>>105{ Apologies For The Deception }v.canon - Tumblr Posts

Elias - 

>>005{ who watches the watcher? }elias.ic

>>005{ paperwork and tape recorders }elias.aes

>>005{ in the eye of a hurricane there is quiet }elias.musing

>>005{ servant of the eye }elias bouchard

>>005{ let us begin }elias.drabble

>>005{ the beating heart }elias.hc

verses-

>>105{ apologies for the deception }v.canon

>>205{ placeholder }v.post canon (dependent on the end of the podcast)

prev. / @packagedhorrors​

It had started off as an interesting encounter. Certainly, the story Salesa recalled in his mind was remarkable enough, perhaps enhanced by his own imagination or the way it was told to him. The creature contained with the glass had a very dangerous story around it that it easily could have belonged to the Hunt. But, the part of Salesa’s words that was truly interesting was that it always manages to escape during a new moon. A time of night when there is no light shining in the sky - no, this creature definitely belonged to the Dark. A fact that would make containing it all the more dangerous. How the creature came to be captured in this figure was truly a mystery...

Elias stood slowly from the desk, intent on getting a closer look at the figurine. Delicate, but intricate. There was no way there could be any sort of etching into glass so thin, with legs like a spider holding up its round center. the dark inside of it seemed to almost swell with anticipation. 

“It escapes under the new moon and yet trapped it remains. I do wonder...” The words were spoken mostly to himself as another thought crossed his mind. A simple experiment. They weren’t close to a new moon, not for a couple more weeks. What was it capable of? What sort of creature was it?

As the thought crossed him, one of the assistants from the upper floors came in. Elias looked up to meet his eyes and immediately pushed the sight of the figure from the assistant’s mind. If he didn’t see it, then maybe - Elias stepped back from the desk just as the figure was falling to the floor and watched with an eager eye as the creature tore the man apart. The horror in his face was undeniable as the thing did not kill him right away. But, that moment it did, the light left the mans’ eyes and he fell to the floor. 

Feigning the horror of the situation wasn’t too hard as he watched the creature scurry out into the hall. Looking back to the gore soaking into his office carpet, he knew that thing was going to make a mess of his institute. He exhaled a sharp sigh, meeting Salesa’s eyes briefly before moving quickly back behind his desk to push the emergency evacuation alarm. At least his Archivist was still out of the building for the time being...

“The building will have to be locked down once everyone can get out,” he stepped back towards Salesa, nonchalantly stepping over the man bleeding out on his floor, pulling the handkerchief from his breast pocket to offer to his companion, “but please tell me the information you have includes possibly what that thing is or at least how it can be trapped again.”

prev. / @phoenixashed​​

“Jon, do you still not understand?” Elias’ tone held a slight sense of impatience. Jon had much more important things to worry about and yet here he was continuing to set his sights on his own boss as the enemy. Elias knew he needed to tread carefully all the same, lest his Archivist overcome himself and try to finish him off himself. Not that Elias was worried. 

He held his hand briefly to his own chest, emphasizing his point as he kept his eyes locked into Jon’s, “We are on the same side. We always have been. I understand you may wish to keep this relationship - professional, but it will not do you any good to try and fight with me. I am but a man, after all.”

He didn’t have to peek into Jon’s mind to know the sort of struggle he was enduring. Thrust into this world he surely barely understands, dealing with the Stranger’s ritual on top of everything else. It was enough so quickly to make anyone go mad, yet he was succeeding in every way Elias hoped he would. Dumb luck? Maybe. But, after all these years, he was due for some. It was a balancing act if anything, a tight rope walk. 

“I understand your frustration, but I want to assure you that everything is done with good intentions. You will thank me one day.”

prev. / @phoenixashed

"You know what side," as impatient as Elias had started to become, it was only because he was quickly frustrated with the way Jon insisted on pestering him for help instead of just knowing it for himself. Still too fresh in his power, to young in it. It was, in a way, a good thing as Elias was sure once he figured it out for himself he might peek into his boss's mind and see all the answers he might not like for himself. The pestering would have to do for now.

He exhaled a sigh, debating his options for another moment, "We know the Stranger is preparing a ritual, but it's not as if I have the answers of when and where. Gertrude was the one meant to figure that out. And as secretive as she had become... She likely did. Therefore it only stands to reason that everything you need to know is there in the archives. There's little else I can do for you personally."

