savetheearth | [closed] I see you in another place

Entry tags:

[closed] I see you in another place

Who: Stefan Alesci & Xander Jarle
What: Stefan's gotten back some strange echoes and he wants to make sense of them all.
Where: Stefan's and Xander's home
When: February 2nd, mid-evening
Warnings: possible language, references to past violence

Try not to let your echoes bother you, Mr. Lyall had said. His echoes didn't define him. They were hollow recollections of a life - his life - that he was starting to piece together. Still, the more Stefan entangled himself in the Numbered community, the less he could excuse his constant (and frequent absences) from class.

After finishing his exams, he had finally confessed the truth to Aziz, as well as to his college adviser, upon revealing that he would take this semester off to sort through his memories. (Aziz, unsurprisingly, had elbowed him and made him promise that he'd stay safe through this madness.) Now it was only a matter of telling his roommate the big news - and well, to figure out how he'd occupy his time now that he had an unprecedented four months off. He couldn't exactly enroll in Locke City University without worrying about transfer credits, even though his adviser had said there was nothing wrong with the idea - and the masjid had wanted a part-time youth coordinator for a while.

So, hesitantly, Stefan heads toward the kitchen and peers inside. "Xander? Do you have a moment?"

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"I was in denial about the whole thing, initially." He answers before resuming his kneading, putting a little more force in to it. "Because of how odd and close the memories were to my actual life."

Well, without any supernatural beings and enduring several hours of torture like his other self. Although, watching your twin brother bleed out was torture enough as is.

He releases a sigh and moves the dough in to a bowl before speaking again. "Once I got past that, I took them as they came. Analyzed it and did some research for things I didn't understand. Although, don't be surprised if you don't find much. Or you could reach out to the network and see if anyone knows anything."

Funny that he would say almost exactly what Stefan was thinking, in regards to the strange similarities.

"Maybe." He paused, pressing his lips together. He might as well come clean and ask the one question that he desperately wanted an answer to. "I... actually, my latest Echoes had me wondering. Your past life. Did he have any younger brothers?"

The baker moves to was his hands of the dough that clings to them before pausing at the question about his other self's life. He tries to recall if the fallen arch-angel had any siblings or some form of a family. All that was coming to mind was a mentor, who was also a father figure of sorts and a younger angel which his other self did horrible things to. There was a possibility that they were related due to their species but it was hard to say.

"I don't know if he does or not. There's a possibility he could have several brothers due to he is but I could be completely wrong. I'm not going to drawn conclusions unless I have all the information." Because making assumptions has always turned out for him in the past.

While that line of thought was more than understandable, it still didn't ease Stefan's conscience. So he folded his arms, studying his roommate as if he's meeting him for the first time again.

There was no reason to doubt Xan's lack of knowledge either, so Stefan elaborated, "I remembered my older brother. My past life's brother, I mean.... and he looked kinda like you." Granted, the brother in his memory had different-colored eyes and carried himself far more differently, but he had to make sure, just in case.

It was a good thing Xander was preoccupied with washing his hands or else he would have inquired why Stefan was looking him over in such a manner. When he hears Stefan expand on his current train of thought, the comment about looking a lot like another person's brother causes him to turn off the faucets and quickly dry his hands while looking surprised.

"What was his name?" He asks, glancing back at Stefan as he regains his composure.

There was a likely chance that they were unrelated. He knew for a fact that Stefan hadn't triggered any pulses within him and all the memories he's had so far, no one resembled his roommate.

Name? The name was important, wasn't it? Stefan furrowed his brow, mentally going through what he remembered of the older brother: his appearance; his strange tendency to enter a room and say 'hello, brother'; and his inexplicable love for violence. The appearance was important, yeah, but the other stuff probably wasn't.

"I don't remember," he said finally, his face falling as he awkwardly reached for his mug. "I don't, and I really wish I did, so... I thought maybe you would know something. Because as it is, I don't... I don't think I got along with him either."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Stefan." He states, even though there was no trace of sympathy with his voice. "There's a likely chance that I don't know who he is either."

Because he knew what his other self's name was and what supernatural species he belonged to. On top of that, some unusual abilities that were in his repertoire. Some that he forgot he even had.

"It's okay." The acceptance was reflexive - it takes him a few seconds to notice the lack of sympathy, and when he does, he can't help furrowing his brows even more in thought. "If you don't know, you don't, but...

My brother was... whatever I was too. He bit some girl and I had to make her forget the whole thing happened." Beyond that, the memories were hazy, fuzzy recollections of snippets that he wished he knew the context of. (For example, why did he know how to compel people and make them forget the littlest things?) It made no sense right now - and the more he sifted through it, the more confused he got.

Xander was aware that something had been missing ever since he got a pulse back in January, but there was nothing he could to other than say the right words and hope people accepted it.

He's silent for a moment, thinking over what his roommate just said and searching his own mind for information about supernatural beings before speaking. "...Have you done some research on what your other self and his brother could be? The biting and hypnotism might point you in the right direction."

"Kind of." The research was the easiest part of the problem. Stefan could browse through his library's archives and uncover whatever he desired on the supernatural. If he were honest, he was stuck on the brother's resemblance.

He should've guessed that there was no real connection. He should have, and yet some part of him actually wanted it. "I thought we might've been werewolves, but the compulsion didn't really make sense and--"

He leans forward, holding onto the counter for support. Crap, of all the stupid times to get an echo back too...

