I've Seen you Somewhere Before [Ilija]

[Deleted]

January 3, 2026
@ilija

Eeva had taken the day off from the performing to work on training one of the circus' newest additions. A pair of very rambunctious Abraxan foals. They were no where near show ready, and still fought her tooth and nail to get a saddle on. Eeva, due to her druid heritage, had always been good with animals  but these two were clearly testing her patience and she didn't want to get too forceful with them. She hated the term "breaking" when it came to training horses. She didn't want to break them, she wanted to teach them. So, after much consideration, she'd decided to bring the pair to Snowdonia. Close to the dragon reserve but still a respectable distance. Because it'd be far from prying muggle eyes. The only people she might encounter were other magical beings. Plus, she loved the snow up here. 

She'd been working near a magical outpost. Like a skii lodge, but catering only to the magical community that came up here in winter. She'd seen people come and go, mostly people using the lodge as a play to apparate to, to get into the mountain range, before going about their business. She paid them little mind, just working with the large winged horses in a field behind the log.

Near lunchtime, she decided to give them a break, and led the horses back to the lodge and  tying the leads (tightly) to a post she'd magicked earlier. They wouldn't be able to pull it out, she'd made sure of that. "You two behave, or I'm not bringing any treats out," she scolded them. The horses just snorted at her in reply. She gave them a little glare, before stepping  away. Thankfully the lodge also had a small cafe, so she hadn't had to worry about bringing lunch for herself. It was then the horses decide that they needed to get one final say in. She'd taken a few steps away, and one of the horses kicked the side of the lodge. IT was quite sturdy, so the kick didn't cause any damage. But it did shake loose all the snow from the roof... and conveniently dumped it all on top of the red head. If it was a small amount she might have laughed. But no, this was an avalanche portion of snow, knocking her off her feet and completely burying her. 

[Deleted]

It had been snowing and Ilija had been wanting to take a break for a while. With the beauty of the snow he'd figured he'd head out and enjoy the winter scenery. He remembered that it had really been a long time since he'd really been out in the snow since Hannah had absolutely detested the cold and often grumbled in displeasure when forced to stay out in the cold too long. It was part of why they'd moved to a tropical location. Hannah would not have willingly gone out in this weather. He smiled slightly to himself as he felt the snow crunch under his feet. It was nice to be out and about, although he really wanted a warm drink as well. Some of the best things about the winter season were the beverages.

He'd been heading towards the cafe when he spotted a redhead in the distance. He almost chuckled as she tied up the horses, even though he was too far too make out too much detail at that point. She seemed to enjoy this weather at least. He watched as she turned from the young horses and one of them kicked the lodge in dismay. He almost laughed, except for the fact the laughter died on his lips as she was buried under the snow the kick released from the roof. His amusement disappeared very quickly as he instantly ran forward. He knew a thing or two from curse breaking about being trapped under something, although in his case rubble or sand was a lot more likely than snow. It was very dangerous and not impossible she'd gotten hurt so he wasted no time. He sprinted over and instantly started digging.

It didn't take him very long to at least uncover most of her, although he didn't really look at her until he was sure she could get out. Then he turned to face her, his expression concerned. His words died on his lips as his mind registered a familiar face. A face that he only ever saw in his nightmares and had not expected to ever see again in his life. He could feel all the blood drain from his face as adrenaline flooded his system and everything went dark for half a second as the flashback started. Her face was consumed by the fire before the explosion and he'd never seen her again. It wasn't Hannah, that much was obvious. They just looked so alike they might well have been twins. In silent agony his eyes passed over the familiar face for a second before he stumbled back slightly. He was dumbfounded and at a loss for words, or he'd have asked her if she was alright after just having been buried in snow.

@eeva

[Deleted]

January 3, 2026
@ilija

Eeva did not like this situation. A figurative mountain of snow dumped right on top of her. She couldn't move, and it was pitch black under the snow. Her heart beat painfully hard in her chest. Eeva was a very claustrophobic person. She squirmed, trying to get out, wiggling her fingers, arms and legs like she'd been taught at a young age. To work on digging herself out. Every second that past though made her heart race faster, and faster. So fast that she could practically hear it.

