Everywhere. It's something every culture has in common. Call it anything, but the masses will eat it up. I remember when I was younger, our dad was still alive. He would get our mother to throw these lavish parties, he invited everyone in town.
( And back then, costumes were more formal-wear. Gowns and dresses and suits. But, masks too. )
( Maybe it was less innocent than that, he and his brother were young. )
Big thing in Mystic Falls. As is every other big thing. Mystic Falls never met a holiday it didn't want to celebrate. Masquerades happen every few years. Fire eaters. Acrobats. It's a big to do. What were your winter balls like?
Oh, they were big to-dos. Lots of people with wine and bourbon with dancing and big dresses. They were fun, in their own way. Though I didn't get to go to very many before Ashley and I were engaged.
( That's how it was then. You got married and you left your family behind. Back in 1864, Damon would've left everything behind for Katherine. Or, waded on her hand and foot at his father's. She was his everything once upon a time. )
[She doesn't have many regrets for her human life, but giving Ashley so much of her heart is one of them. Especially when he wasn't willing to commit to her with actions as well as his words.
She knows how he behaved with Scarlett, leading her on. It wasn't all in Scarlett's head. It's part of the reason why she was always so kind to her, even if Scarlett didn't return the favor.]
( He misses the innocence. In the harder parts of the night, the lonelier portions of his heart, he misses the simplicity. But, he wouldn't change or undo any of it. He feels like he's lived too long a life of too many atrocities for anything to be water under the bridge.
The line moves and Damon offers her a hand so she can step up into the truck. Damon follows before they tuck themselves and sit, backs to the driver. )
( Is this chemistry he's feeling? Real, honest-to-god, no ifs, ands, or butts about it? Has it always been here? Underneath his on and off with Elena and a few other sorry (read: dead) women? )
Do you remember when you tracked me down? You were worried about Scarlett, she had gone off and joined the vampire circus?
[Her tone is clear that there's no love lost there. She had appreciated Damon's support then just as much as she appreciates his company now. After spending the entire crossing talking herself up on having to do this on her own, having someone with her made all the difference.
But her head tips to the side curiously, wondering what's drawn his mind there after all this time.]
I think before that we were always several degrees apart. You were Scarlett's sire and I was her best friend, and we weren't meant to meet in the middle without her. I think that time during the war is when we became friends.
[Which is why she treasures it, even if their mission wasn't wholly successful. It wouldn't have been until Rhett crossed the ocean to draw Scarlett back into his orbit and return some sense to her. As much as they tore each other to shreds, they always found a way to put each other back together too.]
Scarlett had a way of taking up all the air. I found it intoxicating. I had never met anyone like Scarlett. And then she went and turned her toxic life partner.
( He made quick work of Rhett when his jealousy flared. Eventually, they all came to an understanding, as most vampires do. )
[She doesn't know if Scarlett would have. Maybe, if she had been given the opportunity. But Melanie is the one who was there, and Rhett was her friend.]
Though she turned me. So does the transitive property apply?
[They'll get back to how she is or isn't mercurial in a moment.]
Scarlett and Rhett were on the outs at the time. It was after their daughter died, and Rhett ... he was done. I don't think he felt like there was anything holding them together. Rhett was my friend, though. We kept in touch, and when he fell ill I made him an offer.
[She gives a small shrug.]
Perhaps it was me balking at the idea of spending an eternity with Scarlett as the only person who knew me before I died, and knowing that my husband was not an option. Perhaps it was the fact that Rhett had always been kind to me, even when he didn't have to. I don't really know anymore. But he said yes, and I followed through.
[There's a small, half-laugh at that. Why not her husband? Well, there are a few answers to that.]
Ashley Wilkes had never met a fence he wouldn't sit on, particularly when it came to the women in his life. I felt it wouldn't be prudent to spend eternity with a man that made a habit of leading other women on to believing that he had feelings for them, particularly Scarlett, simply for the attention. He would let Scarlett believe he was going to leave me and they would be together and then never actually leave me.
[And the idea of spending forever with a vampire version of that man? Absolutely not.]
I didn't think that extending the uncomfortable love triangle between the three of us beyond what we dealt with in life was the right choice. I valued Scarlett's friendship far over my husband's love, as little as it was.
That must've been hard, knowing he always kept her torch lit, even while committed to you and your family. I take it he wasn't subtle about his -- fence-sitting.
He liked to think he was, but the wife always knows.
[Ashley is the type who thought he could have whatever he wanted to boot.]
Honestly, he's fortunate that I came to care dearly for Scarlett, otherwise things would have ended much differently.
[Smarter wives would have driven a larger hurdle between the two of them, but Ashley no longer seeing Scarlett means Melanie no longer seeing Scarlett, and she couldn't have that.]
Scarlett O'Hara saved my life on more than one occasion. If I was going to keep either of them, it would be her.
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everyonelives2023-10-16 07:09 pm
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( And back then, costumes were more formal-wear. Gowns and dresses and suits. But, masks too. )
Leave it to humanity to commercialize everything.
