Illuminating

[Ellen Banks]

Naturally they were proud of their individual families. The Bellefonte’s because of their longevity and the vast amount of history. The Banks for their determination and their unbridled ambition. True that the Connor’s were quickly making waves –Ellen believed they were the richest in the area and that was saying something…- But they were arrogant, complacent. Reckless, that’ll be their undoing one day

…Plus Ellen had something over Drew’s head but she was saving that particularly bullet….Waiting for the opportunity to present itself…

It was…interesting having some kind of calm conversation, without rhyme or reason it was different but oddly nice not having the usual stress hang over her in such a way which was unusual considering who she was talking to her. Ellen blinked momentarily as Elsa expressed her opinion, Ellen couldn’t say she agreed but then again she naturally pushed people away so she maybe didn’t have as many profound relationships as Miss Bellefonte.

Felix…

“ Dull…”

Franck

“…Weak boyscout..”

My sister

“…Don’t even get me started…”

Ellen smirked a little bitterly at Elsa’s words “You’ll excuse me if I don’t start bragging about the shooting” Ellen hands lightly traced across her neck almost subconsciously, the scarves were gone but the mental scarring was still there… “Do you consider Felix lower then you?”

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Dull, weak boyscout, and don't get her started. Elsa inwardly laughed at that, especially at Ellen's rather eager dismissals of Felix and Franck. Clearly the other girl hadn't seen the steel in both of them. Or she simply didn't care, which Elsa thought a good deal more likely when it all came down to things. Elsa also simply waved off Ellen's comments about the shooting. The blonde had pulled off a Lazarus, something very few people could admit to. True, Elsa could persist in matters. Ellen would always owe their family something for that. But it didn't strike her as the right time.

Plus, there was that question.

It had Elsa stopping for a moment. She looked away. She waited. She looked back to Ellen, just looking a little over the shoulder, purposefully not meeting the eyes. "Yes," she answered complexly, before taking another sip of her drink.

[Ellen Banks]

Ellen, just seemed to look down at most people at Bellefonte almost as a general rule. It could be almost be considered a talent at times, if Elsa were to present Ellen a list of the entire population of the school she would be more then happy to explain in quite a lot of detail. That was what she did, she turned her nose up and put people down to the best of her abilities. The reason that she may have a negative opinion of people like Felix or Franc is that she simply didn’t let anyone…”In” So to speak

Hell the only people that was close to being “In” was Elsa and Roxanna and even then she was always weary of Elsa, was this a friendship or did Elsa just tolerate her because she was useful? Maybe the second she stopped being useful the knife would be plunged into her back.

Food for thought…

“Hmm. Clearly I struck a nerve” Ellen noted with interest seeing Elsa’s natural reaction, as much as it was always fun to put Elsa on the back foot with a question, she couldn’t help but note how hard that might has been for Elsa to admit “Well…” Ellen said squaring her shoulders momentarily “As you know I stay away from this kind of thing; relationship and the L words are such messy things –Thanks for the final proof- But I would imagine being in a relationship with someone is to put them on par with yourself…if you view yourself as “better” then Felix…Well, you have your answer what to do with him.” Ellen let a small bitter smirk hit her lip “You should just do what I do, find the first eligible, enjoyable mate you can find. Have your fun and throw them away when you’re done…much more simple”

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa continued to sit silently, part of her wondering why she shared this with Ellen of all people. No sooner did that thought drift into Elsa's mind than the answer came roaring back: she trusted Ellen. Ellen was close enough to her to understand everything, everything from how Elsa thought and felt to the past relationships. They'd orbited one another long enough to understand the patterns and offer advice.

"I do love him," Elsa said, sounding more curious about it than anything else. "I know that much for certain, messy though it is. I can't say for certain that what you're suggesting..." she hesitated again, looking to her drink, practically seeing the words floating on the surface there, "... I believe... that may be precisely what I'm doing."

She let out a bitter laugh and turned to look at Ellen, her brows raised. "Which just sounds terrible, doesn't it?"

[Ellen Banks]

Ellen would tut just a little if she knew what Elsa was thinking. No more then that she would have been confused. Was Elsa losing her touch? Why on earth would anyone truth Ellen let alone Elsa Bellefonte It was a year ago Elsa marched to her room and accused her of having something to do with the vanishing of Erika…most likely the first person she came too…and now they were sitting together, having coffee with her.

Ellen just wanted to blurt out the question that had been playing on her mind when it came to Elsa. Were they friends? Were they not? Where the hell did they stand? She would assume that they were on better terms then they were a year ago but tht might have been wishful thinking on Ellen’s part

Ellen inwardly groaned when Elsa began to speak more and more. Well, well the plot did thicken didn’t it? Ellen never felt the sting of love, so it was very simple for Ellen to tell Elsa to sit back and ignore it…maybe that was easier said then done “it sounds like your head and your heart are in a tug of war for control of yourself….and naturally your walls are going up…but that cold block of ice you call a heart isn’t going down without a fight is it?”

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa let out a laugh as Ellen outlined everything. "God, you make it sound like an awful film script," Elsa pointed out. She tapped the table. "I suppose that sometimes our lives do sound like that, don't they? One man falling for a pair of sisters, a secret organization that kidnaps and kills after them just for who they are, and of course a friend with a sarcastic quip at hand," she gestured at Ellen before settling down. She seemed to realize what she'd said there and looked to the other girl, considering. Were they friends? The word had come easily enough. Then again, nearly every relationship that Elsa had defied definition.

"I suppose ally would be the most accurate word.." she mused aloud, before looking to Ellen with raised brows. After all, the other girl was most definitely involved in that, and might be invested enough to offer up some analysis of her own.

[Ellen Banks]

“Doesn’t it though?” Ellen nodded our lives are just one long TV show desperate for any ratings it can get “Magical powers, teen drama, triangles and of course murder and fires” Ellen sighed to herself the idea somewhat amusing to her. “If that was the case we’d have to be entertaining to at least someone right?” Who or what Ellen had no idea. Ellen didn’t believe in that sort of thing of course, Fate…destiny a prearranged path one was destined to walk on.

…but if there was a God, he was probably laughing at them reclined in his seat enjoying his favourite show: The life and times of Bellefonte Academy”

“I suppose that…” Ellen began before, she looked up suddenly she looked up the surprise….This she…she…just called her…well, this was a surprise…like any person that called Ellen the F word she had to ask herself why anyone would do such a thing…

Being called a friend by a Bellefonte. That was a first…

After a beat Ellen stood up calmly “ I should probably leave. I told Ben I would help him with his homework…probably didn’t even look past the first page knowing him”

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa smiled as Ellen continued to list out the reasons why they very much seemed to be in a television show or something. "Well, if nothing else, we entertain Frank Cox," Elsa had to say, giving her "friend" a sort of sly smile to go along with the words. She supposed that everyone thought their lives fell right in line with television at some point. It was more the opposite working: fiction based on real life.

The friend word apparently threw Ellen off. Elsa couldn't say for certain why: she and Erika had been quite close in times past. Yes, there were difficulties there, there would always be. But it struck Elsa as foolhardy to keep clinging to problems that had become so faded into the past that they were little more than hazy images, aftereffects of the real trouble at hand.

Perhaps that was what drove Ellen to her feet. Elsa wasn't about to overanalyze. She simply nodded. "Good luck with that," She said. "And Ellen," she waited a moment, making sure she caught the other girl's attention, "I'll see you around."