Those terrifying moments were only that: a few moments. Because then something, was helping unbury her. They must have seen and immediately run over to help her out. First her arms were free, then her head, and torso. Enough that she could start to weasel her way out of the snow pile. She didn't look at her savior yet, instead her mind very much tuned into her panic and desperate need to get free. She squirmed free of the snow, on her hands and knees, breathing heavily as she finally looked at the face of the man that had saved her.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost, all color drained from his face and a painful look in his eyes. What in the world? Eeva blinked, still breathing heavily, though her heart was starting to slow down. It wasn't fear from the situation though. No, it was because of her. Something about her had seriously spooked him. He stumbled back, and she shifted into a sitting position, her legs crossed as she raised an eyebrow. The snow clearly didn't bother her. "What, is something on my face?" She immediately asked, her accent thick. Then, realization. Oh god. He must be another person that was mistaking her identity. Again. When would this stop? It was getting a bit ridiculous at this point! "Oh please don't tell me you think I'm this "Hannah" person. You'd be... the fifth person." He still looked thoroughly spooked, something none of the other people that had mistaken her had done. Wait, was had everyone mentioned when they mistook her for Hannah? There'd always been a man's name linked to it... What was it.....

"You must be Ilija."

[Deleted]

It was almost funny, if not for the bitterness in his heart at seeing her face again. It was almost funny that she thought there was something on her face, before she said something that shook him to his core and released him from the stupor he'd been in prior to hearing her speak. Her accent was different and strange, but it sounded nice. Then she too seemed to have some sort of realisation as she noticed his expression and her next words shattered what little there was left of his heart. Still, the fact he'd be the fifth person wasn't even the worst part. It was hearing her name from her mouth without it actually being her. He took a deep breath and bit his lip for a moment, tearing his eyes away for just a second and he observed how comfortable she seemed to be in the snow. Definitively not Hannah, she never would have sat down. She would have tried to rush inside as fast as possible without being impolite. This woman? She was comfortable here.

"You're not Hannah." It came out a little bit on the blunt side, but who could blame him? He'd watched her die so the idea that she was Hannah was almost offensive to him. He figured it was an easy mistake to make as he couldn't help but see her in the face of this stranger. It hurt, but somehow it made it easier to face reality. He smiled wryly as she instantly seemed to know his name. "Yes, I suppose you met some of my friends or family members then." He said, his voice oddly soft. "But don't worry, I know you're not Hannah. She's been dead a long time." It was the first time he'd ever uttered those words since she had passed away. He usually avoided that exact phrasing, choosing words such as 'gone' or 'lost' when referring to her. He didn't know why, but somehow a part of him felt like he was talking to Hannah because they looked so alike. There had been nothing he'd been afraid to say around her and nobody he'd wanted to tell except for her what had happened in the accident. Still it seemed cruel that nobody had warned him, although in all fairness he knew he would never have been prepared to meet this woman regardless. "What is your name? Since you already seem to know mine?" He asked kindly and politely, smiling a small but genuine smile for a moment, although he was still physically shaking from the shock of it all.

He looked at her and the heap of snow she'd just crawled out of and he frowned slightly. "Are you hurt? I can image the impact might have caused some pain." He said, figuring it might be easier for her to change the subject than to be forced to linger on how similar she looked to somebody that he knew. He was confused by himself, as he knew in his heart he'd be willing to talk to her about just about anything. If she wanted to know more about Hannah or why he was always mentioned along with her... well he figured that he owed her an explanation. "Can I offer you a drink? Something to warm up perhaps?" He asked in a friendly tone. He wanted to get to know her, it almost felt compulsive but... was he just hurting himself by doing this? He had some serious doubts and yet he couldn't stop himself. It was too strange.

@eeva

[Deleted]

January 3, 2026
@ilija

It took the man a moment, but he finally seemed to get over his shook, announcing waht she already knew: That she wasn't Hannah. "Thank you." It was an odd thing to say in the situation, b ut she was glad that he was very clear in his understanding that she was not this "Hannah" person. She really was sick of being mistaken for this stranger, as it had lead to several awkward meetings. He, while shocked, seemed to realize faster then all the others that they were not the same person. Thank god.

