TEST DRIVE MEME #20

[penancemods]

Arrival

You remember a dream.

Or maybe nightmare is more accurate.

It was full of hellfire nipping at your skin and a sensation of being pulled down no matter how much you struggle or cry for help. There's a voice that feels like it's coming from all around you at once. Contrasting with the nightmare unfolding around you, it's smooth as silk. It makes you want to listen with every bit of attention you can muster in the moment.

"Judgement has come upon you, but not to worry. It can still be undone."

The voice promises you redemption for your sins. It promises you a better life and everything you could ever want, if only you just stop struggling so much.

And so you do.

While everyone usually wakes up in the same room initially, there has been an unforeseen error. Sinners will not wake in a deceptively cushy room with Hieronymus Bosch paintings lining the walls. Instead, when they open their eyes, they may find themselves in any Penance location, including:

∎ Any location within the hotel, including rooms belonging to sinners who have already settled in. Bar, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. There's a nice torture room as well!
∎ Club Penance, Casino Styx, the movie theatre, or the fondly named Hellburbia, etc..
∎ Locations just outside the gate aren't off limits for new arrivals, but keep in mind that sinners may be chased by random hell beasts or have to call for aid ASAP.

More details about locations available in Hell can be found here.

After feeling a sensation of falling or dropping onto a hard surface, characters wake up feeling like they've just slept for a month straight. Their body will feel heavy and stiff, and they'll have a massive headache at first. They will have a mysterious wound across the palm of their hand that hasn't been healed properly.

They'll quickly notice the list of their sins written with their blood on an old piece of parchment placed upon their chest. These contracts are made with blood magic and will mean the parchment is tied to their individual sins. They can't be changed or tampered with. Next to them, they'll also find their device to connect with others and the network dropped on the ground. It won't be anything terribly fancy. As a matter of fact, it looks like a very old Blackberry type phone.

Once characters are ready to get up, they'll have to find their way to the Hotel Penance lobby. Pushing through the dreaded ominous feeling that lingers upon arrival, they may encounter fellow sinners or demonic staff that will direct them to the front desk to be checked in. The staff may be pushy or they may border on courteous. It really just depends on the mood of the demon at the time and how they're treated in return.

Once to the lobby, you'll notice the front desk manned by a demon who looks bored out of his mind. To the side of him is the door to the kitchen, where guests may help themselves to whatever foods are available. To the right is a small duty free shop that seems to have a surprisingly normal, expected stock of items. There's also a gift shop called Kergak's Gifts and Things, for all those novelty Hell t-shirts and memorabilia. Look around a bit further, there will be a tiny bar tucked in through a corner door. It seems pretty well-stocked and best of all, there's a demonic bartender who seems to know how to mix any drink you can imagine (and a few you can't). Of course there's some seating, bar games, and a jukebox tucked in the corner if you'd rather stay and socialize a bit. There's also a new addition of a karaoke machine.

Please note that all the songs on the jukebox are appropriately hell-themed. Hopefully Sympathy for the Devil is universally loved.


Stand Your Ground

Sinners, new and old alike, will note that the morning in Penance starts off with quite a bang. An explosion rocks the hotel just as Lilith is welcoming the fresh batch of damned souls in after a full month and it seems to spread out across the entire community. Before anyone can so much as react, it feels almost like the dimension of Hell folds in on itself. For a jarring, uncomfortable moment, everything changes. The hotel changes from its usual look to a burned out husk of a building that reveals the gruesome landscape outside, to a castle made of skulls before back to normal again. Similarly, the demons and sinners alike may feel themselves shift a bit, becoming some alternate version of themselves. The demons may become uncomfortably human, sinners may become older or younger. It doesn't last more than a second, but it may leave one feeling a bit ill for a while afterwards.

For a blissful moment after the explosion and weirdness that followed, things almost seem back to normal around Penance. At least until the staff is frantically rushing around. The word is Lilith has been injured and Lucifer has gone missing. There are scared murmurs of The Veiled Order and God breaking through the barrier Lucifer set up to keep him out. Everything feels tense and chaotic, even as the staff tries to keep a brave face for the guests.

Fortunately, the Casino Styx, Loki, and Leo Fitz's expertise in harnessing harmless energy to keep the barrier up seems to be holding strong for now anyway. God is not in Hell. The Veiled Order seem quiet as well. Confusion is thick in the air as everyone tries to puzzle out what's going on, but the one thing that seems certain? There's something that managed to sneak in with the souls and it's likely some really bad news. No one knows what's coming next, but still, the show must go on! Whether people want it to or not.

The demon at the front desk does what he can to keep things orderly going forward. He's there to help guests find their way to their rooms, he's there to explain why souls are brought in. Unfortunately, reality isn't quite as back to normal as one might have expected. Doors that are familiar (or aren't, depending on how new you are) lead to entirely different places than one would expect. Go to the kitchen? You may just end up in the torture room! Trying to leave the gym, have fun accidentally stepping into someone's bedroom! This also happens while stepping into the shower occasionally... hope no one has issues with appearing suddenly in the new in the middle of the lobby or any other area in Hell! The staff assures everyone that this will be corrected just as soon as they figure out what's going on exactly.

