(A/N): So, an Elaine chapter. It's mostly letter, but that's how we like it, around here. I just thought I'd let you guys know here- in case it comes up again later, and you're confused- but I went back and changed the knut on the emergency necklaces to a 'fake plastic coin from an old board game', since obviously, any currency- particularly magical currency- would have enchantments to prevent duplication on them. So obviously, no cloning them to get rich, and no cloning them to make emergency necklaces. I thought the fake coin was funnier, anyway. (For reference, I am specifically imagining the [Australian] ten cent coin from the fake cashier play set I had as a kid, hope that helps none of y'all)

The return of 'Damsel'! It's only been *checks notes* almost two hundred chapters.

Elaine

It took quite a bit of convincing, but eventually, the other girls gave in and left me to my own devices. I holed up behind the curtains of my bed with a silencing charm in place, and the intention to write down everything that had happened in the dream, before I had the chance to forget- as if I could forget. I had some parchment, a pen I'd borrowed from Mary, and my 'Guide To OWL's' book to act as a makeshift lap desk- and hopefully, the resolve to get through this without crying. I would've preferred to make more in depth notes, but resigned myself to only being able to make some brief bullet points, rather than risk breaking down again, and got to work.

I was already feeling the burn of mortification from the way I'd behaved in front of the other girls- even if they were my friends- and I refused to add to that, especially if I had the means to prevent it. By the time I finished, the sun was rising, and my concentration was broken by Charlie's head poking through my bed curtains. "Oh! Hi!" I whispered, and as she tilted her head at me, I felt tears prick my eyes. I wasn't sure whether it was the fact that she was Leo's, or because I knew she was bringing me my only means of communicating with him, but either way, all it took was a single sniffle from me, and she was waddling her way across the bed and into my lap.

It took me by surprise, but I guess maybe it shouldn't have, given that she was Leo's bird. If she'd picked up anything from him, I suppose it made sense that it was this- a desire to comfort me. Patting her head somewhat awkwardly, I freed the envelope from her leg, and peeled it open. There were, of course, two letters- one for Dahrya, and one for me- but I barely took the time to set the other to the side, before I practically shredded the second envelope keeping me from Leo. Or, from his words, at least.

Dear Elaine- or should I say, my dearest Damsel?

Relief washed over me; Leo was okay. I knew this letter wasn't as recent as I might like- was almost certainly written the previous evening- but it... it was enough to make me feel a little better. Alright, a lot better.

I'd say it's more like something to do with ME being in love with YOU- you cut straight to the core of me, rendering me transparent with my love for you.

O-oh. That was... I was glad I'd stayed behind my curtains, so there was no risk of the other girls seeing my tremendous blush.

...Lisbet told me to start telling you the things I think are 'TOO MUCH', because she says that she would like to hear them, if she were you. Is that... Am I being... I'm trying. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Actually, don't tell me.

Oh, Leo... if there was anything that could make me feel better after such an awful dream, this was it.

I firmly believe your mother has earned her right to be 'wary of men'. As much as I wish it wasn't something that applied to me, especially in relation to you, I completely understand her reluctance to trust me with something as precious as her daughter. As precious as you.

That last 'you' had little love hearts drawn around it, which made my own heart flutter in my chest.

Remus? Why is she worried about Remus? What did Remus do? Better yet, what did you TELL your mother Remus did? (I bet you're regretting whatever it was!)

I could almost hear the humor in his tone, even if I couldn't hear his voice because of the distance.

...I feel like I shouldn't be telling you this (for teasing reasons) but... Lisbet has taken to calling me her 'sweet boy'.

Leo. Leo. There's no way he could possibly not know how Lisbet felt about him, if she was saying things like that. Speaking of which, when did she start talking to him like that? I knew about the 'my little boy' thing firsthand, but that was- at least it had felt, at the time, like it was something new, and secretive. Almost illicit, in a way. Had they gotten past that? And if so... was Leo not telling me on purpose, or did he just not think it was worth discussing?

Not the list... I hate the list.

Yeah? Well the list loves you, babe.

Elaine.

There were hearts around this, too- even more than before, in fact. There was an almost aggressive number of them, and it made me smile. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember what I'd done to earn such a reaction.

You'll be pleased to know I have absolutely no idea what you're referencing-

You and me both, buddy.

