penance inbox

[incontrovertible]

Inbox

voice. text. video.
un: ms salvatore

coded by shipping

Comments

action | march tdm

[polydeukes]

[On it's outset, the scene doesn't seem like it would be something particularly shameful, yet Josie can't bring herself to meet her mother's eyes. In all honestly, the guilt doesn't come from the content, but what comes after, the fact that she allowed herself to be conned and that con got her buried alive is.

But more to the point, Jo was there when Caroline wasn't. They just talked about this, but now Hell is shoving this in their faces.

She looks down as it plays out, before shaking her head.]

Sorry, Mom.

[incontrovertible]

( she doesn't - expect to see Jo's face. she was at Jo's wedding when Kai attacked. but, dead is never dead in Mystic Falls. Caroline doesn't want to be viewing this private memory, especially without her permission, but that's how this torture is designed. )

Josie, you don't have to apologize. Jo is your mom. You will also always be your mom. I would never take that away from you or believe otherwise. I will always tell stories about her, and you know your dad will. ( She does frown. ) I think you're the one that has to say more, though. If you don't want to, that's okay, Josie. You know I can take it.

( Either the torture or what she has to say. )

[polydeukes]

[She makes a face, before straightening a bit.]

I wanted it to be her, so much. And were told that morning that you weren't coming and ... she was there. And talking with her was so nice. Lizzie didn't want anything to do with her, because she wasn't you but ... I guess so many parts of me always felt like her.

[But it wasn't Jo. Her personality and memories, maybe, but everything else was being guided by the Necromancer's hand.]

It wasn't really her, though. She was being controlled by someone called the Necromancer, and I wasn't supposed to let her out of Dad's office but I did. And once we were alone, the Necromancer took control and buried me alive. On my birthday. If Penelope and Hope hadn't figured it out ...

[She might have died.]

[incontrovertible]

( As far as Caroline is concerned, she will bleed for her daughter. She will take her pain if she needs to, so she leaves it up to Josie to talk it out. Josie shouldn't feel that this is disrespectful to Caroline, or like it diminishes anything she has with her mother. )

They saved you. Honey. You can't blame yourself for wanting time with your mother. If - if my mother showed up controlled by the Necromancer, I'd want more time with her, too. But I didn't... know that you've felt that way, like you're more Jo than me. ( Because, Caroline always saw it. ) You're funny like her, and dry when you want to be, and so smart. Quiet, but commanding. And you're also like me. You're nice to everyone. You're studious. Social. You're parts of her, me, your dad...

[polydeukes]

[She nods, because she gets that. Still, she shakes her head.]

I shouldn't have trusted her, though.

[incontrovertible]

Maybe not, but we can't help how we feel. Family is everything, and sometimes, family is our weakness. Our blindspot. And that's okay, Josie.

( Caroline's memory starts, and immediately she gets uncomfortable, because she remembers this conversation vividly, but she also remembers this night. She doesn't want her daughter to see this part, though. )

If only I had a remote. ( She calls out around them. ) I know why you're showing me this. Not this part ( she mutters to herself. ) but what happens after. ( Stefan being stopped by the witch, being sent out of the circle. ) This is one of the worst things I've ever done, but I did it to save Bonnie.

( And sure enough, Caroline intervenes and plunges the knife into the witch's chest. And soon, all twelve of the other witches drop dead, too, the torches going out.

The eyerolling Caroline does is not in response to that, but )

Like you couldn't have started that any sooner.

[polydeukes]

[If Josie had been from a little bit further, she might have understood a little more. Sometimes you do desperate things for the people you love. But she hasn't gotten that far yet and while she knows her mother isn't perfect and has hurt people - the whole point of the school after all - seeing it is a whole other story.]

You did what you had to do. Sometimes the supernatural is messy.

[incontrovertible]

No choice is easy. And if I had to do it again, I would. Even though it paved the way for Silas to return completely. I knew the risk.