He mentioned meeting his friends and family and she nodded. It also confirmed her suspicions. This was the person they always mentioned when they thought she was Hannah. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped. He'd continued speaking, adding that "Hannah" was dead. Oh. Well then. This just made the situation even more awkward. But... everyone else had acted like Hannah was alive. They must not actually know Hannah was dead. So she'd been mistake for a dead person all this time. She got to her feet, taking that time to try and formulate a response. She brushed the snow off her jeans and coat, then shook her head, to dislodge any snow from her hair. "I'm sorry for your loss." And for reminding him of his dead loved one, though she wouldn't add that, as it felt a bit tactless.

Eeva was reaching up to get a little snowball from her hair (that had decided to cling to her hair despite her trying to dislodge it a moment ago), when he asked for her name. Immediately she smiled and held out her free hand to shake his own, if he was willing. She yanked out the snowball with the other hand and tossed it to the ground. "Eeva. Eeva Kilpela. Nice to finally meet you."

She glanced back at the snow pile when he asked if she was hurt. It really had been quite a bit of snow, hadn't it? Especially now that she could look at it. She looked back at him and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine." Obviously, it had hurt a little, but it wasn't anything bad. No broken bones, no sprains. In her line of work, that was the only sort of pain that mattered. His offer of a drink was much appreciated, and.. she was a bit curious. THis stranger that everyone had mentioned to her. Who was he? What was he like? He was good looking. But clearly carried a bit of pain with him. "I'd like that. I was going in anyway. Care to join me for lunch?"

[Deleted]

It was peculiar to be thanked for acknowledging that she wasn't his dead fiancee, although it didn't really bother him that much. It wasn't her fault they looked similar enough that they could have been identical twins. It was uncanny but in no way changed what he knew to be true. Hannah was gone and had been for a long time. Still, it felt good to see her face again, even though it belonged to somebody else this time around. He wasn't completely sure how to act around her though, considering how different she was compared to Hannah. He figured it was for the better, considering it would make it easier to keep reminding himself that she wasn't the woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Surely, she looked older than Hannah had when he'd lost her but it was quite interesting to see what Hannah might have grown up to look like, in a way.

She got up and said she was sorry for his loss. He shrugged a little, despite the little nails digging into his heart. "It's been almost six years by now." He wanted to play it off as indifferent, but it probably came across more like the truth, the pain might have gotten less over time but it never fully disappeared. Still he couldn't help but look at her as she plucked snow from her hair and introduced herself, extending her hand. It felt oddly formal but Ilija wasn't going to complain. He shook her hand and smiled as she introduced herself. "Pleasure to meet you Eeva." He said, although it struck him as a little bit odd she said finally. He looked at her curiously. "Finally?" He asked curiously. "How come you seem to know more about me and be able to recognise me when I've never heard of you? Are you a seer of some kind?" Either that or one thing hadn't changed since school. He was often mentioned in one breath with Hannah, even after all these years. He wondered if she'd met Hannah's parents for a brief moment, although she figured not. Surely her parents would have mentioned it to him. His siblings? Well he could imagine they wouldn't tell him, even more so if they'd met her before he'd shared with them. Even after it seemed as though they might try to have protect him from everything he was currently feeling. It was overwhelming.

When she offered him a seat at her table for lunch his old smile crept on his face. One that hadn't found it's way there for six years. He nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice. I haven't had lunch yet and I'd love to get to know you better. If you have any questions I'll answer all. It must be quite strange to be mistaken for another person multiple times." Five times, from what she'd said. He was curious who she'd met, but he didn't want to ask. He didn't really want to talk about it all that much, although he almost felt as if he owed her an explanation for the inconveniences she'd experienced by the mix ups. He knew he was partially to blame considering he'd failed to notify people Hannah had died. It was strange that he was finally able to mentally use the word dead, especially in the face of her doppelgänger. Maybe in a strange way this was all helping him come to terms with her death? He smiled at her as he walked up to the door and held it open for you. "After you. The meal and drinks are on me." He said, motioning for her to enter the establishment.