He's silent as Stefan starts to explain and when he mentions of werewolves, Xander can't help but raise an eyebrow. Then again, he didn't know if the memory took place at night or during the day and it was his own fault for not asking for more details.

Just as he's about to consider moving the bowl of dough to a warmer spot, he hears his roommate's words abruptly cut off. Forgetting about the bowl for the moment, he quickly comes over and surveys what is going on. All too familiar with the process of obtaining echoes, he waits for Stefan to exit his trance.

"Are you all right?" He asks in a quiet, but concerned tone.

Very softly - almost inaudibly - Stefan manages to say, "I think I'm dead."

Instinctively, he presses a hand against his chest. He can hear his heart rate spiking significantly, and he knows he's breathing. There's no doubt that blood's circulating through his system. No doubt, but then did he... fake his death in his past life?

"Or was dead? I... nevermind, brother." He's still partially in his trance (what other reason would he have to mistake Xander for his sibling?), but he's coherent enough to amend it. "I mean, Xander. Sorry, that was... that was weird."

The baker blinks at the dead comment before glancing over his roommate, looking for signs of decay. He's seen someone go through the process before, becoming more rotten with each pulse. A part of him was concerned and reached over to touch Stefan's shoulder, applying his healing ability even though it wouldn't do much. It could heal minor injuries and broken bones, but there was a burning sensation when used.

But when he hears Stefan call him brother, he stops his healing ability and blinks. No one has called him that for nearly 9 years. He tries his best to not think of his twin brother or his other self's relationship with a man who shares too many similarities.

"...It's fine." He quickly reassures and pulls away, turning his attention back to the bowl with dough. "I know you didn't mean it."

As he picks up the bowl, he covers it with a clean dish towel and sets it on the counter near the stove.

Under other circumstances, Stefan would have balked at his roommate's touch. Xan never struck him as the type (but then again, they didn't spend that much time together). His trance had prevented him from acknowledging it, so he winces upon regaining full control of his senses. He must've said something wrong: the 'brother' must've set Xander off somehow.

"Still," he says, finding his strength again as he reaches for his mug of tea again. "That echo... well, it kinda answered some questions and just raised a whole set of them."

He takes a sip of his tea finally, before he elaborates, "I was talking to my brother, about some kind of transition now that we'd died." Logically, he knows of only one species that even remotely has a permanent transition, but there's no possible way. He knows, despite having met one or two of them on the Network. "Or we might've faked our deaths? Hard to tell."

Just as he considers responding to Stefan's statement about echoes and the lack of answers that came with them, his roommate was explaining what happened. So, he remains silent and processes the information while staring down at the counter in front of him.

"You mean your other self's brother." He corrects, trying to make sure Stefan doesn't blur the lines between the two. "As for that 'transition', it could mean one of numerous things. I know you want answers now, but they'll come in due time."

"Right, his brother." The lines were starting to blur already, and Stefan was inwardly hating himself for it. He was smarter than this. Princeton had thought so, and Princeton didn't accept just anyone!

He nods, trying to regain his composure, "I guess so. In the meantime, research at the library... along with studying for the MCAT... but you swear, you don't really have any echoes about me?"

"I swear that I have no memories that include your other half." He states firmly before adding with a sigh, "...Unless he was with another group during a war."

It was a possibility that they haven't crossed paths before. But if he was suppose to receive a 'pulse' from Stefan, it would have been instantaneous like the rest of them. He didn't want to focus on a war from another life, not right now.

A war? A freaking war? Stefan can't help grimacing at the thought. Bad enough that he remembers getting attacked by his brother, but adding a war ontop of it all...

"Iiiii'll let you know if that ever happens," he says, his voice trailing off as he reaches for something to dip in his mug.

"But no, that actually helped. Kind of." Only in the sense that his other self's brother - whoever he was - wasn't related to Xander in the slightest.

Stefan, you're currently speaking to a former soldier who has been to war. Although he kept that a bit of a secret, but there were moments of his training slipping through from time to time.

"Of course and you're welcome." He responds with a nod before realizing that he has been standing here, staring at this counter for several minutes now. "Even if it was a little bit."

With that he goes back to where he was working and cleans up the mess he made while making the dough.

Stefan doesn't hesitate to help with the mess, grabbing paper towels and wiping down the counter alongside him. It's the least he could do, especially after dropping a bit of information like 'my past life was kind of dead.'

"So what kind of bread were you making?" He's partially asking to change the subject, but partially because he's curious. His sister primarily baked desserts, so having other baked goods was a welcome change of pace.

He's not surprised to see his roommate next to him, helping out. As tempting as it was to tell Stefan not to bother, he keeps working and silent until he has to answer a question.

"Just the normal kind since it has multiple uses. I was considering making a loaf of bread or some dinner rolls, but I'll put some off to the side for pizza."

Now that the work surface was clean, he moves to discard any left over flour and wash his hands again.

He nods noncommittally, cleaning with a practiced grace after years of helping his baby sister in the kitchen. (Olette was a great baker, but she had never properly learnt to clean up her messes.)

"Dinner rolls sound good," he says after a moment, washing his hands once he's finished cleaning. "Though I guess the bread would go better with the lamb I'm making..."

If they hadn't fully shared cooking duties yet, Stefan was definitely subtly hinting at it.

Xander grabs a towel and dries the surface he was working on, but pauses at the mention of lamb. There were many things one could do with such product.

"Do you need me to make a different kind of dough or bread?" He asks before resuming his task. "Or would that get in the way of your cooking time?"

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[closed] I see you in another place

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