( Colm accompanies Ivan to their room to change and gather what snacks they have. Well, Ivan just doesn't want to be alone, he asks out loud in a punk way, saving some face from Hope, daughter of Klaus, Mikaelson and the badass Josie. Colm hears everything. Doesn't give him shit.
Back at their dorm, he knows he should be feeling more sore, and at the student center. But, Hope generously donated.
As he works at wiping his make-up off, what a waste, he glances to Colm in the mirror's image. )
Guess there's a first time for everything. You ever need vampire blood before?
[Colm shakes his head as he sorts through his things, looking for where he hid the good (read: his brother smuggled them back from Europe for him) snacks.]
Nah. Though the vamps my Ma usually deals with, you don't want to be drinking their blood. It doesn't have the same healing benefits.
No. Just like I wasn't punched in the nose tonight.
( Which is kind of cool. He half-turns around in his chair. )
Hey, sorry about what I said to Hope and Josie. I didn't mean to imply anything like that, or out you. I just - Josie doesn't take you seriously and she doesn't know you. And if she knew you, she'd like you. You know?
[Colm doesn't think it's going to be that easy. Josie is complicated, but she cares about Ivan. He doesn't hate her, not really. She just can be a little judgy.
And honestly, it's her opinions to have. Colm doesn't really care. But he does care what Ivan thinks.]
I don't care if she doesn't take me seriously. So long as you take me seriously.
[In the sense that Ivan knows he cares and knows that he takes their friendship seriously.]
I just care if you take yourself seriously. And let other people.
( Give his family a little less credit. )
You're worth knowing, Colm. And, you singlehandedly led Hope right to us. Who knows what would've happened to Josie, or to that guy, Larry. She went darkside there.
No one said anything about you performing. Without drumsticks. Getting to know people doesn't have to be about performing.
( And this is coming from ex-ROTC. Back when he was trying to fulfill what he thought his parents wanted. And, instead. Kicked out. Living with his witchy aunt, grandma, and cousins. His parents are coming around. )
[To him, it feels like it does. Especially lately, when he can hear all of their first impressions echoing in his head. There's an element of shame to it he doesn't like, where he catches himself course correcting, changing elements of his behavior to change the thoughts.
Ever since he started being able to hear what everyone thinks of everything in real time, it's become a contested effort to try to not become misanthropic, blaming people for the things they say in the privacy of their own mind.]
No, it doesn't. But lately it feels like that's all it is.
Because you can hear everybody else, but they can't hear you? I think that would just make me be more me. I might've left home earlier. Embraced the fabulous. I don't know. There's something about it that just feels like freedom. ( Back to removing make-up. ) But, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not the one playing Spiderman. And, who really knows what I would do.
( he definitely hasn't embraced his witchiness as much as his aunts and grandmother try. )
I say be more. Just don't overthink it. You think Hope goes around replaying conversations she has in her head? ( Pulling the Tulane sweater over his head, he turns back, almost ready. ) Not - that you do that.
[He smirks because he knows that Ivan definitely does that, and he wishes he wouldn't be so hard on himself.]
I think it doesn't help that all the noise makes me cranky. When I go home it's quiet because it doesn't work on family. But even if I just go crash at Beck's place, it doesn't fully work because Lindsay ...
[He takes a deep breath.]
Lindsay is just a constant loop of whatever song is stuck in her head at the time. And her music taste hasn't left the late nineties. Love her, great girl, going to make my brother very happy but would really love for her to listen to something other than No Doubt for her workouts.
Sounds like she's got a problem with an earworm. But, as far as unwanted thoughts go, doesn't sound all that bad. Maybe gift her with -- I don't know, iTunes money. ( He laughs. ) She'll be family, soon. And your brother knows what you have. Maybe she can. Not saying people need to edit their thoughts, that's impossible...
( They still don't talk about the first day he learned what Colm could do and the word masturbation just floated into his head, like every ten minutes. )
Bradan said when Bairre and Laurie got married, she got the family immunity. So I just have to survive Lindsay's terrible music taste until the wedding.
[And he also thinks that her earworms are her ways of editing her thoughts. So if it's that over her thinking dirty thoughts about his brother ...
( Except, very not. But, it's cute sentiment. Ivan agrees. Because he was disowned. )
Maybe that's it. Big-ass ritual way back in your family line. And now. Powers and inconvenience. And maybe new friends? Speaking of, ( He checks his watch. ) Movie night?
