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I need you to keep anything I've told you about myself or anything that can be read in my file strictly to yourself. Most especially away from where Michelle Benjamin or David Shepherd could see/hear it.
[ he means anything. patricide/regicide, coup, joseph and sexuality. nothing. its a pain in the ass to have to clean all this shit up, considering he was lax on who knew what for a while here, but at least the crowd of people who know anything solid about him is relatively small. ]
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
That's great! I mean. Kind of?
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
Shit that's not great at all, is it?
[ if jeremy were here elena would be freaking out, she can't imagine jack's doing much better. ]
Thank you, but I've got it. I'll let you know if something comes up.
[ he probably won't. the things he's going to have to do to keep them safe, jack doubts elena would have the stomach for. he'll have to collect cdc brownie points like hell, and that doesn't exactly mean good things. ]
Please do.
[ though that seems like a fairly dismissive answer, and elena's not sure if she believes he will actually tell her. it's up to him, of course, and not her business anyway, but still. she can't help wanting to help. it's just part of who she is. there's a pause between the first message and the next one, wondering if she's reading too much into things, whether her offer will even matter, but even if she is reading into things, what's the harm? jack knows what she is and what that means, and she needs him to know she's a resource if he needs it. ]
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
I've killed to keep my brother safe, and I know in a place like this you'll probably have to do the same for Michelle. If you need help with anything, you can trust me.
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
The rules go out the window when it comes to family, I learned that a long time ago. I won't judge you.
I've been through a lot in the past three years that's changed me, and I'm not always sure it's for the better. The seriousness is more of a worry about that than anything else.
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
I know I have to adapt. I'm just worried about what kind of person I'll turn into next. But again, we're getting away from madu, and it's not important. Sorry.
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
You know, it's funny, I didn't care so much about it at home. I had other things to worry about so it never really crossed my mind to worry about animals.
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
I don't really know why I decided madu are the hill I want to die on. They're just... helpless, I guess? I don't know. Thumper's getting to me.
I understand, I think. But try not to get too attached. You'll have me worried for you next, not just Thumper.
his explanation only serves to make her even more tense, even as she feels pissed off at stefan. it makes sense in the context of his current fried switch, but that doesn't make it any less infuriating, and there's also the part of her that's annoyed that he would let something like this happen. stefan knows as well as she does what a precarious position they're in, he shouldn't go around making enemies.
it doesn't matter, though, pissed can wait. now she has to make sure that it won't come back to bite stefan in the ass any more than armada's said it would. ]
And you expect me to do something about this.
[ it's a statement instead of a question, her voice flat as she speaks, her face unreadable. there's little hint as to what she's thinking right now -- whatever her feelings are about stefan and this situation, they're not for sturmhond to know. ]
[ Actually, yes. That’s exactly what he wants – for her to stop this from being a problem, for her to make sure that her ex-boyfriend doesn’t hurt anyone here. The bomb itself is not what worries him. It’s the attitude that would make Stefan shove the bomb at Athos rather than throw it away, the attitude that makes him not just a survivor but a killer. That, combined with what he’s read in Stefan’s file, looks like a recipe for trouble. And even at that, he probably would have left it alone if this hadn’t been Athos, his rovermate and friend, and if Athos hadn’t been ready to go after Stefan himself as a result.
This is damage control. Or an attempt at it, anyway, to stop all of this before it gets any worse. ]
What I wanted was to talk to you. Athos is leery of him now, afraid that he might pose a danger to other recruits. From what I’ve read in his file, I think it’s fair to say that fear is not unreasonable.
But his file also said there was more to him than that, and you said so yourself. So let me ask you, then, is there a way to help him? To bring the side of him that’s not so volatile back to the surface again?
FROM: benjamin.jonathan@cdc.org
Just keep an eye on them if I'm not around. That's all I need.
That also sounds familiar. Magic never comes without a price.
[ elena knows that better than just about anyone, she thinks it's safe to say. ]
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
I do know Alina! We fought chimera together in Sector R. I'll have to ask her about it next time I see her. Is her ability exactly what it sounds like, then, just summoning the sun?
FROM: gilbert.elena@cdc.org
Lighting up dark places, that sort of thing?
He's not religious. He's a skeptic, and a realist, but he understands the power that faith can hold. It's not just Alina's light that will save his people, it's everything she represents. He'd asked her to be his Queen before he even knew her.
Now he knows her. One day he'll ask her that question again, but only when he's sure he's asking for more than just allegiance. And only when the war is over, which is a very long time away. ]
FROM: sturmhond@cdc.org
It is. She summons sunlight, commands it, controls it. She is unique, in that.
