closed ♔ if i could be somebody else | well i think i would for you

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ i would for you - nine inch nails

WHO || Elena & Wynn [closed]
WHAT || Elena goes to speak to Wynn about Kyp
WHERE || Knights HQ, the Round Table room
WHEN || End of May, a couple of days after Elena's party
HOW || Actionspam

[Elena doesn't know what she's doing, but her feet seem to be moving of their own accord.

This is her problem, and she can't help but feel as if she's the root cause for it all. Too many people's happiness, people that she loves, is at stake. She needs to fix this, however she can, and there are only a couple of ways to do it.

But first, she has questions. And she might only be able to get them from one person unless the tries scouring the minds of the other knights of the order.

And she's not sure she's ready to go that far. Or maybe, she just doesn't want to hear. What they say out loud is bad enough, sometimes.

So pretty soon, she's outside the door to Wynn's office, knocking lightly on the door. Wynn has always been an intimidating presence for her, and today is certainly going to be no exception.

Comments

[wynn]

[ there's a brief pause before the doors open, as if of their own accord, that sudden outpouring of golden light not making her do much more than flinch for a brief second (fort 22). wynn emerges in the midst of it, the doors sealing shut behind him as he towers over her. his expression is serious, and mixed with a hint of curiosity. ] Sir Gilbert.

[notaroundme]

I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything. Sir.

[At least her knees are shaking, jfc. (Will save 20)]

I was wondering if we could...talk about a couple things.

[wynn]

Of course. [ he gestures to a chair, glancing up at the elaborate dragon statue that dominates the table, gliding up towards the ceiling ] I can imagine we have some things to discuss.

[notaroundme]

[She nods slowly, moving forward and having a seat in the chair, letting out a breath.

She's going to start with the least...touchy subject. Hopefully.]

I heard that there was...someone else like me here. Awhile ago. Is that right?

[wynn]

A changeling. Yes there was, about a hundred years past.

[notaroundme]

[There's really...no hiding the interest in her eyes.]

Can you tell me about them?

[wynn]

The man's name was Dusken, and he served with us for years, quite faithfully. He possessed abilities that seem similar in nature to what Sir Gar has told me of your own...

[notaroundme]

[She nods.]

Mind-reading? Shape-shifting?

[She tilts her head.]

But he was a changeling, meaning he was half human?

[wynn]

[ he nods ] From what I recall, his ability to read minds was quite limited, and something he rarely implemented. He preferred encouraging people to be forthcoming with information through other methods.

the night before vi's wedding

[behindcloseddoors]

[ ♬ afraid - the neighborhood

it's been over a week since elena's world shattered. the next day is vi and luthir's wedding, the promise of something actually good on the horizon to look forward to.

but first, there's another long night to get through. sleep has come in spurts here and there during these long days spent so often secluded in her room, and it's often hard to know what time of day it even is, when she's woke up and when she's been dreaming.

and she has been dreaming.

at first, she can't remember them, beyond strange distant whispers, a feeling of being watched, an unsettling paranoia in her stomach, but it's easy enough to ascribe it to what happened.

this time, however, when she wakes, she knows better. this was an alien presence, distant and powerful and malevolent, and its focus had been bent on her, as if it could plumb her deepest secrets.

but looking around her room, she'd realize something seems... off. the colors are all wrong - gray and purple, and the furniture looks old, the room sporting cobwebs here and there, and dust on the mirror across the way.

a mirror in which... a reflection is moving that is not hers. ]

[notaroundme]

[To call this all unsettling doesn't even begin to cover it.

She squints, her eyes focused on the mirror opposite her, trying to make sense of it. There's the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, but her feet begin to move under her anyway, a finger curling hair behind one ear as she made her way over to get a closer look.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ actually, on second thought it... is hers, although there's something alien about the face in the mirror, a look in her eye that's nothing short of dark. not to mention she's not actually... mirroring elena's movements.

in fact, she gives a cheeky little wave and winks, her smile almost wolfish.

]

See something you like?

[notaroundme]

[Yep, this moment needs a gif.



/nopes out forever]

Who the hell are you?

[Not her. It can't be her. What the actual fuck is happening right now.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ she cants her head and raises an eyebrow like 'rly sister' ] I'm you.

