ic contact

[lifeskills]

This is the voice of doctor Victor Frankenstein. If you require me, I recommend other means of reaching me than these devices. You may leave a message at room 10-1. I will nevertheless try to keep apprised of communication by this method.

Comments

[chocolatepudding]

[ Dustin grins in response, picking right up on that petulance. ]

It's way more advanced then stuff where I'm from. Like the whole communication devices being portable. We have wires on our phones, and they're curly, and one time Mike threatened to strangle Lucas with it when Lucas kept making fun of Will's drawing even though it was really good. Then Mike's mom came down and told us all to be quiet because we were making Mike's little sister cry.

It was pretty funny, but I think you'd have to be there.

Anyway, technology is really neat but what you need to get caught up on is food. I bet you've never had a pop tart in your entire life.

[lifeskills]

_{[A blink.]}

... Hm.

_{[At first that's all he manages in the face of Dustin's verbal onslaught. There's too much being said here. Had Dustin always talked this fast, or had his younger self just had an easier time keeping up?]}

You seem to be adapting well enough--you sent that video to my device without a problem.

<sub>[Does the boy get in contact with strange men often? Maybe that's something to ask about later...

On the matter of pop tarts, Dustin isn't wrong. Victor doesn't even know what that is.]</sub>

Another type of sweets, I presume?

[chocolatepudding]

I'm part of my school's AV club, that's like a place where you get together and talk about communication stuff like this. [ Plus he's a lot smarter than most people give him credit for. He Was the one that thought about the compasses leading to the gateway. ] Before everything went crazy where I'm from, we were trying to send messages to Australia.

Yeah, but for breakfast. The strawberry ones are the best, but anyone who gets unfrosted ones are basically dead to me. Sugar Smacks are good, too, sometimes I eat two bowls before school.

[ He's just rly passionate about food... ]

[lifeskills]

Is the postal service no longer active where you come from in 1983?

<sub>[He couldn't resist, sue him.

That a boy enjoys sugary foods to the detriment of his diet is of no great surprise--Victor's treated his fair share of stomachaches disguised as more serious health concerns, all because some child stuffed their face with something they weren't supposed to--but he's still not positive how he ended up getting roped into this. Hefting the heavy container, he looks pointedly down at it, then to Dustin.]</sub>

And this? This is your comfort food?

_{[And he wants Victor to eat it, too? This seems like a fine way to add to his woes, not subtract from them, but Victor can see Dustin's heart is in the right place (in the vicinity of his stomach). Either the boy's looking for company, or he thinks Victor needs it--either way, he can't resent Dustin's intentions.]}

[chocolatepudding]

[ Dustin giggles--a full on, absolutely delighted giggle. ] 'Postal service.' [ God, Viktor's funny.

But he's also carrying the ice cream. How is a scrawny nerd actually that strong? Or maybe Dustin just has no concept of that sort of thing. ]

It's actually Mabel's--you know, Mabel Pines? My age, crazy sweaters, braces? I just got addicted to it.

[ He's already out the door, taking his time. At least he holds the door open for Viktor. ]

It's just impossible to be sad while you're eating ice cream. That's a cold hard scientific fact.

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Well, at least someone laughs at his jokes.

With their impromptu ice cream lunch date in full swing, they probably make quite the odd sight trooping down the hallway together, Dustin with his baseball cap and gap-toothed grins, and his Victorian escort carrying his prized snack food for him. (When you've wrestled an inhumanly strong woman in the throes of demonic possession, a tub of ice cream is nothing.)]</sub>

That's clever. _{[Both for the pun--cold, hard--and for invoking science in front of the scientist. Victor allows a dry sound of amusement to escape him as he follows Dustin's lead.]} And how have you been faring since the event ended?

_{[Maybe it's not just Victor who needs the comforts of ice cream (in Dustin's mind, anyway). Victor rather hopes the rest of the event had treated the boy better than it had some others.]}

backdated to the 26th!

[chocolatepudding]

[ Merry Christmas! Or late Christmas, because Dustin pretty much slept through it. After a rather jarringly loud fist-pounding knock on Viktor’s door, he’ll find a stocking left on the ground. If he's quick enough to answer he can probably recognize curls and a favourite hat turning the corner. The stocking is jammed full of things, including:

1. Air Heads (assorted flavours, but more watermelon because those are the best)
2. A small container with only banana flavoured runts
3. Gummy bears (sour and regular)
4. Bubble tape
5. Caramello
6. Nilla wafers
7. Chupa chups
8. Cow tales
9. Gummy cola
10. Nerds
11. Skittles
12. Sour patch kids
13. Fun Dip
14. Pop Rocks

And lastly, just for him:
15. A flower crown, flowers fresh from the closet and clumsily (but with a great amount of effort) fashioned together by himself. Viktor also gets chocolate covered coffee beans, an entire 12 pack of mountain dew, and a rubik’s cube.