FROM: sturmhond@cdc.org
The others have different powers. Summoners of fire, water, air. Manipulators of the body. Masters of metal and bone, and compounds like chemicals. It varies.
[ but it's not for sturmhond to know, and it's not something elena's going to be doing. stefan just needs to detox, and he'll be fine. maybe he won't be like he was for another thirty years, but he'll get there eventually. they have time. she is not, under any circumstances, going to be using the lexi method to bring stefan back. ]
Athos' mistrust is understandable, but Stefan was just acting in his own best ineterests. Not all of us can be selfless hero types. Stefan hasn't been a danger to anyone so far, and he's not about to start being one now. Your concern is noted, but unnecessary.
[ that's as diplomatically as elena can phrase her thoughts at the moment. maybe she would be a little less brusque if she wasn't so on edge, but she doesn't like the idea of someone with the knowledge of how to kill them running around with a vendetta. that leaves compulsion or murder on the list of possible endings to this story, and she's been working hard to avoid either. sturmhond's been perfectly reasonable so far, but she's not about to trust that he'll stay that way, or keep his word about not telling anyone.
she really needs to get better about playing her cards close to the vest. as much as she hates to admit it, she could stand to take a leaf from the katherine pierce playbook. ]
The situation is well in hand, Sturmhond, but thanks for the heads up.
[ Noted, but unnecessary. That’s not reassuring, not when he knows Athos’ mind on this. She says there’s a way to make Stefan more stable, but she doesn’t say she’s going to do it.
He sighs, and turns to look at her. ]
Elena. You asked me once if the Instructors could be trusted, and I said that they could, to do their jobs. You wanted more than that. You wanted them to have your best interests at heart. That’s what it takes for you to trust them, yet you’d hold your friend to a different standard.
I don’t expect everyone to be a hero, but I have a friend who is afraid that this man may put lives in danger. Can you make sure that doesn’t happen? Or more accurately – will you try?
[ Because can doesn’t always mean will, and already, he’s seeing that she’ll forgive Stefan for far more than most. ]
The standards to which I hold Stefan are none of your business. All he's done is save himself at the expense of Athos, which, granted, isn't a good thing, and I'll be talking to him about it later, but it also isn't exactly killing babies and eating people to death. Maybe he doesn't have everyone's best interests at heart, but he doesn't have to. He's not in charge of a whole group of us.
What will you do if I don't try?
[ answering a question with a question is something of a dick move, elena's aware, but she needs to know sturmhond's play here, and for that, she needs him to think, however briefly, that she may let stefan run rampant over camp. she won't, not ever, and she'll clarify that as soon as she gets the information she needs, but for now, she can give the impression that she would. ]
[ That makes his task easier. If cards on the table is what she wants, that’s what she’ll gets. ]
Nothing.
[ His gaze is steady, expression unchanged. He’s no less gentle, but there’s a flint behind his eyes. He’s not backing down, and he frankly doesn’t care how much of his business she thinks this is. If he hadn’t come to her, Athos would be on her friend’s tail right now. ]
But if he does put lives at risk, then I will help to protect them, Elena. You can’t expect me not to. I gave you my word that the secrets you told me would stay secret, and they will. But you have to know I won’t hold to that at the expense of people’s lives.
So I’ll ask you again. Will you try?
elena's body language now projects casual -- her arms is draped over the back of her chair, her posture slightly slouched, legs crossed. There's no indication that she's still as tense as a coiled spring, ready to launch into action if she deems it necessary. there's a few ways this can end, and elena's ready for each of them, from a pleasant goodbye to a blur to the door to compel him. ]
Of course I will. I don't want anyone hurt any more than you do. But like I said, the situation's under control.
[ if it wasn't, he and all the rest of the crew would know.
she offers up a pleasant smile, standing and going to open the cockpit door. ]
In fact, I'll go talk to him right now.
[ It’s not quite so simple as that. No one had known the bombs were fake when they went off. In the field, Stefan would have done the same thing. Athos isn’t angry about the glitter; he’s wary of what that means for the future, when he’s on the battlefield with a man who’ll throw him under the proverbial bus. And given the history that Stefan’s file paints, Sturmhond finds that fear not unreasonable.
But he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. His aim is the opposite of that, to stop any of this from escalating. He slides easily out of the cockpit. ]
Thank you, Elena. I hope it is.
[ With no more to say, he gives her a slight smile, and heads away. ]
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