Well. I could be you. [ a slow smile spreads up her cheek ] More like I'm there in you. [ she leans closer to the mirror ] And I'm just dying for you to let me out.

[notaroundme]

[Her eyes narrow, her lips press together, her heart picks up.

Or at least she thinks it does. Dreaming. This has to be a dream, right?]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Except she...totally does. Is this the person that everyone else sees when she walks down the hall? The one they whisper about? The one they expect her to become, if she isn't already?]

[behindcloseddoors]

You forget who you're talking to. You can lie to them, Elena, but you can't lie--

To yourself.

[notaroundme]

I'm not lying to anyone.

[Proving to people she's okay? All the while trying to prove she's a good person? She doesn't consider it lying.]

If you know me so well, why don't you tell me what you think it is I'm hiding.

the next morning

[notaroundme]

[Everyone else will be getting ready for Vi's wedding, but Elena has something else in mind. After the disaster that was the night before, and the dreams that plagued her, Elena heads down to the dungeons.

Her mind is as decided as it will ever be, but she has to make sure of a few things first. And gather some information.

She takes note of the posted guard, plans to stay for awhile, to see who replaces him. For the first time in awhile, her mind collects the thoughts of those around her as she makes her way toward his cell, hopefully picking up the guard's thoughts so that she can keep track of them during the time she's down here.

Maybe they were right not to trust her after all...

She has a seat outside of Kyp's cell, arriving as silently as she did the first time, waiting for him to acknowledge her.]

[imposturing]

[ he's actually pacing when she comes down, and he turns in place sharply on a shoe when she arrives, as if he can sense the cadence of her thoughts and recognizes who it is before she even speaks up. it's possible in the waning light to see the stain of blood on his knee from where he was shot, and he takes a step forward, tilting his head at her oddly. ] I would have thought you'd be getting ready for the impending nuptials.

[notaroundme]

I promised I would come back, didn't I? I like to keep my promises.

[Her tone is harsh, but it doesn't quite match up with what's in her head, which is more focused.

Very focused, in fact, because instead of a string of errant thoughts, she's deliberately thinking in sentences. Time for a doppel!chat.

I need to talk to you about a few things. Doing it while everyone else was occupied seemed...like a good idea.

It's also pretty clear if you look closely enough that she got like...zero sleep last night.]

[imposturing]

[ the slightest tic of one eyebrow is the only thing that betrays his moment of surprise. his voice echoes in her mind easily, familiar from the days when they practiced in the hotel. ]

You've certainly got my attention.

[notaroundme]

[I'm pretty sure I've had that for awhile.

Sass from the newbie!doppelganger. She's unhappy, and still dealing with a lot of shit, but she's also done being taken advantage of.

Or, at least, that's the goal.

I talked to Wynn. It didn't really go the way I wanted it to. Everyone thinks I'm emotionally incapable at this point, and seeing as he's going to end up discussing your fate with Spike and Myri as the other two most effected by your actions, I think your chances of making it out of this on your own isn't too great.

Let's just ignore the fact that she is, in fact, emotionally incapable right now, making fabulous life decisions based off of trauma and nightmares.

Also, you might want to keep talking with your mouth, too. We wouldn't want anyone to think we're having secret chats, now would we?]

[imposturing]

[ the smile in his eyes is more than intrigued, but he does as told, leaning against the bar with his forearm. ]

I was hoping you would.

[ They're going to kill me. I told you as much.

his tone is cautious, careful not to leap to any assumptions.

You said 'not on my own'. ]

[notaroundme]

Yeah, well, here I am. How many more of my friends came down here with threats of violent death?

[You would know. Though I doubt you're doing yourself any favors with how you talk to people.

Except her. Also, reading everyone's minds all the time had to be exhausting. And loud.

I'm going to give you two choices. You can either rot in here and deal with whatever Wynn decides he's going to do with you. Or you can help me fix this.

If I...helped you get out of here, would you go somewhere with me, even if it were dangerous?

She very well might be trying to manipulate him here. (Diplomacy 40 hi i can add)]

[imposturing]

I stopped counting after awhile. They all start to look the same. [ ahahaha #doppelganger humor

he tilts his head with interest, leaning a bit closer to the bars to look between her eyes as if trying to read deeper depths of what's behind her surface thoughts.

What did you have in mind? ]