Unfortunately, this means that sinners may wind up in the room that seems to just be full of blood or the one constantly burning with hellfire... fortunately, the rooms that remain locked throughout the hotel don't seem to change much at all. Still no entrance to these restricted areas at all!

The random teleportation or odd rooms aren't just confined to the hotel. This may happen at Club Penance, Hellburbia, and any other establishment around Hell. Caution is strongly urged for anyone intending on going anywhere. It may be wise to go in a group!


Reach Up High

Since this is the first TDM of the new year, we're offering multiple choices for punishment to give players an idea of what to expect in the game coming up. These are all open to new and all players alike, so enjoy! Just click on the title to expand the information for each.

Prompt I: Just a Little Cut

WARNINGS: mutilation, blood, cutting.

Whether you've been here for months or you're freshly arrived, your demonic overlord unfortunately expects some participation despite the current state of things. You can try and shirk the responsibility, of course. You can bargain your way out of it for a while. But eventually, you may find yourself trapped in a room just off the gym that's been fondly dubbed The Torture Room. It has all manner of equipment in there, along with an iron maiden even.

But don't worry about any of that right now. It probably won't be used.

You can try the door, but even with super human strength or every lock picking skill in the book, you won't be able to open it.

It soon becomes apparent what you're supposed to do when someone else is eventually shoved in with you. Both of your lists of sins will appear on a table that's been placed in the center of the room, along with two handy knives. You can choose to guard these or not care at all that they're on display.

"Know that honesty is a good place to start on your road to redemption-- you know what, it doesn't matter. This is Hell and while suffering may not happen without reason, you don't really care about that right now, do you? Sure, pain can be terrifying at first, but that's why you've been given a partner in this journey. Pick up your knives and carve at least one sin into each other's flesh. Help in the journey to be candid with everyone you should meet here!"

The voice echoes all around you again, just like in the nightmare, but it's different. Rougher. It's a demon's voice without any of Lucifer's calming demeanor.

"Just get on with it or you'll be cut much worse."

It isn't a lie nor an idle threat either. The longer you wait to do what's been requested of you, the more shallow cuts that will appear on both of your bodies. Are you really prepared to endure this pain when giving in would be so much easier?

And more than that, are you willing to let another suffer along with you?

Eventually, the cuts will stop if you suffer them long enough, but you'll have failed this challenge and sustained more damage than if you'd just gone along with it. Satan will also be very disappointed in you.

Prompt II: Just a Chat

"New arrivals!" The demon greets as sinners are led to a room with two seats and a table in between. They then will be made to sit by two burly demon escorts.

"What I am asking of you is rather simple... pick a sin from your contract, any sin, and explain how you got to that point. Simple enough, yes? Perhaps gaining a better understanding of what made you sin in the first place will help. Or humiliate you into never doing it again. Please don't try to get out of it... you will be punished.".

And true to his word, so long as sinners comply and share what made them perform a sin on their list, they'll be let go. If, after five minutes, nothing has been shared, a headache will begin. The pain will gradually increase until it floods the body. Nosebleeds may begin to happen, so will bleeding out the ears or eyes. Eventually, a sinner may even lose a sense for a 24 hour period.

Is it really worth potentially going blind just to get out of a little bit of talking? Come now...

(Effects should begin 5 comments in and gradually worsen until sinners either give in or start to lose one of their senses. After this, they'll be released from the room regardless whether they complied or not)

Prompt III: Jesus Wept

WARNINGS: mutilation, blood, torture, extreme gore.

Somewhere from within the hotel is an ominous rumble behind a closed door. There are eerie screams from within, followed by menacing laughter as the door swings open of its own accord. The room within is painted in nothing but darkness and a thick fog.

For those who would dare approach, they will be able to make out the outlines of chains hanging in wait from the ceiling, but most other details are obscured. There may be a brief flash of figures in the shadows, the stench of blood. This feels like a bad idea, but sinners are drawn forward anyway. There's something of a promise inside this room... something new and exciting, greater than anyone is capable of imagining!

You know what they say about curiosity and the cat, don't you?

Before common sense can win out, guests will find themselves pulled into the room and hear the gut-wrenching slam of the heavy door behind them. Once inside, guests will be able to make out the torn apart bodies on the ground, halved or nothing but splatters of guts and bone. Despite all logic, some will still be writhing and moaning still. Whether in pleasure or pain, it's difficult to tell

Look closer still and sinners may notice one has managed to scrawl with their bloody handprint:

There are no limits.

