fear's still very real, and he tries to push it back as he pours them two hot cups of chai.]

It helps a lot, [he admits, holding out a cup as a peace offering.] Just gotta fake it until you make it, right?

[ elena's smile grows a touch warmer.

she takes the cup of tea, accepting it for what it is, all while offering him a cinnamon stick with the very same sentiment in mind. ] Something like that. And eventually, it gets easier, I promise. You look out the window and find the sun still comes up and some jokes are still funny.

[ and life goes on.

he taught her that. ]

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