Stefan's hand went up automatically the block the flashlight coming at him (she might as well have been swinging at him in slow motion for all the good it did; he missed this—) but Elena pulled herself back in time. He smiled down at her, half-hiding a laugh, and ignored how well he could hear the frantic thudding of her heart.
"We did when I couldn't do it any more," he admitted. It wasn't that he specifically made a point of sneaking up on her; he just... didn't think about it. Although, he couldn't deny getting a little enjoyment out of her surprise sometimes. "But Elena, look." Before she could say anything, Stefan lifted the knife in his hand and drew it across his bare arm, near the elbow.
Why he thought of this as the best way to illustrate the return of his full vampire strength, Stefan wasn't quite sure, only that the healing of his extensive wounds was the first thing which had let him realize it was back. The sharp pain of the knife slicing into his skin was a nice reminder of why he didn't normally do this kind of thing. Even with his "powers" restored, he was still only as strong as the blood made him.
Said blood welled at the cut for a second before the skin knitted itself together again in front of their eyes. He rubbed his finger over it to wipe it away (a drop in the ocean compared to all the dead animal blood on his clothes right now), and there was no longer any sign of injury at all.
"Whatever device they were using to hold us all back, it's... off. Or broken. I'm not sure which one. But there's monsters everywhere — I think the military's sent them to stop us." Stefan flipped the knife in his hand and held the handle out to Elena, his expression suddenly serious again. "Hold onto this. I'll protect you, but in case we get swarmed before we find Damon..."
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"We did when I couldn't do it any more," he admitted. It wasn't that he specifically made a point of sneaking up on her; he just... didn't think about it. Although, he couldn't deny getting a little enjoyment out of her surprise sometimes. "But Elena, look." Before she could say anything, Stefan lifted the knife in his hand and drew it across his bare arm, near the elbow.
Why he thought of this as the best way to illustrate the return of his full vampire strength, Stefan wasn't quite sure, only that the healing of his extensive wounds was the first thing which had let him realize it was back. The sharp pain of the knife slicing into his skin was a nice reminder of why he didn't normally do this kind of thing. Even with his "powers" restored, he was still only as strong as the blood made him.
Said blood welled at the cut for a second before the skin knitted itself together again in front of their eyes. He rubbed his finger over it to wipe it away (a drop in the ocean compared to all the dead animal blood on his clothes right now), and there was no longer any sign of injury at all.
"Whatever device they were using to hold us all back, it's... off. Or broken. I'm not sure which one. But there's monsters everywhere — I think the military's sent them to stop us." Stefan flipped the knife in his hand and held the handle out to Elena, his expression suddenly serious again. "Hold onto this. I'll protect you, but in case we get swarmed before we find Damon..."