It may feel as if reading those words puts things into motion. Suddenly, one of the poor sinners will find the chains lashing out, hooks sinking in deep as they find their purchase on their bodies and pull. They will find themselves pulled into an almost gruesome mockery of a crucifixion pose. Arms drawn up, legs held in place. Clothes may be torn or shredded as their unmarked bodies are marred with the hooks. Flesh and muscle stretch under the strain. Fortunately, it doesn't go further.

Not yet.

"Dear guests, we haven't explored the depths to which pain can show our true selves in a while, have we? This is a room that was locked off for a while and my demonic brothers and sisters trapped within have found themselves rather bored lately," the demon's voice rings out within both ears of the sinners. "I want to show you the lengths Hell used to go to, the pain and pleasure mix of true torment. It's in suffering that we find our true selves. I do firmly believe that. We find out who we're meant to be, what we're meant to be, giving and receiving pain. Help one another and you will be set free!"

The fog dissipates enough to reveal a table nearby full of all sorts of horrifying instruments. Paddles, whips, some of them barbed in nauseating ways. There's wax to melt, knives. Needles to pierce flesh with. There are instruments that deliver enough electric current into the recipient to hurt and leave them writhing, gags for when their cries become too much.

"Next to your instruments, you will find a list of sins and wrongdoings your lovely captive has done in their lives, both here and back home. Read it and punish accordingly. Remember, there is freedom in humiliation as well as pain. Force them to see who they truly are inside. There's also redemption to be found in the punishment. You are delivering God's divine justice! You are God's hand! He will be so pleased..."

In the shadows, there are those same figures standing in wait, ready to manipulate the hooks.

"You will have no more than four attempts to carry out your punishment. Failure or refusal to do so will result in another hook driving into our poor bound soul here. After your four attempts, I am sorry to say they will be torn apart by my friends in the shadows with you, and you will have murder added to the list of sins tainting you. It would be such a needless shame to fail at this, wouldn't it? And who knows, perhaps you'll find you adore this path..."

There's a short laugh from the demon, as if he just made a brilliant joke. "Succeed in your punishment and you will both be released with one more sin removed from your list. Don't worry about any injuries... there are bandages and other aids available just outside. Now go have fun."

[As this is a Hellraiser based prompt, feel free to assume anything with a sadomasochistic bent to it can be found within the room. Attacking the demons controlling the chains will not stop them. They seem to be invulnerable to attacks and are only there to observe and add additional hooks when they deem fit. When a punishment is deemed worthy enough to release the hooked partner is left up to player discretion, but a character is only allowed to fail a punishment four times before they have to witness a horribly gory scene.]

Follow Me Down

Prompt I: Bare All

WARNINGS: sex, drugs, alcohol, aphrodisiacs, body changes, potential kinks, violence, potential non-con or dub-con.

Club Penance seems to be returning to its old charm! Themed nights have returned. This night's theme is: Anything But Clothes. Guests who enter the adult oriented side of the club will notice the incubi and succubi who serve in it are entirely without clothes (and any ounce of shame!). They're very encouraging of others to do the same whether it be immediately or in sexy strip shows.

On their trays, they offer drinks and drugs of all sorts. Shows are being put on on the stage, the offer of sex demos with guest participation is still on the table.

As usual, these demons play under respectable rules, safe words and all. They will also gladly exit the stage and let guests entirely run the show. They're on their best behavior tonight, even if the natural aphrodisiacs they give off seem to be amped up

Guests who refused to undress may also find their clothes randomly disappearing, or being torn off by some eager patron or demon who is a bit too into the theme! Ah, well, no need to worry too much, even if there's an undercurrent of desperation or fear in these demons, like they want guests to... well, sin. What could they need all that extra energy for? Well, considering how crazy things are around Penance right now... best to not worry about it probably.

There will be costumes and lingerie to slip on to go home in. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a walk of shame back to the hotel in nothing but a thong, they'll assure. It's just another night in Hell.

For those who are really adventurous, there are also special concoctions that the club offers. These include:

Frenzy ○ The drug will be given to anyone anyone who asks for it. It can be snorted, injected, taken in pill form, or smoked given user preference.

Despite the questionable name, guests who partake really will feel the best they've possibly ever felt. They won't need sleep or to rest, but they won't necessarily feel the strain on their bodies either. They'll be full of energy and their mood will be amazing with no hint of nightmares or dreams anywhere.

The demons won't let anyone come down either, not once they've started and not until they're told a guest doesn't want any more.

Even then, they may still try to convince them otherwise. It's a party for as long as you can go, or until you completely burn out, it seems.

But with all good things come bad. It seems a side-effect of the drug is an actual frenzy as well. A frenzy for sex or violence or anything a character might want that they deny themselves on the regular. They'll feel this growing hunger, this ravenous need to have and to claim everything they think is theirs.

Some may even fade away into an almost animalistic sort of state.

The more the guest takes, the more they'll experience this sensation. Fighting it won't help either. Though they did sort of bring that one on themselves, didn't they?

