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

on his mirror

[sanguinius]

Did the witch find what he was looking for?

CREEPY

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Startlingly, he finds writing on his personal mirrors one day without warning. A message written on the wrong side of the glass in bold, conspicuous red lettering. Meant to be seen. And meant for him, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

He'd heard whispers that the mirror world from Lewis Carroll's sequel had taken on reality here, but he'd never seen any evidence of it...

Was this a sign, then? A sign of some other entity writing to him from the other side? The idea sends a crawling sensation up his spine, more than just the thought of someone breaking into his rooms. "The witch"... That had to be Kol Mikaelson, didn't it? What other witches did he know of who had been on a search recently?

But who was asking? Who else could have known?

As he half-expects, rubbing the mirror's surface does nothing to smear the letters. Answering certainly doesn't strike him as an option, even if he'd wanted to make contact with whatever it is that had vandalized the mirror in the first place.]</sub>

text | i think i am surviving in all the wrong ways

[interpersonal]

[ backdated to the week of klaus' arrival; july 11th ]

Klaus is here.

[ sometimes it's important to cushion the blow. sometimes you have to rip off the bandaid and let it bleed. elena decides to forgo the former in favor of the latter. ] He doesn't remember his first stay. He won't remember you.

[ and that's a good thing. ]

text;

[lifeskills]

<sub>[The last day or so has been devoted to cleaning out his rooms--both of them, his private room and his work space in the basement. There are things he doesn't care to keep, half-finished research and fragments of an old life he's outgrown, that go into boxes to be taken out with the trash or burned.

He's in the process of dismantling a piece of equipment when he gets the text, and he swaps a wrench for his phone.

The first line is composed of three simple words, but he has to reread it over again, anyway. Klaus. Klaus, the immortal product of witches, wolves, and vampires that had hounded Elena to her death with the same tenacity as Dracula. It must have cost her a good deal to compose a message like this.]</sub>

You spoke to him?

_{[That's more concerning than what Klaus does or doesn't remember about him.]}

August 5, evening

[thecourier]

victor can i talk to you.

[lifeskills]

Yes, of course.

What is it?

video;

[chocolatepudding]

[ He hasn't changed much since he was a Lost One. Then again, he's actually 11, so that's probably why. Still talking with a lisp and missing his front teeth, though. ]

Hey, do you remember me from Neverland?

video;

[lifeskills]

<sub>[Oh... lord. Victor needs a minute to collect himself before he responds. This boy is incredibly young. Still incredibly young, even after the Neverland event has run its course and returned them all to their original ages.

They'd only been two years apart when they'd met, but now it's more like fifteen. Time, age, and a decade of poor habits have replaced his baby fat with sharper, starker angles. But his eyes remain the same, still a little tired and sorrowful somehow. (In real life, he's never really stopped be a Lost Boy, he'd just masked it with narcotics and work. No one said growing up solves all problems.)

Is it time to awkwardly clear his throat? Yes, yes, let's do that.]</sub>

Yes, I... I remember. It's Dustin, isn't it?

_{[God, he's so young. How do you go about speaking to the eleven-year-old you knew as a boy when you're not actually a boy?]}

How can I help you?

ACTION. 🐾

[manipulative]

[ victor has a visitor. ]

[ an incredible black beauty has invited herself into his room. a familiar set of paws and sharp ears lies comfortably in the middle of his bed licking the fur between the pads of her paws. vasilka's eyes are the same striking gold as they had been at hogwarts, and her mannerisms are just as clever and arrogant as ever. it's almost as though she's the same cat from the event, although this one has a better knack for entering rooms she hasn't been properly invited into. ]

[ she's dragged a bit of paper to keep her company, and has been nibbling on the corner. when victor decides to grace his room, she ignores him. her tail sweeps along the cover of the bed, and it's the only hint anyone will ever get that she's noticed he's arrived to keep her company. ]

[lifeskills]

<sub>[The thing about living alone in a quiet room on a quiet floor is that you live alone and it's quiet. There definitely shouldn't be faint sounds of shuffling coming from your bedroom when you walk in the door.

Victor listens for it again--yes, there it is again.

Nothing that can sneak into a locked apartment can be good, in Victor's experience, and he carefully sets down his keys on a side table (one would think that having a lock and key would help prevent this sort of thing, but apparently not).]</sub>

Hello?

<sub>[I'm armed, he thinks to add, and then decides against it. Better not to announce it should he need his pistol.

There's no answer. The sound continues.

When Victor hazards a cautious look to see what it is, he discovers the source to be not be shuffling movement as he thought, but crinkling. The crinkling of paper being brushed back and forth across his bed. The culprit, a cat, sits there like it belongs there. Which it certainly doesn't for more than one reason, the primary one being it's a dreamt-up hallucination from an event.]</sub>

You shouldn't be here.

_{[Because if he's not mistaken, this is a cat from that wizarding school. Katherine's cat.]}

November 9th. Text.

[theothermrgray]

Good evening, Frankenstein.

I understand it's late, and you dislike conversation, but you seem to have more experience with Wonderland than I.

Did you, perchance, see three playing card men on your device the other day?

I must admit, it's gotten me worried.

text;

[lifeskills]

_{[... Good evening to you, too, knock-off Mr. Gray? What is this even.]}

Let the record reflect I am not adverse to either the hour or "conversation." Nonetheless, I confess I was surprised to see your message.

_{[Then again, he did say it was all right for Dorian to contact him, so he has only himself to blame for this. Wouldn't be the first time he's invited the devil into his house, unfortunately.]}

I did see them. Something to look forward to this weekend, I wager.

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' ]

[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>

[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

[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>

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. ]

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.

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>[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>

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. ]

1/2

[lifeskills]

_{[ ?????? ]}

2/2

[lifeskills]

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

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!"]

[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>