( and she couldn't let bonnie die. )

Bonnie was consumed by this dark magic called expression. Her mother sent her coven to help. But, Bonnie was too far gone, corrupted by Silas - the first traveler. ( She thinks Josie knows if she's taken psychic history. ) And, for anyone watching I did not find Klaus' darkness attractive. He killed my best friend and exiled my boyfriend at the time.

[polydeukes]

He was a lot different then.

[She pauses, resting her chin in her hand.]

Compared to when I knew him here.

[incontrovertible]

I know he's different. He's a father now. I - after you helped him take the Hollow from Hope, I flew back to New Orleans. I was actually saying goodbye before coming here. Traveling again away from my daughters...

( She rests her arms on the podium. )

[polydeukes]

Mom.

[She knows that guilt is fresh, but it doesn't need to be addressed here.]

It's okay. It was important to say goodbye.

[incontrovertible]

Maybe.

( And it was a real goodbye. They'd been ships passing in the night only by days. )

We're both strong, okay? And we make hard decisions and we feel our feelings. Don't ever let anybody resent you for that.

[polydeukes]

[She nods in agreement.]

I try not to. It's just hard.

[Especially when you feel like it's something you shouldn't want.]

[incontrovertible]

Everything is. And if it weren't, why would we do it. Right? Go for what you want and do what you have to. Sometimes, we as women aren't empowered. But, trust me. You have the power.

( She tries yanking her legs up, but, that's futile. )

Do you think they care if I don't want to play charades?

[polydeukes]

I mean, they said we could leave before Round Two, but I've been here long enough to know there might be consequences.

[Sometimes it's better to just suck it up and do it.]

[incontrovertible]

Then, round two. I don't think there's anything salacious among my sins.

( Anyway. )

[polydeukes]

[Well there's definitely some things on hers that she hasn't told her mom yet, but one step at a time. She picks up the list and scans it for a moment, looking for something easy.

None of these are easy, and since they just addressed the whole murder thing, maybe they could go for something specific.]

Okay! Okay okay.

[She makes really intense eye contact with her mother and darts one hand back and forth between them, like she's trying to force her will into Caroline's eyes.]

[incontrovertible]

( she waits, ready to get this over with, and then it starts. it starts right? when was the last time she even looked at her list of sins )

Okay, um, me and you.

[polydeukes]

[Ooh. Er. Not quite what she was going for. Accurate, but not correct. She shakes out her hands a bit, before starting to do a vogue like motion around her eyes for a bit before doing wavy wiggle fingers in the direction of her mom.

How do you charades compulsion?]

[incontrovertible]

Magic... eyes.

( wait. she points! )

Coercion and compulsion!

[polydeukes]

[Josie brightens instantly, snapping and finger pointing.]

Nice! See, that wasn't so bad.

[incontrovertible]

No, I guess not.

( her daughter's list comes up. and it is longer than hers. and more specific. )

Your sins are all...

( so freaking specific. well, she went with something magical... )

I know neither of us chose to do this but we are going to talk about some of this. ( HOW MUCH ARSON? ) Um. Fine.

( she centers herself, trying to move more but leg restraints don't make it easy. she points to her daughter, holds her palm up and wiggles her fingers. and then points to herself and violently throws her arm up like it's hurt. )

[polydeukes]

[There's ... a lot of arson. Sorry, Mom. Josie grimaces, but then focuses on the motion because that is very specifc.]

Magic ... magic with ...

[Oh! oh!]

Using magic to break someone's arm?

[Yeah, that was a thing she did.]

[incontrovertible]

Ethans?!

( Story, now? Also, their leg restraints unlock completely, game show music pouring through the speakers. Give her a second because. What a list. Either way, she steps down from her podium and moves straight to her, helping her daughter down, too. )

Arson, Josie?

[polydeukes]

I ...

[Sigh. where to begin.]

So somewhere along the way I developed a crush on Hope. I wrote a note to tell her and I slipped it under her door. And then I panicked and tried to burn it before she could see it but I lost control of the spell and ... accidentally destroyed her room.