Other symptoms of coming down won't be too different to those of other drugs. Fatigue, depression. Guests will begin to feel the effects of staying up for so long without rest or stopping to take care of themselves. They may also feel a certain longing for more, but it can be fought off with enough strength of will.

The drug isn't free either. The succubi expect to be paid in energy or through actual work in the club.

Bond ○ A potion that will bond guests together the minute one speaks to the other. The encouragement is that this should be done consensually, but the demons won't necessarily be checking. Once bonded, guests will feel what the one who took the potion feels. This includes pain and pleasure both with effects lasting a full night. Give someone the most intense pleasure of their lives or torture them until they beg for mercy!

For a really intense experience, both participants can consume the potion with mutual effects.

For the dance oriented portion of the club, the theme is a little more lax. Instead of outright nakedness, patrons may be offered revealing clubwear instead. Things that will look mesmerizing in the lights of the club ranging from neon colors to clothes that seem to flash on the dance floor. The music will be thrumming in the air, pumping down to your very bones as you dance the night away, and all patrons will feel good. It will feel as if they could actually dance all night if they so wanted, even without the aid of any drugs.

It will be an all night rave with all the party drugs and drinks one could want! Live music plays all night. The band also loves to receive requests, so knock yourself out! They seem to strangely know any song they're asked to play.

Knock yourself out, give up any care in the world and have fun. You're already in Hell, so don't you deserve to feel good for a while?


Prompt II: Your Average Hotel Night

WARNINGS: Alcohol and drug abuse, potential non-con/dub-con

With all the sinners, new and old, the hotel bar will be lit up with activity. Drinks will be readily available, there's food in the kitchens, music will be blaring, and overall, there will be an energy to the atmosphere that's absolutely contagious. Even if you aren't typically inclined to linger at these sorts of events there may be be a certain pull to stay and have a bit of fun.

You might not get much of a chance to have that in Hell, after all. One drink won't hurt, right? Nor will one more after that, and after that. Ah, sweet gluttony. Why not have a pastry next? There's some delectable sweets available just a few steps away. More of a meat person? Like things salty? Fear not, it looks like someone graciously brought all sorts of snacks and foodstuffs from the kitchens to the bar as the night progresses. Indulge! You deserve it.

Similar to Club Penance, the bar also has every sort of drug available that might tickle your fancy and some you've never heard of. There's no harm in experimenting, is there? You're already in Hell. The staff will offer to show anyone how to use the drugs or give advice for what to try if you tell them what you want to experience. Shockingly, they won't lie! Their advice is good word its just you might not have been exactly prepared for it.

There's a stage and a karaoke machine for those feeling brave or just wanting to torture people with some sweet, sweet renditions of The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

There are tables set up for all sorts of gambling and various bar games to entertain yourself with. Since currency as most are familiar with it doesn't quite exist down here, most of the demons seem to be accepting bits of your soul or offers to do chores around the hotel. You may also get pulled into a fun game of strip poker against one of your fellow guests for a few succubi that are having a night out.

Relax and enjoy your night. Coming here and facing your sins is the hard part, so surely you deserve to have a little fun.


Wildcard/Misc.

Don't see something you love but still want to get a feel for the game? Check out our extensive list of LOCATIONS and write up your very own prompt however you'd like to! You can also add a "NETWORK" post option to your TL for quick, easy, and fun interactions.



And without further ado: Welcome to our new TDM for the February 1st app round! A.K.A. The Torture Extravaganza! It's been a while since Hell has been properly mean and, with a return to the norm, we wanted to offer players a chance to really explore what Hell has to offer. There will also be an upcoming mystery to solve with the introduction of whatever this new threat in Hell is and whatever has become of Lucifer and Lilith.

All will be revealed in the upcoming February plot! If you app and are accepted, TDM tags become game canon and can be used for AC! Please have fun and don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have down below.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, etc., go here.


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Comments

caroline forbes | the vampire diaries verse | open and closed

[incontrovertible]

𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 | ( 1 reply )

( The last thing Caroline Forbes remembers is saying a permanent goodbye to an old friend. Perhaps, redemption really can be reached. Time is a funny thing. Through the cloudy memory of a goodbye kiss and one look back, she comes to.

Like other new arrivals, she does not awaken in a fresh room, but on the steps leading down to the hotel lobby. Before she can recognize that she's laying in a slanted position, her entire body attempts to push up and she rolls the rest of the way down the stairs to the lobby floor, her sin list wafting down above her, Blackberry bouncing and landing at her side. )

What the --

( To Caroline, pain is always very temporary, especially when she frequently gets her neck broken. It's more an inconvenience. First, she reads her sin list, frowning. )

Is this a joke?

