It had been a month since her return, and Viticella had decided to move out of the compound. No one was more against it than Elijah; he wanted her near, needed to keep her close. He'd already asked Rebekah about the change in Viticella, and they came to the conclusion it was the trauma of her capture. His concerns were only validated when he caught a glimpse of the scars along her arms: they were clearly from a knife, and they made his blood boil. It wasn't a difficult assumption that she'd been tortured, but he was determined to help her get past it. They had eventually agreed to let her go, figuring she likely just needed her own space to cope. It didn't take long for Elijah to visit, waiting outside the door for an invitation. She smirked at him, though there wasn't any real humor there.
"Come on in, handsome. What do you need?" She turned her back to him as he strode in, stacking her materials on a shelf near the door. Her sleeves were rolled up, exposing the still healing scars from her ordeal to his sight. For the first time in a long time, he felt genuinely sick to his stomach.
"I was hoping to spend some time with you." He reached out to brush his fingertips over her skin, jaw clenching when she automatically flinched away. While he understood that it would take time for her to adjust, it still hurt him to know she didn't seem to trust him anymore. Viticella finished with her task, turning to face him fully. "That is, if you're feeling up for it…"
"Of course." She moved closer, trailing her hands over his chest with what would have been a seductive look. Her eyes still didn't show anything but a cold wall between them. "I'm sure I can think of a few things we could do for fun." Leaning up, she tried to kiss him, but he shifted to peck her cheek instead. The more he interacted with her, the more familiar her actions were becoming, and he didn't like where it was heading.
"How about dinner and a film tonight? A proper date." She pouted as she settled back down onto her heels, before shrugging.
"Fine, but I expect a wild night afterword." She winked and moved back to her task, gathering a new handful of supplies. Elijah nodded, pasting a smile onto his face as he turned to go.
"Whatever you say, love." He turned on his heel and left, hurrying towards the compound. He called a meeting between his siblings and his friends, knowing they would need to have a rather long talk. Everyone had arrived to the courtyard by the time he walked in, and he took a deep breath.
"What's going on?" Rebekah's concern was evident, and Elijah was grateful that his family had taken to Viticella so well. He looked around to each of them as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"I believe Viticella has turned her humanity off." His declaration was met with stunned silence as they each considered what that meant. Niklaus ran a hand through his hair roughly as Marcel sighed. Only Cami seemed confused as her gaze bounced between all of them in confusion.
"Wait, what do you mean, turned off her humanity? Is that even possible?" They all nodded, and Niklaus turned to the blonde human.
"It usually occurs after a trauma. If Elijah's correct, she's chosen to shut herself down. No emotions, no real feelings. Empty numbness." It was a feeling the Originals were far too used to feeling, and they wouldn't wish it on anyone. The idea of vibrant, bright Viticella being darkened in such a way struck Elijah, and he shook his head.
"We need to fix her." As they all agreed and began planning, Elijah worried they wouldn't find the solution in time.