-so yes. I'm EXACTLY as oblivious as you think I am, if not more so. I try not to curse in front of her anymore, because she gives me this disappointed look that makes me want to-

There was a darker section of ink here, like he'd paused to think about his next words.

-cry, in a totally normal way, that you definitely shouldn't read anything into.

Hm. Was that an awkward Leo reaction, or an awkward vampire reaction? Was it awkward because he didn't like saying he felt like crying, or because the reasons behind it, were worth reading into? And he should've known that saying something like that would basically be a giant red flag to me. 'Don't pay attention' meant 'PAY ATTENTION!'. Although, if Leo were really trying to hide it, he wouldn't have mentioned it in the first place, so... hm.

Oh, hardy har har. You're hilarious. (I love you). I'm sure she really would appreciate it- speaking of appreciating things... I'll have more to say about Jerremyah in a second.

Uh oh, that couldn't be good news...

Are you just now realising that we're all a bunch of giant weirdos? Sweetheart, it's been five years!

My heart fluttered, and I felt my cheeks heat at that lovely little, 'Sweetheart'. In his handwriting. Aimed at me, like a wand.

The list! That accursed list!

How melodramatic... I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

What- what did I say? Elaine! ELAINE?!

There was a single small heart drawn here, that somehow came across as almost reluctant in it's design.

Look, if you could hear my heartbeat... every time we made eye contact, you wouldn't be able to hear yourself think over the rhythm my heart pounds out. I won't bore you-

Impossible.

-with a poetic comparison about what would happen every time you kissed me.

Oh, please. I'd love to hear that- recite poetry to me, lion boy.

Elaine. Elaine, please. YOU may not be able to hear my heartbeat or smell my emotions, but the others certainly can, and you're already making things quite difficult for me, right now. (Don't stop.)

...Leo. Wait, what did he mean 'smell his emotions'?

I will NOT thank Herc for you- he's lost all of my good will by scorching my taste buds off with the dinner he made. (I'll be sure to tell him.)

He'd cooked dinner for them? But... wait. Wasn't Leo the only one that needed to eat? What was the point, then? Was it just a hobby thing?

Why am I not surprised? Charlie is... I would like to say she's doing her best, but I'm honestly not so sure about that. She's doing Charlie though, and I suppose that's all I can ask of her, really. I feel bad about springing this on Dahrya, but I didn't really... have much of a choice. Knowing you, you're probably right, but I will neither confirm nor deny, for your benefit. If I could go back in time and unlearn that information, I definitely would, so I really don't blame you for trying to stay out of it.

I bet he would.

I know it's probably the right decision, but I also know SHE won't see it that way, and Dahrya... well, let's just say she's already made some interesting threats.

...what sort of threats? I'd have to talk to her about that, when I delivered her letter- Leo may be keeping this from her, but he didn't deserve to be threatened for that.

You- I'm blushing. If I had words enough to convey the depths of my feelings for you... well, the parchment would probably combust when I tried to write them down, so I don't suppose it matters, but... I'd still try. For you, I would try.

It felt like an echo of the dream- trying to show Leo that I was trying, and would never stop trying. Somehow though, it made me feel better, instead of worse. Maybe it was the fact that the sentiment was shared.

You didn't mention that you were talking to Lisbet about me behind my back. Naughty Damsel. Naughty, naughty Damsel. I'm definitely not saying that to distract from the fact that I didn't tell you about- Look. What was I supposed to do? Words like that need to be displayed, and it was this, or painting it on a banner and hanging it in the kitchen. Be glad I'm not going to be home long enough to embark on such an extensive project.

A real pity.

I'm pretty sure Lisbet liked the hug, by the way... but I'm assuming, by the way you considered it a favor, that you didn't think hugging her was something I would do freely? Can I ask why?

Uh, maybe because you've given me no indication that you'd be open to that? Would- was he open to that? Had he- was that not as new- as 'special'- as I thought it would be? I'd probably have to wait for Lisbet's reply to find out, knowing Leo.

So, about Jerremyah...

Yeah, that pretty much told me the Lisbet conversation was closed, at least for the time being. And at least about anything not pertaining to her mate.

We like him now.

We do? I mean, they do? Leo does? ...why?

It's hard to explain- especially in a letter- but Jerremyah is...

There was a dark spot here, another pause to think.