( Is she being punished? Is this about sympathizing with Klaus Mikaelson? She looks around her then, like it's the year 2000 and she's being Punk'D. Come on, early 2000's Ashton Kutcher. Come out with your trucker hat and your B-list celebrities. She knows that's not going to happen. It doesn't make her want it any lest.

Carefully balancing on her heels, Caroline pulls herself to her feet, swiping up the phone underneath her. )

𝖈𝖑𝖎𝖒𝖇𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖚𝖕𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖑 | (open)

( Once she barely gets her bearings and learns the basics, it's time to do what Caroline Forbes does. A quick perusal of her device and all people connected to it cross referenced with the directory tells her that she is not alone in Hell. And what does Caroline Forbes do? She arrives unannounced if need be. Sure, it's polite to call ahead. But, when one ends up in Hell, politeness is forgotten in favor of action.

Too bad every. single. time she attempts a recognized name's room, she ends up somewhere else! She tries Josie and Lizzie's - which is her worst nightmare! Her daughters in Hell? But, their door leads to the spa. She's momentarily distracted by what looks like a boiling soaking tub before she's click-clacking out of there.

The next door she takes sends her into the hotel bar, karaoke machine, and demons and all. She pauses then, exasperated. )

I am a freakin' walking Garmin. You are doing this to me... ( She memorizes maps. She memorizes room numbers. She - contemplates a quick drink, but she's a mother on a mission.

The next time she tries her daughters room, she ends up in Club Penance. It's during the day, luckily, but they're already advertising the night's theme and -- ) I went to college and I didn't even go to theme parties.

( She would've! But, years later? Mother of fifteen year-olds? She's a little old. And she's on a mission.

She tries their room again and ends up in the gym. She tries Elena's room and ends up in - well, a room that's not Elena's. Maybe your character is there and she walked in unannounced. She is getting so frustrated. ) I'm sorry, I - have the wrong room. Do no doors work in Hell?

( Finally, she ends up in the blood room. Swimming. Through. Freakin' blood. It's like the Shining elevator doors opened but there's no hallway and there's all blood! Hell is much more than a handbasket if you ask Caroline Forbes. It's also more than other people, Jean-Paul Sartre. Hell is doors. )

𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔪𝔶 𝔰𝔬𝔫𝔤 | josie saltzman & lizzie saltzman

( COVERED in blood, Caroline stalks back to the front desk, slapping a hand on the bell there. )

I give up! Excuse me. Demon! Can you send another bellhop or maid demon to find Josie or Lizzie Saltzman, please. Tell them they have a guest? I'm not leaving this spot until I'm reunited with one or both of my girls. Preferably both!

( An angry, blood-soaked Caroline Forbes is not a Caroline Forbes to be trifled with. (Blood-soaked, or not.) )

And can someone get me a towel?!

..

( After the demon finds at least Josie and Caroline has wiped most of the blood from her face, (her hair is another story), Caroline gives up on doors altogether and sends her other daughter a message. )

Why do I need a username!

( And then she mutters 'screw it,' thinks quickly to the last thing they talked about. A split second of, that has shades of wicked, she smiles to herself and composes a text. )

un | defyingpatriarchy

Honey, it's Mom. I tried finding you in person but Josie says something is happening with the doors and that there was an explosion? I couldn't find HER either, until I made a demon find both of you and they found one of you. I don't like Hell. Can we meet in the hallway outside your room? I need should get cleaned up, don’t ask. Half an hour?

( Something is going on between her daughters, other than ending up in Hell, God that makes her blood boil, but as long as she sees both in person, she is going to be at least 5% more calm about everything. That's a lie. She's not going to be calm. Or rational. Or polite.

But, she is going to wait impatiently outside Lizzie and Josie's door... The doors did not betray her. )

𝔟𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔫𝔢𝔴 𝔶𝔬𝔲 | elena gilbert

( While Elena has seen Caroline in a worse state, maybe, she's still a little fuzzy on what being a different Elena means, this is still Elena. And it's one thing to greet her first daughter in Carrie White cosplay. It's another to knock, bloody, on Elena's door. So, she showers! She showers and no doors send her anywhere else.

She does not let herself into Elena's room like her mistake several times more. Instead, she knocks. )

Elena? Are you in here?

hear my song

[polydeukes]

Mom!?

[When the front desk called her phone asking her to come to the front desk, this isn't what she anticipated finding. Certainly not covered in blood looking like a prom queen from a terrible horror film. She gapes for a moment, before stepping forward towards her.]

Oh my god, when did you get here?

[incontrovertible]

( If it's any consolation, she's wiped the blood from her face and neck for the most part. Not from the rest of her outfit, however. She's not magic like some people.

She hears her name as she tries to do what she can for her hair. Down comes the towel. )

Josie!

( One out of two is exactly half bad (and good, but this is Hell, it's bad), but she did ask for her daughters. She looks -- just a little bit older? Is that just the mom goggles she has on?