@eeva

[Deleted]

January 3, 2026
@ilija

Six years was an awful long time, in terms of grieving someone lost. But Eeva understood how pain like that, even after six years, could still be fresh. It had been ten years since she lost her parents and brother and she still... well... It still hurt every day. Not that she'd mention it. She didn't talk about her family's deaths. But, she did offer a small smile instead. He shook her hand, saying it was a pleasure to meet her and that smile of hers widened a bit. It was, in a way. At least she finally had a face to the name. Plus, he was pretty handsome. Then the curiosity of who he was. It felt all those mistaken identity encounters were leading up to this moment. He asked finally, then elaborated and she chuckled letting go of his hand after shaking it and sheepishly running a hand through the ends of her hair. "Whenever someone mistook me for her-" she didn't say Hannah's name this time. "They mentioned you. 'Ilija didn't mention', and so on. So when you didn't immediately jump to that conclusion, I assumed." She didn't clarify that, while she wasn't a seer she was a druid. Sometimes that just brought up odd conversations. Though it always led to why a druid wasn't on Hy-Brasil and she didn't particularly like those conversations as they'd eventually lead to her family.

Ilija smiled and Eeva couldn't help but notice... He had a really nice smile. "It's been very strange," she agreed. "I'd never been to England before. I thought I must have met them during my travels." She admitted. At least until she realized they kept mistaking her for "Hannah". Considering how often she traveled it hadn't been the most farfetched idea. As he stepped towards the door, holding it open, she shot a quick glance over he shoulder, to glare at the two winged horses, who looked entirely too smug for their own good, then followed him to the door. "Thank you." She stepped inside, and glanced around for a table. It was a cafe, so pretty casual. She spotted a table near a window, with a great view. "What about over there?" she asked, just to be sure. They were complete strangers, after all. It was basically like a blind date!

[Deleted]

Ilija chuckled, but there was little mirth in it. It made sense that everybody had noticed her and made that mistake and it was pretty much all his fault. He hadn't been overly sharing to the point he hadn't even told his siblings until this past Christmas that Hannah had died. His brother seemed to be most angry with him for it, but he felt blessed his sister had been a lot kinder to him. Without her he was pretty sure he might have fled the country again. He was glad he hadn't, even more so now that he saw her here. "Yeah I'm sorry about that. I haven't been sharing a lot. It's a rather painful memory so I prefer to avoid talking about it most of the time." But around her it was easy as breathing. The pain was there, but it didn't make him feel like his lungs were filling up with water, making him suffocate. No, around her it seemed to only hurt and no more than it should after six years. Her reasoning was sound and he nodded ever so slightly. "Yeah, I guess I can plead innocent on that mistake." He said with a bit of a self deprecating smile on his face, shaking his head slightly at himself. It was fine, but it had never felt so before. He'd made mistakes and some really bad choices but all in all he was just feeling a lot more at peace with them now. It was almost scary.

When she mentioned travels he nodded slightly. "I'm not sure who you met but in case of my co-workers that might have been true. The rest of the people? Less likely. I'm not saying they don't travel but it would be far more peculiar." He didn't really want to mention that in case of his family it seemed near impossible. They'd never even once visited him abroad so the likelihood they'd met Eeva on her travels seemed impossible if she'd never been to England before. They joined together to enter the cafe and he made sure to get rid of most of the snow on his boots. It wasn't really good manners to walk all of that into the cafe. She herself spent a moment to glare down the horses, which had him hold back a chuckle. No matter how amusing it was to him, he wouldn't comment on it. He was lucky enough she even gave him the time of day. He glanced over at the table she suggested and smiled warmly. "Looks cozy." He commented and lead the way towards the table, allowing her to pick a seat. He couldn't help but look at her, seeing how beautiful she was and yet that eery sense of familiarity never seemed to leave. She looked like Hannah but she behave completely differently. It had him very much mesmerised but he felt so comfortable around her. Like the pain he felt was just a dull ache in the background he could forget if he tried hard enough. And she was beautiful, just as beautiful as he remembered Hannah to be. He'd always believed there was nobody more beautiful in the world than her, but perhaps Eeva was more beautiful to his mind now, with the glow of winter in her face. He had to guard himself though, since falling in love with her was about the dumbest thing for him to do.

