YELENA
FOOD TASTER
Taster did not reveal her status as fugitive as previously believed; suspects a rat and has me nearly convinced. Will continue with the exercise in an attempt to find traitor with the promise of safety from myself. Will attend the Fire Festival with Rand, it can't be helped.
End report.
YELENA, file 2
I almost did it. I believed her to be a risk, and I nearly killed her because of it. I should have killed her—I regret allowing her to live, because it means I continue to have a weakness. Had I killed her, that course of action would also have been filled with regret for a different reason. She is so full of life, even upset, that I am loathe to end her. That is what stayed my hand tonight, though it shouldn't have.
Preserving her life proved beneficial when she introduced the idea of a rat. It shouldn't be possible that I've missed anyone acting in a traitorous capacity right under my nose, but Margg is the only one allowed in these rooms and I trust her implicitly as the Commander does. Could this mean Margg is not as loyal as we once believed? It will have to be investigated.
Unexpectedly, Yelena agreed to continue as the fugitive in our little exercise. She is clearly beaten beyond the ability to trust easily, yet she trusts me with her safety. This should tell me something about her, but my mind is too muddled by the fact that she has wholly entrusted me with her safety. It frustrates me to no end—why does she prevent me from thinking clearly?
And then—of all things—I offered her an advance on her wage. Essentially told her that I believed she would earn it. It was a move ill-calculated, and yet I can't bring myself to regret the offer. I should have thought it out first, I admit, but I want her to have fun at the Fire Festival, a difficult feat without money. Now I want to see how she manages.
Yelena is a complicated puzzle. I don't like unsolved riddles; they make me uneasy. This must be resolved as soon as possible, and as such simple questions and answers in each report make it far too easy to overlook necessary facts. They can no longer be included.
update 1/18: to a guest