She gets close but thinks better of wrapping her arms around her little girl. )

Six or seven doors ago. ( She hasn't been glued to her Blackberry to track time. ) You really are here. You and Lizzie? ( Her voice gets quiet as this sinks in. ) ... H - how. Why? ( She turns on the demon staff who look like they've had enough of this tirading parent. ) What did my teenagers do?!

( And wasn't Hell gone? Cade was snuffed out and Katherine went up in Hellfire. She takes one long breath in, trying to calm herself even as she thinks back to the last time Hell mattered in her life. She'll always be the woman widowed on her wedding day. )

It's fine. We're going to get you out. We're going to get all of us out. ( She's smiling again as she turns back to Josie. ) Did you -- ?

( Grow? )

[polydeukes]

Mom, hold on.

[She places a hand down on the front desk, siphoning some of the magic into her before waving her hands and saying the incantation. The blood flows off Caroline almost instantly, and it's like it was never there.

And then she has an armful of daughter, because Caroline has now idea how much she's needed a mom hug.

Like, desperately.]

I missed you.

[incontrovertible]

( Give her daughter the credit, a clean spell is just the thing Caroline needed. If she could do magic, it's probably all the magic she'd do. Bonnie's a Bennett witch. Caroline would be Ms. Clean. She'd make a killing, too.

She takes that armful of daughter and holds her closer. She breathes her in, sighing with some relief. )

I missed you, too. I always miss you. I would've rethought my work trip if I knew we were all going to end up in Hell.

( She didn't tell the girls she'd flown back to New Orleans. Ric wasn't thrilled, not after what she'd asked of them. But, she felt she owed him - something. And he technically owed her, too. One tour. One -- last round.

Caroline tries to keep her nerves together. She holds that righteous maternal anger in. She takes one more breath in and out. She will hug Josie for as long as she needs. )

What happened? How did this happen? Is it Cade?

[polydeukes]

No. No, it's not Cade.

[Eventually she does pull back because they do have a lot of talking to do.]

What's the last thing you remember? Or ... when was the last time we saw each other?

[incontrovertible]

( Worry flashes across her eyes. That's an oddly specific question. She appreciates the second option. What does she remember? Saying one final goodbye to Klaus Mikaelson. The last time she saw Josie, that's something she'd want to talk about. )

Your sister and you helped Hope. ( Mikaelson. ) With the dark power that was inside her. You helped put it into Klaus.

( Thanks to Ric. )

And then, I had to take a quick trip.

( Nothing to see here. There was no correlation. They probably know the correlation. Hopefully, they don't. )

[polydeukes]

[She nods once.]

So for me that was a couple of years ago. Time is a little weird here, no one is from the same point in time.

[Which has the potential for awkward, but at least she has time to break the bad news to her mom.]

As far as I know the order is Elena, you, Raf, me Lizzie, Landon. Though the last four are a lot closer together.

[incontrovertible]

Years?

( Hold it together, Caroline. Time is weird. Time's been weird before. Granted, that's because certain members of the family desiccated themselves and time moved on. But, that didn't happen. Caroline didn't desiccate and dry out. No. She's in Hell.

Bless you, Josie, for making a list. )

So, Elena's the furthest away in - time, and you, Raf, Lizzie, and Landon ( Who are Raf and Landon? A question for after this. ) are from relatively the same point in time. A couple of years after me. After - that. Okay. That would explain why you look older.

( She's grown into a young woman. )

So, not-Cade plucked us from different points in time? ...Please don't say the name Katherine Pierce.

[buried]

[ elena has been on tenterhooks ever since she received josie's message.

to her credit, she stays put, knowing it's far more important for the girls — how she loves your girls, caroline — to reunite with their mother. elena has done her best to protect and nurture and be there for them, but nothing replaces the hole in your heart that just longs for your mom. they both know that all too well.

still, she hasn't seen her best friend in years.

it's been literal years for elena, and so she allows herself this selfish and unspoiled joy. no sooner there's a knock on the door and she hears her name, elena is opening it. before caroline has so much as finished her sentence, elena is already embracing her, falling into her like the longest of sighs. ] Caroline.

[incontrovertible]

( She hopes more than anything for Elena to be on the other side. She knows how doors and the other Elena could be. Romantic reunions turn into hostage situations. But, maybe that didn't happen for her yet. Caroline didn't ask. With her daughters, she focused on her daughters. She has a million questions, and some things she doesn't know if she should hold back. She plays with her wedding ring, the one she's never taken off, the one she'll always have a place for.

Elena throws open the door and Caroline is being tackled. Well, hugged. But, with the level of energy and affection, it could be called a tackling. It doesn't push her back, no. Elena takes her into her arms and then sinks and Caroline follows suit, hugging her back, squeezing her lightly.

She ends up cradling her head, holding the back. )

Elena.

[buried]

It's really you.