@eeva

[Deleted]

January 3, 2026
@ilija

Ilija must have had a very difficult time with the death of Hannah, and as he elaborated, explaining that he hadn't been sharing much with the people around him, it explained why she'd been so easily mistaken for Hannah. Though, she understood how he felt on that regard. Not wanting to share painful memories. She gave him a small, but knowing smile. The sort that only someone that had their own painful memories would give. "No one likes sharing the pains in their past." She answered softly. She didn't say waht her own pains were, but it was clear that, like him, he had painful memories that she didn't share with others, or open up about. Not exactly the same as his... but maybe if she did tell him someday, he'd realize just how well she understood the pain of losing a loved one.

Eeva hadn't really kept track of who had mistaken her for Hannah, aside from Rhys. Considering her now involvement with Heliopath. She smiled and shrugged. "A few other redheads, a few not." Was about as memorable as the encounters had been. It was strange, back home redhair was pretty common (druid blood), and it was common-ish in the UK. But when she traveled? It was a pretty rare trait to come across.

They sat down at the table she'd picked, sitting across from each other. She took a moment to glanced around the cafe, before staring out the window. She loves the view. She was a nature lover in general, and not to keen on big cities. But considering her heritage, it was no surprise. Nature was practically in her blood. She stared out the window for a few moments, before turning back, and found herself meeting Ilija's gaze. It was quite captivating, once their eyes met and she found herself not looking away. "So, what brings you so far up the mountains?" She slowly asked, though still not lookin away from those intense eyes.

[Deleted]

She understood pain, which in turn pained him. He didn't wish it upon anybody to be able to understand something even remotely close to the sorrows he'd experienced. He returned her small smile with a weak one of his own. "I'm sorry." He said simply, knowing she'd understand what he meant. I'm sorry for the pain you've been through. He didn't push for how she knew, for the smile had told him better than words could that she too had experienced a loss that went deep and affected her to this day. Who ever it was that she'd lost must have been very close. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand, not saying anything because there were no words. Yet he wasn't able to help himself, he wanted to comfort her rather badly. It wasn't just that she looked like Hannah (which made looking at her a strange mixture between comforting and excruciating) but just that she recognised his mental scars because she had her own. He felt a connection, and he hoped it wasn't just in his mind.

When she said a few other redheads had mistaken her for Hannah he felt a little worried. Had any of those been his family members? If so, why hadn't they told him? Surely Eeva would have mentioned she was in fact, not Hannah? It wasn't something he wanted to worry about now, but it did cause a bit of a frown to appear on his face. The lives he and Hannah had were so interwoven it was hard to believe that it had been people that she had known but he didn't. Why had nobody told him that there was a girl out there that looked exactly like Hannah? He knew he'd been keeping secrets but he felt a bit concerned that people would keep this from him. It was probably his own fault, for keeping secrets from them so long. Could he really depend on them? Because he was sure of one thing, during those five years nobody could have depended on him for anything. He grunted slightly, but otherwise refrained from giving a response, although he was clearly a bit unsettled by the idea.

She asked what brought him so far up the mountain and he found himself smiling slightly. "It's been a really long time since I could enjoy the winter weather. I used to live in Madagaskar and they don't get a lot of snow there. When I was back for the holidays I never really had the time to take a day to just... enjoy the weather. I think the last time I actually had a day in the snow was back when I still went to school. It felt like a good way to truly be able to enjoy some free time." Since it wouldn't constantly remind him of Hannah, which was quite the opposite of the situation he'd ended up in. He looked into her eyes, and despite all the minute little differences he found in those gorgeous eyes of Eeva he needed to search for all those tiny details that reminded him that the beautiful woman in front of him was not his deceased fiancee but a different woman completely. Yet he couldn't look away for even a moment, completely captivated by her beauty and the memories she brought to his mind. He wanted to know her, but he felt greedy for wanting it. How could he ask that, when it would seem to her that all he sought was to regain what he'd lost, no matter how impossible he knew that to be?

@eeva