The old woman had become such a nuisance in her last days, hiding things and certain statements in ways that Elias was not able to see them. She became so defiant as the years went on, it was clear to see he would be more in a hurry this time around. Jon was already resistant to Elias's words, if he knew all that Gertrude did he might try the same thing she did.

They can't afford to be set back like that. Not now.

"Your job is to record the statements. Whatever you need to know is in there, hidden and disorganized thanks to your predecessor. That's how you'll find your answers."

@flcraldaze​ // prev.

Elias had to exhale a sigh to remind himself to look more bemused rather than the way he just wanted to laugh. His Archivist was making demands of him, a show that he truly wasn’t far enough in his power yet. Elias would not be able to stop him, whatever he tried to get him to do. If Jon could only accept that, then he would see how magnificent he could become. But, not yet. No, he is still too young. Too naïve to get it. 

“I still have to manage the rest of the institute,” Elias said with a scoff that sounded almost offended, “or have you forgotten the hundred or so others who also work here. You were among them at one point. Just another simple pencil pusher filing and handling menial tasks. Is that what you prefer, Jon? To go back to just sorting things into proper places? Could you even if you had the option?”

The thought of adding more staff to the archives was interesting. But... It was more people to keep an eye on, and with Melanie King making an attempt on his life at least twice a day, it was already becoming exhausting. How anyone was meant to work under these conditions was beyond him. 

“You have more than enough staff, Jon,” Elias brushed the request off with a flick of his hand, “Perhaps what you need to do is learn how to control them a bit better. Disorganization has been a... staple of the archive since Gertrude left it that way. If you wish to start making these sorts of requests, then perhaps you should fix your own work first. Figure out why you haven’t made so much as a dent in the mess down there.”

“ if we’re going to make a deal, you’re gonna have to ask for something a little more rational than that.” from Martin 🤲🏻 (idk season 3 vibes where he's gearing up to throw his lot in with Elias instead of Peter to keep Jon safe? Or something else if it ~speaks to you~!)

"I don't know what could possibly be more rational, Martin," Elias simply shrugged, barely looking up from what he was writing since Martin walked in. He knew why he was here, there was no reason to look too hard at him. Martin was easy in that regard, and clearly wears his heart on his sleeve. He's worried about Jon, the only one who is if he's being honest. Tim made it clear he couldn't care any less and Melanie just did her own thing anyway. The only thing that mattered was that Jon continued his work, same goes for all of them.

Clicking the pen closed and setting it down, Elias took his reading glasses off and folded his hands together, meeting Martin's eyes with a soft sigh, "There is nothing I could do for Jon. The only thing that you can do is return to your work and let him continue his. It is that simple. If you don't like it, well..." The hint of a little smile started to perk on his lips as he took a breath, "You could file an official complaint, I suppose."

"Elias, you wanted to see me?" -ceassless archivist Jon

"Ah, yes. Please come in, Jon. I only need a moment."

Elias nodded to the chair directly in front of his desk, leaning forward onto his arms. He watched Jon closely, observing the way he moved, as he always did. His Archivist, how was he really coming along? He wanted to hear it right from him himself.

"I thought it might be appropriate to check on how you are progressing with the archives and everything else," a little smile cracked on his lips, amused by something unseen, "So? How are things going? Have you learned anything useful?"

@ceaseless-archivist-jon

cont. / @ceaseless-archivist-jon

Jon sat in the chair and tried to appear as professional as possible, not wanting to risk losing his position over some...minor anxieties. Over turning into a monster. No big deal.

"Well, um, we've come to a conclusion on one of the cases, and we've made quite the advancement on researching the Lukas family." Jon said, trying to ignore how his mind immediately tried to pull information out of Elias as soon as he opened his mouth, and tried his best to calm it as he spoke. "Is there anything else you need, Elias?"

The slightest twitch of irritation in Elias was likely more obvious than he thought. While Jon was doing well enough on his own, he knew this search into the Lukas family would not end well. They weren't the type to respond well to this sort of invasion.

"What I need is for you to drop your investigation," Elias's tone was stern, he had little patience for this issue, "The Lukas family are our biggest patron and invading their privacy as such will result in backlash I can not allow. Do not push at this, Jon."

prev. / @ceaseless-archivist-jon​

"No, I don't think you do, otherwise you would not press me on this," the frustration was really leaking into his tone now, "The difference is that the Lukas family have been our biggest patrons since the institute was founded. But, they are very private and we have to respect that if we wish to keep their patronage."