[ a whisper. her eyes sting with unshed tears to feel caroline's arms embrace her in turn. life has taught her a brutal lesson, and it's that you rarely get anything back. it makes elena holds on a little longer, hold on a little tighter — which must feel like nothing to a vampire — until she finally steps back with a small and choked laugh. ]

Come in! Please, come in.

[ now that caroline's found the right door, they want to avoid other doors for at least a little while. she won't breathe easy until caroline has crossed the threshold and elena has decisively closed the door behind her, like that will keep her friend safe. all this time later, and elena's no less stubborn and willful than she was before.

she doesn't look to be anywhere near her thirties, and her hair's longer than ever, but elena does look grown up. the self-possession she displayed as a teenager has only grown more polished with age. ] You have no idea how good it is to see you. [ circumstances not withstanding... ]

[incontrovertible]

It's me.

( it feels like everything to her. this is Elena. next to Bonnie, this is everything. if only all three of them were here, against Hell. Lucifer or God or whoever wouldn't know what hit them.

Caroline starts to step forward but stops, eyes tracing the doorway from the bottom right corner up. but, she's there. Elena is there in front of her and she stepped through. can Caroline?

she can.

Elena's hair is longer again, but more wild than she remembers. it has volume and personality. Caroline loves it. Caroline's own self-possession has smoothed over. she has two girls and Ric to think about. and an entire school of kids. she doesn't get to be self-possessed. well, maybe every once in awhile. maybe when she wants to take the jet to New Orleans and say goodbye.

Caroline gives an appraising look, not trying to judge anything too harshly against Elena, as nobody decided to go to Hell. Well, maybe Jason. Jason sure killed a bunch of teenager on the way there. )

I could say the same to you. ( It's always good to see Elena. But the Elena she knows, the one with the family practice and the family to go with it? She's busy. And Caroline runs a school. And travels. And parents. ) I don't know what Hell is doing to that hair, but keep doing it. It's so long!

( She reaches out and lightly brushes two fingers through her hair, a strand catching as she pulls back. )

I don't think it's been this long since -- ( And then she stops. Because, Elena is last in their timeline. Her smile freezes, her shoulders rise and she shakes her head once back and forth and laughs. ) I don't really know the protocol here.

[buried]

[ a pleased flush dusts across elena's cheeks as her best friend's fingers sift through the long and wilder strands of her hair. hell has yet to give elena a straightener, and at this point, she's not sure that she misses it too much. back home, it was important to her that she not follow in katherine's, but it seems so silly to think hair would've been a deciding factor.

in any case, her hair now doesn't remind her of katherine. it doesn't remind her of anyone but herself. ]

Thank you, Hell doesn't exactly have a salon and — you. Look at you. You look amazing.

[ caroline looks like she can take on hell and the world over, but then, that's always been true. she also looks like a headmistress... she looks like a mom. warmth threatens to sting under elena's eyelids once more as she looks upon her friend, taking this moment for herself to do just that until caroline's voice cuts off.

with it comes a shift. elena has struggled with this, time and again: the knowledge that her future is everyone else's past. she has struggled with two competing thoughts and wants. the need to always know, and the need to make decisions for herself. as a doppelgänger, she's had precious few opportunities to do so.

she takes caroline's hand before it can completely pull away from her. ]

I know it's weird. Trust me, I know. I've thought about this moment hundreds of times, and what I'd ask you, because it's killed me to know there's over a decade between us. We'll go over anything we need to. [ on elena's end, what she last lived and what she has learned throughout this experience. the works. ] The protocol is I'm still your best friend. I trust you, beyond anyone else, to tell me what I absolutely need to know right now.

[ she trusts bonnie just the same, but bonnie isn't here, and elena will keep missing her still. ]

For the rest... I need to feel like my future is my own. Like my choices are still my own, and not already made. So I'm not asking you to tiptoe around me or pretend we aren't from different places. I'm just asking you to let me get to where you are on my own. [ to treat her as her own person. as she is, here and now. differences and all. ] Is that okay?

[incontrovertible]

( Amazing. Please. You, Elena Gilbert are amazing. But, she takes the compliment with a smile. It edges over into a grin, just happy to be here in front of her. It's like she can't believe it. Her hands cover her mouth. She's here. In Elena's room. Her girls are here.

She finally finishes a full 360, facing Elena again.

She's right there. She will always be Elena's (and Bonnie's) best friend. That will never not be. Even when angry with one another. Even when their ex fiancee kills the love of their life. They've gotten through everything at this point. Does it make it any easier? No. But, she nods.

Elena is right. Anything Elena needs to know, she can tell her. Anything she might find out... she might have to tell her, if only because it's a part of who she is. She has never been the friend that sugarcoats for Elena. She doesn't lie. She doesn't tip-toe. )

Well. Elena. I don't think you need to get where I am, or where my girls are. Nobody should expect that from you. You're here. Now. Already, you've gone through something different. So, you don't have to worry about my expectations. And, there are things. Things I need to talk about. Things I'd tell you in any universe. But, I will always, always put you first.