Propped up is a Christmas card, homemade with probably the worst handwriting known to man: 'Merry Christmas. -Dustin' ]

[Late Christmas Gift] 12/26

[theothermrgray]

[You thought you would be free from Dorian just because you haven't talked to him in a while? TOO BAD. He's determined to be friendly with you and give you nice things.]

[Just be thankful you don't have to actually speak with him. Instead, you'll find a couple of reference books on human anatomy wrapped up in a soft blanket and tied up with a ribbon. There is a Christmas card that will no doubt remind Victor of home, as well as a note inside that reads like this.]

Dear Victor,

Since you have informed me that you are a medical practitioner, I thought these texts would make a splendid gift. The blanket could also be of use to you, if you find the books insulting. I must admit, it is hard to find gifts for people who distance themselves from others. Can we not be friends? I can assure you, I'm not as horrible as you might think.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Dorian Gray

ＢＡＣＫＤＡＴＥＤ ＴＯ １２.２５

[interpersonal]

[ inside of victor resides a man who loves poetry, and it's possibly elena's favorite thing about him. it comes as no surprise, then, that one of her gifts is the book letters to a young poet. elena likes rainer maria rilke, and she wants to share that with him. one poem in particular has been underlined. alongside the book is a montblanc pen. it has been enchanted, so that it may never run out of ink. elena has no doubts that he will use it to record his findings and other scientific observations, but she hopes that maybe, just maybe, one day inspiration will strike him, and when that day comes, he is not without means.

merry christmas, victor. ]

This Year To Save Me From Tears I'll Give It To Someone Special

[easily]

[Rebekah is a sentimental creature by nature which means when it comes to picking out a gift for Victor she gives it a lot of thought. Books seem too easy of a fall out, nor would she want to give anything too practical like tools to help him with his work. She wanted to give him something memorable, if possible.

she finally settles on a pocketwatch which still falls in the realm of practical while also being something he can keep long term.

inside there is an inscription she had put in. it's a quote from one of her favorite books, Kate Chopin's The Awakening and it felt relevant to some of the conversations they've had:

One must possess many gifts … which have not been acquired by one’s own effort. And, moreover … the artist must possess the courageous soul.

While they may not be artists in the traditional since it still applies, to live in the world, to truly live takes bravery, it is not easy to be human or kind but they must strive to do these things all the same.

he will find this in a small wrapped up box on his doorstep the morning of the 26th after the event has died down with a note:

Merry Christmas, Victor

Sincerely, Rebekah]

[lifeskills]

<sub>[At least he knows the knock on the door means his mysterious visitor can't be Vasilka the cat again.

Rather than a person, he finds a stocking stuffed full of pure sugar and a card outside his door. Dustin, they're going to work on your penmanship at some opportunity, but the uniquely imperfect nature of the handcrafted gift gets a smile. The closest thing to a child he's had in his life who would present him with doodles like this is Proteus--and those aren't bad memories, not by any means.

The flower crown is carefully deposited on a table. But what in God's name is he going to do with all these sweets? Things had gotten a little complicated in Quor'toth with danger and flaring tempers all around, but hopefully that won't stop Dustin from helping him eat this over the coming weeks...]</sub>

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Who's leaving fuzzy anvils on his doorstep? That's certainly what it feels like hefting the surprise delivery inside before he unwraps the blanket and sees what's hiding within its cottony confines. Lord, if people keep gifting him medical texts, he's going to need to attach a whole new room to his flat to fit his library.

A blanket and textbooks, interesting combination. Ah, and there's a card. Time to find out who his secret admirer is...

... Oh. Well then. Now that's a name he knows well--and is the last one he expected to see on a holiday card. Funnily enough, Dorian seems to have forgotten to supply earplugs for this abject cry for attention, or whatever might have prompted a surprise gift. Why quit while he's ahead, really? Distance is good and he's good at distance. Stick to your strengths, you know. That sounds like a plan. How about he does that and just... quietly distances himself from all of this weird generosity and pretend he never read this note... Yeah, let's do that...

Merry Christmas, goodbye.]</sub>

text;

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Sometimes the best gifts come in small packages. A small handful of words, even.

A few days after dreams of the White Queen's Wonderland passes and he's had time to rest and gather back up scattered wits, he pulls Elena's gift off the shelf he'd set it on. It's about time he gave it a proper look.]</sub>

Belatedly, thank you for the gift, Elena.

[lifeskills]

<sub>[If Victor's situation were comparable to a 12 step program, showing that he acknowledges, and more importantly values the people he's met in Wonderland, whether friend, acquaintance, or something in between, would probably be one of the steps. Christmas gifts had seemed like the appropriate gesture, as well as an admirable distraction from dreamwalking. A simple solution to a two-pronged problem.