Elias took a breath and exhaled slowly, rubbing at his eyes inward to briefly pinch the bridge of his nose, “I will not ask you again. Do not pursue this further.”

"And what good would that do me, to be a decaying corpse once more, when I have a much younger and more able form to work with?" The smugness in his tone was as clear as the grin on his face, "Humor is not the enemy, Jon. Even if you may see it that way."

@arcxivist​ || xxx

@arcxivist : ❛  have you ever cared about anyone other than yourself ?  ❜ - For Elias

"Of course I have." Thinking back on his life, all the time he had lived, all that he has seen. He's known many people that have drifted too close on his path, all of which did not typically last. The road Elias walks is a solitary one, but it is at least not lonely.

"But, as I am sure you are well aware, Jon, our... Field, if you will, does not make it particularly easy to keep certain connections. Yes, I have had people I cared about in my life. And I have watched them die because that is what I must do."

A simple hum was his only answer to Jon's initial comment. Best not to push him too far on that subject, "Just because I am not the Archivist does not mean I am not busy. There is the rest of the institute to handle, lest you forget that."

Elias just exhaled a small sigh, "Jon, do you still not understand all I do for you? All I do to aide you on this path of understanding? I imagine it is easily missed by you as it is not nearly as grandiose as kidnapping you."

@arcxivist || xxx

"But you chose this, Jon," Elias reminded him, raising an eyebrow, "Every step of the way you chose it and made the decision to keep going. None of that was my doing and none of what I do is strictly for myself. It benefits us all in the end."

It was a stretch, Elias was sure his own choice in the end was surely not one Jon or any of the others would agree with. But, deep down they all know they can't deny the one they serve. They must keep looking no matter how much they want to cover their eyes.

"I have given you enough to make you see the world for what it is, what it truly is. That is the position you are in."

@arcxivist​ || xxx

So, Bouchard, never made a single mistake in your life? Not personal, not professional, not in the line of your fuck-everybody-over duty?

"Once again, Tim, that would imply I have some sort of regret, which we have established I do not," Elias just waves his hand dismissively, letting out a sigh, "I realize you might not understand this, but, I don't see my life quite the same as you do. There are no mistakes, no regrets. Only choices made by everyone in the world, every being. Choices led us to where we are today, and honestly," his smile spreads wider across his face, "why would I want to change that?"

Oh, I don't know, maybe to stop having the extra title of Mr. Douchelord? But hey, everyone's got their life goals. You seem pretty set on yours, which would be fine, if you weren't dragging everybody else down with you. So, what's the ratio here? Cost and profit? I already know lives mean nothing to you - but in terms of, how much effort you've got to put into a guy who's just going to die anyway, how much is too much?

"The profit is worth every single cost. And it will be when I am finally on top," the smile on his face spread even further for a moment before Elias regain his composure and shrugged it off, "What's that old saying? In order to make an omelette you have to crack a few eggs. As far as how much effort is too much? I had around half a century nearly with Gertrude. She would have been perfect had she been more reliable. It is... Annoying to start new, but, well... The process for working in the Institute is very thorough for a reason.."

"there are plenty of ways to get where you’re going." (for elias)

Pesky words from a pesky creature. Elias barely acknowledged the door whenever it appeared, seeing it as nothing more than a distraction, even more so when the being referred to as Michael made his appearance as well. All the same, he couldn't bring himself to completely eject it from the Institute.

Barely looking up from the schedules he was filling out, only halfway through the library staff when it appeared, and just exhaled a breath, "That is the beauty of life, isn't it? Choices and paths, the different ways to get what one wants. Though, I suppose you wouldn't really understand that now, would you?"

Dealing with one such as the Distortion was annoying on many different levels. The most significant being that even just looking at it gave him a headache. The grating of it's voice was less frightening than irritating. And now it's childish behavior has drawn Elias's attention.

Setting his pen down slowly, Elias folded his hands together and raised his eyes to Michael, "Is that what you think? And why is that? What do you understand about what he felt?"

His attention was placed fully on Michael, keeping him from getting any sort of edge over Elias. Dealing with the Distortion tended to be a dizzying experience for those inexperienced, but this one... This particular door seems to like to hang around the Institute a little too much. "As if Michael knew anything about what it was like to manage a place like this. I am the only one here capable, as evident by my promotion."

@penrosehallway // xxx