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[She does love a good masquerade. Big beautiful dresses and masks over faces, a little anonymity allowing you to be something other than yourself.]
My mother didn't love Halloween, but my father's family threw a winter ball every year that was sometimes a masquerade.
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( Maybe it was less innocent than that, he and his brother were young. )
Big thing in Mystic Falls. As is every other big thing. Mystic Falls never met a holiday it didn't want to celebrate. Masquerades happen every few years. Fire eaters. Acrobats. It's a big to do. What were your winter balls like?
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[And she moved to Georgia to be closer to him.]
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( That's how it was then. You got married and you left your family behind. Back in 1864, Damon would've left everything behind for Katherine. Or, waded on her hand and foot at his father's. She was his everything once upon a time. )
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[She doesn't have many regrets for her human life, but giving Ashley so much of her heart is one of them. Especially when he wasn't willing to commit to her with actions as well as his words.
She knows how he behaved with Scarlett, leading her on. It wasn't all in Scarlett's head. It's part of the reason why she was always so kind to her, even if Scarlett didn't return the favor.]
I can't say I miss being that young and naive.
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( He misses the innocence. In the harder parts of the night, the lonelier portions of his heart, he misses the simplicity. But, he wouldn't change or undo any of it. He feels like he's lived too long a life of too many atrocities for anything to be water under the bridge.
The line moves and Damon offers her a hand so she can step up into the truck. Damon follows before they tuck themselves and sit, backs to the driver. )
Look at us, being locals.
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A rather cozy small town adventure. I've always been fond of them.
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( Is this chemistry he's feeling? Real, honest-to-god, no ifs, ands, or butts about it? Has it always been here? Underneath his on and off with Elena and a few other sorry (read: dead) women? )
Do you remember when you tracked me down? You were worried about Scarlett, she had gone off and joined the vampire circus?
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[Her tone is clear that there's no love lost there. She had appreciated Damon's support then just as much as she appreciates his company now. After spending the entire crossing talking herself up on having to do this on her own, having someone with her made all the difference.
But her head tips to the side curiously, wondering what's drawn his mind there after all this time.]
Why do you ask?
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( Even back then he had her back. )
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[She smiles softly.]
I think before that we were always several degrees apart. You were Scarlett's sire and I was her best friend, and we weren't meant to meet in the middle without her. I think that time during the war is when we became friends.
[Which is why she treasures it, even if their mission wasn't wholly successful. It wouldn't have been until Rhett crossed the ocean to draw Scarlett back into his orbit and return some sense to her. As much as they tore each other to shreds, they always found a way to put each other back together too.]
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( He made quick work of Rhett when his jealousy flared. Eventually, they all came to an understanding, as most vampires do. )
You were never as mercurial.
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[She doesn't know if Scarlett would have. Maybe, if she had been given the opportunity. But Melanie is the one who was there, and Rhett was her friend.]
Though she turned me. So does the transitive property apply?
[They'll get back to how she is or isn't mercurial in a moment.]
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( And in Mystic Falls, that became the Salvatore's. In their Elena era anyway. )
I didn't know that. I always thought Scarlett and Rhett, Rhett and Scarlett.
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[She gives a small shrug.]
Perhaps it was me balking at the idea of spending an eternity with Scarlett as the only person who knew me before I died, and knowing that my husband was not an option. Perhaps it was the fact that Rhett had always been kind to me, even when he didn't have to. I don't really know anymore. But he said yes, and I followed through.
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( He's never asked this either, never known much about her past - besides a movie and a novel, both of which were only based in reality. )
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Ashley Wilkes had never met a fence he wouldn't sit on, particularly when it came to the women in his life. I felt it wouldn't be prudent to spend eternity with a man that made a habit of leading other women on to believing that he had feelings for them, particularly Scarlett, simply for the attention. He would let Scarlett believe he was going to leave me and they would be together and then never actually leave me.
[And the idea of spending forever with a vampire version of that man? Absolutely not.]
I didn't think that extending the uncomfortable love triangle between the three of us beyond what we dealt with in life was the right choice. I valued Scarlett's friendship far over my husband's love, as little as it was.
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( He can only imagine the type. )
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[Ashley is the type who thought he could have whatever he wanted to boot.]
Honestly, he's fortunate that I came to care dearly for Scarlett, otherwise things would have ended much differently.
[Smarter wives would have driven a larger hurdle between the two of them, but Ashley no longer seeing Scarlett means Melanie no longer seeing Scarlett, and she couldn't have that.]
Scarlett O'Hara saved my life on more than one occasion. If I was going to keep either of them, it would be her.
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( Her situation is really fascinating. )
Explain to me, what's so haunting about this haunted hayride.
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[Because that certainly feels like a haunting enough.]
I think it's supposed to be the scarecrows.
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Scary.
( Not so much. )
Do you think about him much, Ashley?
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[But otherwise, no. She doesn't spend a lot of time lingering on him.]
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( He cheers his hot cider, huddled close to her on their hayride. )
Happy Halloween, Melanie.
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