[There's a sharp, surprised intake of air when Caesar gathers her up in his arms. She's not sure what exactly she'd been expecting, but this didn't really cross her mind. For a moment, Elena is simply still.]
[She can't remember the last time she felt safe. Being the latest Petrova doppelganger, Elena supposes she never really has been safe from the moment she was born. But she felt it at one point because of the sacrifices her parents (the ones she knew and the ones she only recently learned of) and others made for her sake. Technically speaking, she'd felt it for longer than she hadn't, but it doesn't seem that way. Her blood or the secrets she's had to carry have made it impossible. It's been one thing to the next, one danger after another, that's made safety a thing of the past and pushed it so far back it seems like it belonged to someone she used to know instead.]
[But she feels it right now. She knows it's safety that she feels here and now. So why the hesitation? Partially because Elena feels like it might shatter if she's not careful and partially because she's not even sure if it's real. But it stays in those slow seconds of hesitation, and it's enough for her to work up the nerve to wrap her arms slowly around Caesar in return, fingers bunching his shirt up a little. Elena has had so many people in her life attempt to protect her and who care about her, but this feels different. She's not being looked after as a piece or part of something else. It's just her. It's just her and she is safe.]
Thank you.
[For coming here. For protecting her secret. For not being afraid of her. For trusting her.]
no subject
[She can't remember the last time she felt safe. Being the latest Petrova doppelganger, Elena supposes she never really has been safe from the moment she was born. But she felt it at one point because of the sacrifices her parents (the ones she knew and the ones she only recently learned of) and others made for her sake. Technically speaking, she'd felt it for longer than she hadn't, but it doesn't seem that way. Her blood or the secrets she's had to carry have made it impossible. It's been one thing to the next, one danger after another, that's made safety a thing of the past and pushed it so far back it seems like it belonged to someone she used to know instead.]
[But she feels it right now. She knows it's safety that she feels here and now. So why the hesitation? Partially because Elena feels like it might shatter if she's not careful and partially because she's not even sure if it's real. But it stays in those slow seconds of hesitation, and it's enough for her to work up the nerve to wrap her arms slowly around Caesar in return, fingers bunching his shirt up a little. Elena has had so many people in her life attempt to protect her and who care about her, but this feels different. She's not being looked after as a piece or part of something else. It's just her. It's just her and she is safe.]
Thank you.
[For coming here. For protecting her secret. For not being afraid of her. For trusting her.]