CHICAGO ♔ Against my will I stand beside my own reflection

[notaroundme]

WHO || Elena + Failboat
WHAT || Elena comes back with some news.
WHERE || Their hotel room | Chicago, IL
WHEN || July 11th/12th Late Night
HOW || Actionspammy~

[Elena isn't sure she could be more nervous if she tried. She's done something that, no doubt, at least one or two people will be upset or angry about. Given the fact that she didn't ask for permission isn't going to look good, but her reasons are her own, and what's done is done.

And now that she knows the truth, there's nothing left to do but tell them. Keeping secrets will only make it worse, and she's not going to lie about where she goes.

They'll have to let her. She won't take no for an answer. And if they don't like it, well...that's a bridge she'll cross when she gets to it.

She comes in the door, Spike and Archer in tow. She has to wonder if they ever noticed she was gone before she mass texted them in the night, alerting them that she had something she had to talk to everyone about. Mentally, as the door closes behind them, she prepares herself for the confession that she's about to make, and the fallout she hopes to avoid.

She can only hope she they're as understanding as Spike has been.]

Comments

[notaroundme]

[It is...painfully obvious at this point that Elena is incredibly nervous, her breath shaky as she lets it out.

Gosh Gar, please don't yell at her.]

It's my fault. I ran into Spike and Archer outside, and they offered to come with me. [A beat.] I went back to the hotel. To talk to the doppelganger.

[socialgraces]

[ we'll just say finnick's other bff was also out on the balcony with him, and she'll wander in, but just quietly observe the situation for now ]

[nothingsodivine]

That a fact. How'd that go, Cupcake? [Des is too tired to do any yelling at anyone. And he even yawns when he says it. Whatever. Bad life choices are this team's middle name.]

[notaroundme]

Keijen and company are leaving town, except for him. He's staying behind.

[Which is telling, given what they know.]

But that's not why I went to talk to him. [She swallows, tries to remember to breath.]

He told me I'm a Changeling, that I'm like him. I can do what he does. He's going to teach me how.

[Her eyes flick to Gar, who knows more about this than anyone. She told her suspicions first, and Gar had been right.]

[rationalizes]

[ she looks pretty horrified ngl ] You--

I can't blame you for needing to be certain, Elena, but I'm certain I don't have to tell you how dangerous it is to consort with... with the enemy.

[bigbad]

[Spike steps forward a bit, giving Gar a look. He may have raised the same argument, but even so.]

Course you don't have to tell her. But you can't stop her from learning what she is and what she can do. She's bloody lucky to find another of her kind willing to teach her at all.

[There may be some overidentification happening here.]

[slay]

Not that I'm loving the whole climbing in bed with the enemy idea myself, but ... it could be a good thing, right? I mean, you learn about ... whatever it is you are, and maybe while you're at it, you learn something about what Keijen and co. might have shared.

[ she shifts her gaze from elena to gar, shrugging. ]

She's a knight like any of us. She knows what she's doing.

[witchwoman]

You should have told me. [Myri say quietly. She's not mad, Elena, just disappointed WHICH IS SO MUCH WORSE. But even she knows the reasons why. She would have protested Elena leaving to go talk to them, would have worried herself to death.]

Are they... Did they treat you well? Were they able to show you how to use this ability. [As in, did you learn everything so you won't have to go back to them ever ever ever again???]

[graveflowers]

[Vi's pretty impressed, it takes balls to do something that insane and Elena's standing there fine so she obviously rocked her own personal mission like a hurricane. She doesn't say that though, moving to stand next to Luthir and take his hand because guess who is staying in Chicago... just like she said he would... yay for being right, she can't even muster an I told you so. Instead blurting out,]

You're really Elena, right? Not that you would say otherwise, but I thought I'd put that out there. Considering.

[notaroundme]

[She looks between Gar, Spike, Myri and Buffy, giving a nod of her head.]

If I can learn this, think of what I could do to help you. It's better that I learn from someone experienced than...well, he said there are alternatives, and he didn't make it sound like they were very good. Since there's so few of...us, teaching one another is something he takes very seriously. He didn't give me any reason to doubt him, and from what I can tell, his alliance with the others is based on money at best. He didn't want them to know we'd even met with one another.

