ic contact;

[theshabbiestofmen]

"Right, hello! This is Remus Lupin. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you shortly."

Comments

[delincuente]

[Merry Christmas, Remus! On the morning of the 25th he'll find a gift bag surreptitiously left outside his door, containing:

- One (1) small canvas painting
- One (1) questionable dime store mug
- A signed card with a short message from Alex

Enjoy!]

[theshabbiestofmen]

[The painting, at least, is quite pretty, and he hangs it up immediately. The mug, however . . .]

I'm almost insulted. Moony is a wolf.

[delincuente]

idk who the fuck moony is but
they only had a dog one
so suck it up

[theshabbiestofmen]

I'm surprised James didn't tell you; he was the one who came up with the nickname. Very proud of it. When I transform, that's what we call the wolf. Moony.

[delincuente]

james doesn't tell me anything
he just sort of walks in as a deer and lets me figure it out myself
drops surprise sons in the middle of conversations

i like it though
very cute

[theshabbiestofmen]

Oh, have you heard about Harry? Honestly, I didn't think he'd talk about that much; he seemed a bit shell-shocked when I told him. Pity, really; I quite like the lad.

And yes. 13 year olds are particularly apt at naming things. We call his deer Prongs, by the by.

text - 1/13

[stefanged]

Hey, Remus. I don't know a lot about magic, but I remembered a spell from back home that may be of interest to you.

Think we could see if it'll work?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Of course. What's the nature of the spell?

[stefanged]

A defense spell. Specifically, it buys the caster time when dealing with someone particularly unruly.

This might be better in person. I'll bring tea over to wherever you are?

[theshabbiestofmen]

My room. Come on over.

[stefanged]

[In about five minutes, Stefan knocks on Remus's door before heading in. Cups of tea in tow too! Sometimes, he wishes he had magic to hold it steadier, but eh - he's got inhuman reflexes. That'll do for now.]

Hey. [He hands over a mug (black tea with milk)] I've got sugar over here too, if you need it.

[theshabbiestofmen]

You're a lifesaver, you know.

[He rises with a smile, taking one of the cups gratefully. No sugar, but the milk is appreciated. Remus doesn't drink, not yet-- just settles back down on the back, both hands wrapped around the cup, savoring the anticipation.]

So: the spell.

[stefanged]

Right. [He nods, holding his own mug around his hands.] Back home, there were some not-so-great vampires roaming around - and so witches know a spell or two that can slow them down.

I'm not sure how transferable it is, or if you can even cast it, but if I ever get... not like me... I'd want you to be prepared.

[theshabbiestofmen]

[Oh, dear. He knows this question, doesn't he, knows it so intimately it hurts. Remus nods, his eyes serious, tea forgotten.]

I'll try. But if it isn't . . . I'm fairly certain I can still stop you, if it comes to that. I know spells that aren't meant specifically for a vampire, but that ought to do the trick without hurting you too badly.

[stefanged]

Good. [A small sigh of relief] I figured, if not, there was always your saliva....

[Not the alternative Stefan wanted, but it would suffice if he lost his humanity.]

My witch didn't uh, she didn't have any specific incantation. Do you need words for your kind of magic?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Usually. What does yours do, then? I mean, is it all intent based, or movement, or--?

[stefanged]

Bit of both. I'm not an expert on magic, but witches would have these grimoires with their entire repertoire. "Their magic cookbook," if you will.

[He pulls out one of his diaries as an example. It's significantly older than any diary Remus might've seen around - for starters, the leather cover's close to falling apart.]

Bonnie would just hold out her hand, look straight at our brains, and - well, it must've been intent-based, because she could pop our brain vessels without a word.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Merlin.

[He shivers at the thought-- no, he can't do that. But he runs his fingers over the leather cover, his touch careful.]

I won't ever kill you. But I can certainly incapacitate you-- keep you immobile until we figure out the next step. Sorry, what is this, exactly-- is it yours?

[stefanged]

We regenerate fast. She pops a vessel, only for it to come back. Doesn't quite kill us, but it doesn't give us time to react either.

[TVD logic at its finest.]

One of my diaries, yeah. I'm... not just a vampire, unfortunately. I'm also sorta-kinda a reincarnation, so I've got two lives rattling around in my head.

[theshabbiestofmen]

A-- a reincarnation. How--?

[Putting aside the question of killing him (or not, as the case might be) for the moment.]

What does that mean, exactly?

[stefanged]

Long story short? There was this guy, Stefan Salvatore. When he died, his soul was sent to another ["dimension"] life and started anew.

That life was mine, Stefan Alesci's. So every so often, I remember things about Salvatore. People, places, memories... sometimes even objects, if they're not dangerous.

[He gestures again to the diary] This was one of them. Showed up in my room, right before Atroma grabbed me.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Merlin.

[He swears that softly, eyes wide.]

Was his life similar? Or entirely different? When did he live?

[stefanged]

Somewhere in-between. Salvatore was born in... 1847, I believe.

[He sets the diary down somewhere, just because it's easier to balance tea when he's got two hands for the mug]

But he was a vampire like me. Got turned in 1864, and he lived about a hundred and fifty years after that - which is why I'm technically a hundred and sixty something.

Not counting his life, I'm twenty four.

[theshabbiestofmen]

I can't imagine how confusing that must be.

[He can barely comprehend it himself, and buys himself some time with a sip of tea.]

Does it-- pop up frequently?

[stefanged]

More than I'd like. Salvatore's - no, my ex-girlfriend and soulmate is on the Starstruck's. She's their lab support.

[He sighs, blowing a little on his tea out of habit. Stefan can't sense temperature like before - he's impervious to heat, for the most part - but it lets him think.]

She wants me to be the guy she once knew, but... if I do that, then I let go of the guy I am now.