Throughout this thought process, it hadn't really occurred to him that other people might be putting the same amount of thought into him, and as such Rebekah's gift comes as something of a surprise what with... you know, everything.

Victor isn't sure how much Rebekah actually knows of what'd been going on in the dreams--that Rebekah had been affectionate, putting it in the nicest and simplest way--and he isn't really inclined to open that can of worms by talking about it. What happens in future dream Wonderland stays in future dream Wonderland. Still, it's an incredibly thoughtful gift and he spends an undue amount of time debating if he should send a text message to thank her.

But... can. Worms. He's too tired to think this out clearly without making a big knot of it in his head.

In the end, when he goes to deliver his own gifts in the following days, Victor decides to merely leave an extra line in his card to her--a 'thank you' and an expression of his wish to return the favor.

There. This is the behavior of a mature adult male, right? Right? Why is everything hard.]</sub>

text;

[interpersonal]

[ elena sits by the bay window of her room. she's just finished writing a journal entry when she receives victor's text. she likes their late night conversations. something about nightfall makes people more honest. ]

I could say the same to you. I love it, Victor. Thank you for encouraging me and helping me.

26/12 » DELIVERY DROP OFF.

[manipulative]

[ happy holidays, victor! ]

[ you'll find your black, furry friend in the form of vasilka sitting on your bed with a christmas tie in her mouth. upon further inspection of his room, he'll find two other ties left haphazardly on his floor and on a chair. she'll run away as soon as he advances toward her. ]

[easily]

[Rebekah wasn't sure what she was expecting exactly. The memories of the dream Wonderland -- the possible future or whatever it might really be -- were fresh in her mind. She remembers a Victor who had been warm and tactile with her, not that the one she knows has ever been particularly cold but in the dream world there was an intimacy to his actions that they do not share here. She too wonders how much he knows about that. Perhaps her gift had been too forward, in light of all that. It wouldn't be the first time she had gone too far with a present.

She tried to buy a boy's forgiveness with a new truck, once.

But then she finds her own gift the next day and whatever worry she had melts away. Rebekah has always been incredibly sentimental, though never much of a journal writer. That's been Elena's thing. Stefan's. Elijah had kept a few through the years. Even Klaus had his version of such with his sketches and drawings. Still. Her fingers splay over the pages and she imagines filling them with her own words. Of taking pictures of her friends and loved ones and pasting them in.

Of creating tangible proof and memories in case Wonderland ever tries to take them away, a looming threat now more than ever.

She hugs the journal to her chest for a few moments debating whether she should say anything at all. It seems wrong not to, when he put so much thought into it. So finally she puts the journal down and writes out a text to him.]

thank you victor, it's beautiful

[nailed it.]

[lifeskills]

_{[Yes. Well. A part of him is actually glad if she did enjoy the bag her gift had come in as he knows most accessories and styles from his time have gone out of fashion in hers. He's terrible at picking anything out for women, unless it's medical instruments--that had been easy.]}

You are welcome. Though it is more of an investment, really. You would have needed it going forward.

[interpersonal]

And I do plan to move forward.

My gift was less of an investment, I'll admit. I just thought you might like the author. Something about the way they write.

Back-dated to December 25

[mypartnerintime]

[Victor gets a more modern looking pair of shades. While useful, the main reason is because Max thinks he'd find it vaguely interesting. The real reason is because Max would think he'd look good in them, and she'd also find it a little amusing. A small tag reads, "Merry ChristMax!"]

1/2

[lifeskills]

_{[ ?????? ]}

2/2

[lifeskills]

_{[Of course it would be this cat. Of course.]}

[lifeskills]

_{[Oh, okay. This is happening. They're talking. Okay. Man up, Frankenstein, it's only a text message.]}

I am glad if it was not too presumptuous. I thought a fresh page for a fresh start might be in order.

Thank you for the watch as well. It was thoughtful of you.

[lifeskills]

Of course we will resume lessons shortly. I expect you will have looked over the reading I gave you before we meet again.

_{[Look at him, pretending to be all reasonable about calling a break on account of severe sleep deprivation, as if he hasn't kept working through weeks of exhaustion before. It would be a little counterproductive to getting Elena to learn anything if he tortured her in the teaching.]}

I am sure I will. I will probably read my way through it tonight.

_{[Expect an official Frankenstein Opinion™ sometime tomorrow.]}

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Is she absolutely sure it's not because he's a vampire and he needs a stylish set of shades to keep the sun from burning his eyes?

Although this very un-stylish doctor might not have the slightest idea what to do with a fashion accessory that doesn't look like it came out of a historical museum, this is still one more gift than he'd anticipated. Max can expect a 'thank you' the next time he sees her.]</sub>