deercountry | out of the fire, into the frying pan

( stefan let's out a breath, relief prevalent in the sound before he starts towards her. as soon as he gets close enough, he stops and looks her up and down. )

Did you go shopping?

( how in the hell had she found time to go shopping during all this? how had she been able to focus? )

[ katherine only smiles, twirling on the spot to show off her goods. ]

Do you like it?

[ she peers down at her leg, pivoting her foot back and forth on the toe. she wears the shoes she had been wearing on the ship—dark brown high boots that look a little stained from the ocean with a heel that's sharp enough to be used as a knife. ]

I couldn't find the right shoes.

Yeah, it's fine but...Katherine.

( does she not realize what's happening, where they are? )

I've been worrying about where you were and you were shopping?

( he doesn't know how she could be so...not worried. )

I was looking for you.

[ she drops her hands away from her scarf and places her foot back on the ground. unwrapping that tie from around her wrist, she steps towards him so she can open it up and wrap it around his neck. ]

No one was going to tell me if they'd seen a handsome man without me buying something.

You were looking for me in a clothing shop?

( at least this distracts him from the blood and the fact that they're in some new fucked up world. he sighs and rubs a hand over his face. )

Are you okay?

I am now.

[ that he's here. yes, she's well aware that she's almost pulling a stefan in that regard. tying that tie very loosely around his neck, she pats his collarbones and lets her hands rest against him comfortably. ]

I was looking for you. It's important to make connections, Stefan. You never know what you might need from them in the future.

Yeah, well —

( he's glad that she was able to make her connections because he'd been a little concerned about some other things. )

You can't smell the blood?

( that's all he smells. )

[ since he's not shrugging away from her, katherine lets her hands slide up his neck so she can rub her thumbs beneath his jawline. ]

Mhm.

[ that's all she can smell, but katherine can easily push it down. he may get a whiff of a fresh spray of perfume that she's wearing. she'd purposefully showered herself in it to stop herself from smelling it. ]

That's partly why I went for a little shop. Can't smell it amongst all the sweat.

Yeah, well —

( he can smell it. he's been trying to do anything but smell it but it's everywhere. he swallows and closes his eyes. )

I need to get inside somewhere.

( before his well of control saps up. )

[ dropping her hands from his neck, she easily snares one of his hands and wraps her fingers with his. ]

Then, come on. I think you can take your mind off of it with some shopping.

[ she smiles up at him and gives his hand what appears to be a gentle tug, but the power behind said tug is forceful enough that he won't be able to turn in the other direction. sometimes, katherine thinks it's better to behave like nothing is wrong. if she behaves like that, maybe he'll leech some of that confidence and behave like that, too. ]

Katherine, no I don't want to go shopping.

( and he doesn't know why she's acting like there's nothing strange or different or unusual going on. he doesn't let her drag him, holding his position and shaking his head. )

You don't think there are other things to worry about other than shopping right now? Look where we are.

[ with a sigh, she turns around to face him. ]

That's the whole point, Stefan. Do you think you're going to find out where we are and what we're doing here by standing there and brooding? Come on.

[ she gives his hand a tug, this time a little stronger. if he wants to stop thinking about blood, then he needs to put his head in the game and start investigating where they are. it's a better use of everyone's time. ]

I'm not brooding.

( this time, he doesn't stop her from tugging him but he doesn't go easily either. he sighs and looks around, wincing. )

I don't want to go shopping. I don't need anything. I want to figure out where we are. And how we're here.

( he doesn't need new clothes. )

[ he's not listening. ]

How do you think you're going to figure that out, hm?

[ she leads him with his hand in hers for a few more moments before she steps back and beside him. taking his arm in hers, she loops them, tucking his elbow tightly in hers. ]

You figure that out by asking people, don't you?

[ hence... ]

Yeah, I can ask people but I don't want to go shopping.

( he's not buying clothes or anything like that. he doesn't need new shoes. he takes a breath and shakes his head. )

What have you found so far?

( besides clothes. )

That the pirates were right—the "Trench" [ airquotes and all. ] is a place.

[ and that it's not merely some dug up dirt in the ground. katherine had a feeling that it was a name of a location given how the pirates were talking about it. a lot can be learned about someone or something when someone listens really carefull. ]

Deerington is gone. This isn't some stupid fever dream.

So, we're...awake?

( it had been really hard to tell the difference in deerington. the only reason he'd known was that it had been a very widely known fact.

but here they were in some new place with only the word of...a shopkeeper to guide them? )

Who told you that?

I can feel it.

[ katherine is very in tune with who she is, her heightened senses, and what she's capable of doing. deerington had always felt like a little tease, a dream she could reach out and brush her fingertips against, but a dream she couldn't manipulate. a part of her never wanted to in case it resulted in catastrophe for herself or for the world around her. ]

This world doesn't feel like I could grab it and manipulate it. It feels very real.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

( had they just completely lost everything they'd had in deerington. he sighs and rubs a hand over his face. he doesn't know how she's dealing with this so easily when they've lost so much. )

Where are we going? You want to ask around for help but we don't even know what to ask.

[ she has no idea where they're going, but it's better than standing in one spot while the world around them continues to spin on. katherine hasn't survived five hundred years by staying still. ]

That's why you look for someone who seems overly friendly and talkative or someone who looks just as lost as we are.

[ never go for the people who seem like they're disinterested and antisocial. not even the most charismatic of people can get those people to talk. ]

And you'd trust those people? Wasn't it you who didn't trust anyone for nearly half a millenium?

( dta: don't trust anyone. except for herself, of course. )

We don't know this place or these people. Wouldn't be the first time we'd get lied to.

I had a right not to trust anyone for half a millennium, Stefan.

[ being betrayed by the people who said they'd have her back kind of puts a spanner in the works for a girl to trust anyone for five hundred years. katherine will always trust herself. that's what she's doing right now. she trusts her instincts and she trusts her ability to read people.

it's kept her alive. ]

It's why you listen. People's hearts tell you everything you need to know about whether or not they're lying.

I wasn't arguing against you not trusting anyone, Katherine. I just didn't think you'd change your tune for this place.

( and it turns out she hasn't which is comforting. )

What about your abilities? Are they working here? Like they should?

[ that's a question she thinks he can easily answer himself. everything feels more heightened than they did in deerington. ]

They feel very much like they did when we went to Bulgaria.

[ and pennsylvania and mystic falls. katherine doesn't mention either of those places; bulgaria had been the most important of them all. ]

They don't feel dull.

We're going to need to find a place to sleep.

( and things to eat. he doesn't know if there even animals here. they'd had plenty of blood bags in deerington but here? he has no idea.

he's not panicking but he's definitely a little worried. )

And something to eat. I haven't seen a forest yet.

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