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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Back at their dorm, he knows he should be feeling more sore, and at the student center. But, Hope generously donated.
As he works at wiping his make-up off, what a waste, he glances to Colm in the mirror's image. )
Guess there's a first time for everything. You ever need vampire blood before?
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Nah. Though the vamps my Ma usually deals with, you don't want to be drinking their blood. It doesn't have the same healing benefits.
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( He examines his nose in the mirror, a la Grease 2, making faces along the way. )
Should I feel any different?
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[He's never actually talked to someone dosed with vampire blood before. He's just aware of how it works.]
Do you feel different?
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( Which is kind of cool. He half-turns around in his chair. )
Hey, sorry about what I said to Hope and Josie. I didn't mean to imply anything like that, or out you. I just - Josie doesn't take you seriously and she doesn't know you. And if she knew you, she'd like you. You know?
no subject
And honestly, it's her opinions to have. Colm doesn't really care. But he does care what Ivan thinks.]
I don't care if she doesn't take me seriously. So long as you take me seriously.
[In the sense that Ivan knows he cares and knows that he takes their friendship seriously.]
Do you care if she takes me seriously?
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( Give his family a little less credit. )
You're worth knowing, Colm. And, you singlehandedly led Hope right to us. Who knows what would've happened to Josie, or to that guy, Larry. She went darkside there.
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[Her thoughts shifted completely. She wasn't a different person, but she wasn't Josie either.]
And I don't think I'm not. I just ... don't like feeling I have to perform to get them to like me.
[Especially since now, he can hear exactly what they're thinking about him as they're talking.]
I am who I am, and if people don't like that, that's fine.
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( And this is coming from ex-ROTC. Back when he was trying to fulfill what he thought his parents wanted. And, instead. Kicked out. Living with his witchy aunt, grandma, and cousins. His parents are coming around. )
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Ever since he started being able to hear what everyone thinks of everything in real time, it's become a contested effort to try to not become misanthropic, blaming people for the things they say in the privacy of their own mind.]
No, it doesn't. But lately it feels like that's all it is.
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( he definitely hasn't embraced his witchiness as much as his aunts and grandmother try. )
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[He shrugs. He knows Ivan is trying to help and it's not Ivan's fault he can't articulate everything bouncing around his head.]
It's only been like ... a month. I'll figure it out.
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( Platitudes probably don't help, so once his make-up is off, Ivan's on his side of the room stripping out of his costume. )
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I'll try to be less ... me with the girls.
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I think it doesn't help that all the noise makes me cranky. When I go home it's quiet because it doesn't work on family. But even if I just go crash at Beck's place, it doesn't fully work because Lindsay ...
[He takes a deep breath.]
Lindsay is just a constant loop of whatever song is stuck in her head at the time. And her music taste hasn't left the late nineties. Love her, great girl, going to make my brother very happy but would really love for her to listen to something other than No Doubt for her workouts.
no subject
( On any given day. )
Sounds like she's got a problem with an earworm. But, as far as unwanted thoughts go, doesn't sound all that bad. Maybe gift her with -- I don't know, iTunes money. ( He laughs. ) She'll be family, soon. And your brother knows what you have. Maybe she can. Not saying people need to edit their thoughts, that's impossible...
( They still don't talk about the first day he learned what Colm could do and the word masturbation just floated into his head, like every ten minutes. )
It could take the edge off.
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Bradan said when Bairre and Laurie got married, she got the family immunity. So I just have to survive Lindsay's terrible music taste until the wedding.
[And he also thinks that her earworms are her ways of editing her thoughts. So if it's that over her thinking dirty thoughts about his brother ...
... he will take Bathwater on repeat, thank you.]
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( That's kind of cool? But, really overbearing. Like, what is this power. How does it work? )
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No one even knows where these things come from, mate. How does it know we're family at all?
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[He shrugs.]
Some supernatural areas are big on those kinds of promises. There's a ritual to it.
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( Except, very not. But, it's cute sentiment. Ivan agrees. Because he was disowned. )
Maybe that's it. Big-ass ritual way back in your family line. And now. Powers and inconvenience. And maybe new friends? Speaking of, ( He checks his watch. ) Movie night?
🎀
[They'll leave thoughts of their family chaos to the side for now and focus on moving forward.]