He's a lot nicer than I originally thought. Yeah, he has his issues, but don't we all? He's- it's become a running joke that we have a surprising amount in common, culminating in our mutual love for Lisbet.

He... loves her? Leo, I mean- and more precisely, I should say, 'he knows he loves her?!'

I've gotten to know him a lot better- today especially- and I think he's... he's got flaws, but he's... he's not a bad person. He's done some bad things, and he can be a bit prickly sometimes, but he's... I like him. He's- he's nice to me, now. Really, REALLY nice to me- even when he's being a prick, he's- it's like he's laughing WITH me, not AT me, you know what I mean?

No, not really. Was... were people laughing at Leo, at any point? If so, they would soon find themselves being introduced to the business end of my wand- or my fists, if it came to that.

Elaine. I'd like to preface this by saying that of course, nothing happens without your explicit say so-

Uh oh.

-but I would LIKE to set Jerremyah (and Greygorry) up with the matching necklaces now that they're part of the clan.

What?!

The necklaces are, after all, as much for our safety as they are for you and your family's safety, and while I don't think I'd go so far as to start having them take shifts watching your house, or introducing them to your mother, I do think they're extremely useful allies to have, even if they do have their... drawbacks.

Something about this felt... fishy, to me.

Just some information, Jerremyah's control issues seem pretty reliant on ingesting blood, so he's about as safe to be around as Danniel and Jo are, and I've now proven that I can handle him by myself, if it comes to that, so there should be no issues, but again... it's up to you, Damsel.

How... how exactly, had Leo 'proven' that he could handle Jerremyah by himself? Had he intended to tell me something as revealing as that, or had it simply slipped through the cracks?

To the loveliest of all the lovely girls in the world, my darling Damsel,

I love you,

Leo

I struggled to take it all in. To try to shake off the feeling of dread, and growing concern. Why- oh, why- did this whole thing reek of manipulation? Or maybe even... mind control?

(A/N): Leo: *curled up in Lisbet (and Jerremyah's) lap, at home*

Charlie: *in Elaine's lap*

Leo: 'How does it feel to be living my dream?'

also

Leo: *dislikes someone*

Elaine: *immediately on board*

Leo: *changes his mind in a way that seems sudden*

Elaine: 'Idk man, seems sus to me.'

or

Leo: 'We like Jerremyah now.'

Elaine: 'We DO?! Fuck, now I have to find something to do with all these 'Jerremyah sucks' t-shirts.'

Jo: *slyly slides her $20*

Jo: 'I'll take-'

Greygorry: *slaps countless galleons down*

Greygorry: 'Hell YEAH he does! I'll take all of them!'

also

Leo: *calling Elaine 'Sweetheart'*

Elaine: *calling Leo 'Babe'- immediately followed by 'Buddy'*

also

Leo: 'Am I being TOO MUCH?'

Leo: *waxing poetic about the way Elaine makes him feel*

Leo: *drawing love hearts around anything to do with her*

Leo: *using pet names and terms of endearment left and right*

Elaine: '...I think you're being just enough, lion boy.'

So, in case you don't want to go back and check, the 'Elaine.' with an 'almost aggressive' amount of hearts around it was in response to when she felt the need to clarify that she didn't think Jerremyah and Greygorry were 'weird' because they were gay, but because they were acting odd. Clearly Leo found that charming. Also, Leo's pause in between 'makes me want to-' and his answer of '-cry' is because he likely thought something like 'makes me want to die', then realised how that would come across, and reconsidered (because it doesn't actually make him want to die, but it makes his insides hurt in a way he doesn't know how to deal with). He told her not to look into the fact that it made him want to cry 'in a totally normal way', because he's self conscious about his feelings, and because deep down, he already knows that something MORE is going on with Lisbet and his relationship with her.

Also, I couldn't remember if Elaine knows that Leo can smell emotions- I mean, she probably knows somewhere in the back of her mind that vampires can smell emotions, because undoubtedly Tarea told her at some point to prepare her for a Hunter lifestyle, but I don't know if she knows that Leo, specifically, can smell emotions. I don't know if it's been mentioned around her, or not. In chapter 18, Leo says to Remus (when he finds out he's a vampire) that he can smell Remus's fear, and Remus says that HE can only smell emotions really close to the full moon, when he's the strongest, so Remus knows, but I don't know if Elaine knows. If not, she does now. And is appropriately embarrassed.