[Which was only good in Elena's opinion.]

If I can find out anything, then that's icing on the cake. He said learning would take some time, since my mind doesn't even know where to start yet.

[Vi's question puts her at a pause, because that's actually a good point, especially since Spike only saw her come out of the room.]

You're right, I would say that either way. I don't mind if you come up with a way for me to prove it to you.

[shootfirst]

From what I hear, asking soap opera based questions is not the best method.

[bigbad]

Bloody figures a doppelgänger would be into Passions. They could probably be responsible for half the plot twists.

[graveflowers]

At least now we know why Timmy fell down the well. [spike u r presh] Is there even a way to tell the difference, I mean like if we had a code word would they be able to figure out that "pineapple" means Elena is Elena? Not that I think you're not Elena. I just. [Shrug. Look, she'd be worried if it wasn't Elena because then she would be in trouble and trouble is bad.]

[savemyself]

Doppelgangers read minds, which means if you are expecting some sort of code word, they are guaranteed to know it.

Will you really allow this girl to be so foolish?

[isisagent]

...Said the DOPPLEGANGER, posing as the teammate who is suddenly, conveniently an expert on doppleganger physiology.

[Archer half-jokes smugly, as he comes out from the kitchen with a scotch & soda. Finnick has the right idea.]

[rationalizes]

Actually, I explained all this to those who weren't in the conversation, Archer. That's how she knows. We all need to be on the same page.

[isisagent]

I'll be honest, Jeanne. I probably wasn't paying attention.
But unless we're going to turn this into some Battlestar Galactica ripoff, I don't see why we're worrying about who is, or isn't a doppleganger.
If their face changes, just shoot 'em.

...

Unless it's Elena - then don't. No problems.

[nothingsodivine]

Some of us have experience with this kinda thing. We can handle it without worrying about pricking fingers... or shooting anyone. [Des slumps against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest.]

[notaroundme]

[She shoots a look at Isabella.]

And frankly, out of all the people here, I care about your opinion the least.

[Because, foolish or not, she doesn't want to hear it from someone who's not a knight okay. Not on her radar of particularly caring.]

I'm going back to meet him tomorrow. Someone can go with me, see that we're both there, and verify who I am.

[This sudden complication is exhausting okay.]

[graveflowers]

Well, okay, aside from... all that, are you okay? I mean considering this seems kind of new to the Elena package, you good?

[socialgraces]

[ not to down-play vi's concern, but francesca finally speaks up from the corner of the room to voice her own: ] I would like to make one request, Elena. I think you should tell Wynn what you've discovered about yourself and the training that's been offered to you.

You're not the first Changeling to join the Knights, after all, but it's not generally something most people are comfortable with.

[notaroundme]

[Elena briefly looks surprised by Vi's question, but it also...relaxes her. If only because someone has looked past the crazy and thought about how she felt about it all.]

Honestly? Terrified. Freaked out.

[About as well as anyone who thought they were human and ended up being what some would consider a monster.

She nods to Francesca. As much as she will be nervous, it's a good idea.]

Let me guess, because they're generally incredibly untrustworthy?

[socialgraces]

Mostly due to their abilities, and how easily they can manipulate others with them; even you understand what a terrifying concept it is. Though, like any person from any race, their character and integrity are their own to decide.

Luckily for you, all your friends had come to trust you before you discovered your heritage, and I don't see that trust faltering merely from this revelation and some immutable part of your past.

[romanticidal]

[ isabella's mouth flew open at elena's blunt response, but rafael puts a hand on her leg and she closes it, simmering in anger. ]

Did not this... doppelganger try to kill you all, at the hotel?

[witchwoman]

It did. He did. [Elena called the doppleganger a He after all, didnt she?] But... [How often had she defended things that were not so easily understood.]

If Elena trusts him, then I trust him. [She is pretty much looking at no one but her squire right now. She's still hurt about the sneaking around, but she understands needing to know who and what you are. It's the only reason she followed the voices in her head for all that time, for the promise of something to make it all make sense.

Despite her worry, she pulls the corners of her mouth up into a small, hopefully reassuring smile.]