( As she talks, her other hand, wedding ring and all, takes Elena's. Holding them both, she walks her and Elena over to the small couch in her suite and sits them down. )

Which brings me to, you just said over a decade? A decade dance's decade? A decade's a long time.

( And that's only 2016. She doesn't think much has changed from 2016 and 2026. Well. Kids. Okay, and med school. She's already forming what could be true, what Elena might say, what things she could omit. Is there a highlight reel handy? )

[buried]

[ as caroline speaks, elena is filled with a rush of gratitude and fondness and maybe a little relief. a decade or so may be between them, but caroline forbes still sounds every bit like caroline forbes, except perhaps more self-possessed and mature. she's achingly familiar, though, and she's also right.

it's what elena has said to others when they have struggled with their own future fates. their paths veered off course they moment they left their home worlds, and the people they become in the future aren't here: they are. so they can't stew in it, much as they can't live in the past. they can make their own choices.

easier to hand out good advice than it is to take it, but caroline gives her a good and much needed reminder, and it's hardly a hardship: them getting to know each other as the people they've become. it's why she follows caroline to the couch without question.

with their hands clasped like this, she can feel caroline's ring against her skin, and a bittersweet emotion grasps hold of her chest. it's been years since elena was in love with stefan salvatore, but there will always be a place for him in her heart, and learning of his fate doesn't seem real still.

caroline's reaction provides a good respite from that thought as elena gives a small laugh. ] I think so? If I've done my math right. It's hard to be sure in places like this one. But I'm close to twenty-three, and you're close to ...thirty-seven? [ time for elena to learn the twins were fourteen on caroline's side of things. ]

[incontrovertible]

Elena Gilbert, I am not a day over 35.

( Math be damned. She's twenty-three, though, which - Caroline pauses, because, Elena wasn't Elena at twenty-three. That is, she wasn't around. She was in a coffin. And when she came out of that coffin, she was not twenty-three. She was just a bit older. She didn't fight to get those years back, she fought for the years that came. )

You're ...

( Was she taken mid-slumber? And aware of her age, then? That doesn't... track. She - realizes there has been too long of a pause and she laughs. )

Sorry. What if we - what's the last thing that you remember. It didn't work with my girls since they are seventeen now, but, you're before me! So, it's like a golf handicap.

[predispositions]

(lizzie has been trying to keep herself occupied lately, whether it meant training with jon, hanging out with blue and adam, talking with elena, or finding projects to throw herself into. she had been in the library when she got the message from -- her mom? her mom was here? lizzie clamors to her feet to get back to their room except -- well the doors play a few tricks on her and she had to go through club penance (gross) but she eventually gets there and before caroline can say anything she is throwing her arms around her tightly, clinging to her.)

Mom!

[incontrovertible]

( Caroline waits, hand on her door. as she turns, she spots her daughter, but Lizzie is too fast. she has a daughter wrapped around her. she's not complaining. she holds her close. tightly. )

Lizzie.

( she holds the hug just long enough to be embarrassing in public if she did it on school grounds. but this is Hell. it doesn't count here. she'll just play the mom in Hell card as many times as she wants.

finally, she lets go, pushing her hair back and resting her hand on her head. )

Hey, honey.

[predispositions]

(she didn't realize, until this moment, how much she's missed and needed her mother. not that having elena hasn't been great -- she loves her aunt dearly and they've grown close in ways she wouldn't have expected but her mom was her mom. and without josie around she's felt lost, incomplete, but unsure of how to bridge the gap. she would have kept on hugging if her mom hadn't pulled away. her eyes might be a little wet)

I've missed you so much.

[incontrovertible]

( she can only imagine. she heard what happens to Josie, what she almost did. she's learned about Malivore and Hope's erasing crusade. she wants to know more about Lizzie, her side, her life. )

Right back at you. Your sister told me that you guys are from a few years after me. I've heard about some of it, but I'd love to hear about it from you. If your door doesn't send us back to the spa, do you want to go inside?

[predispositions]

(oh. she's talked to josie already. well. that's something.)

Sure.

(luckily the door just leads them inside and all that's greeting them on the other side is the room and merry and pippin, the little blue minions they adopted. the two creatures squeal and wave as lizzie squats down to pick them up.)

[incontrovertible]

( in hindsight, that text could be misconstrued. she doesn't mean she's heard one side and she's on anybody's side, but she will be here no matter what. thank gosh there's -- Caroline stops in the middle of the room and tilts her head. )

Are they -- ?

[predispositions]

This is Merry and Pippin. They're our....friends. I guess. Pets feels wrong.

(but they had adopted them during billy's whole takeover thing and it stuck.)

[incontrovertible]

Like the hobbits.

( Friends. Okay. She can do - friends. And pets. It does feel like a sentient minion might - be insulted? To be called pets. )

Hello Merry and Pippin.