Silver Elite: Chapter 44
Nov. 21st, 2025 12:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaCross, who is trying to comfort his distressed and catatonic mother, has to stop doing that to take Wren out of the room.
Good luck explaining this to your dad, dude, I do not believe for a moment you could get Wren in without her either showing up on a security camera or being noted by a guard.
Cross takes Wren into a study and tells her that his mother has schizophrenia and that she hasn't left the house in years, because her auditory hallucinations have caused her to decline. His mother's veins don't turn silver, so she can't be an Aberrant.
Wren knows that her veins don't turn silver, so she knows it's possible the voices Vinessa is hearing are actually telepathy. But look at how she says it.
Like, Wren is also a Modified person, and she's just heard that this poor woman is a prisoner in one room for years, and instead of drawing any parallel between that situation and herself, instead of feeling bad, she's like damn, that's hilarious if she's a Mod.
Wren's sentiments are understandable, but for her to think this way while in the room with the man she's supposedly in love with, who is obviously in distress? Wren sucks. She's literally sitting there drinking his alcohol and interrogating him about his mom being an Aberrant. This same woman who refused to leave behind her friend during a fake exercise because it was against her principles. I guess those principles don't apply to Cross's mom, who has never personally been nice to Wren.
Cross tells Wren that his mother periodically needs a feeding tube placed because she refuses to eat, and he doesn't want that for her because it's uncomfortable.
Wren then calls out the General for euthanizing mentally ill people while protecting his own wife. Like, she is right, but is this really the time?
Finally, Wren tells Cross she is sorry, and offers to make Cross's mother some soup. She does, and Cross feeds it to his mother while Wren examines the room.
To be fair to this chapter, this is the first time Cross and Wren have ever had an interaction that read as romantic without them being horny. Cross's vulnerability in front of Wren is the first time I have not wanted to push him off a cliff. Like, this isn't a bad way to show your love interests falling in love.
But why is it at the 80% mark?
Good luck explaining this to your dad, dude, I do not believe for a moment you could get Wren in without her either showing up on a security camera or being noted by a guard.
Cross takes Wren into a study and tells her that his mother has schizophrenia and that she hasn't left the house in years, because her auditory hallucinations have caused her to decline. His mother's veins don't turn silver, so she can't be an Aberrant.
Wren knows that her veins don't turn silver, so she knows it's possible the voices Vinessa is hearing are actually telepathy. But look at how she says it.
That doesn’t mean anything. Yes, if Vinessa is Modified, she would be the first Mod I’ve met whose veins don’t turn silver, but I know Mods like that exist, because, well, I exist.
And if she is a Mod…Well, the irony that the General’s wife is one of the toxic ’fects he despises is almost comical.
Like, Wren is also a Modified person, and she's just heard that this poor woman is a prisoner in one room for years, and instead of drawing any parallel between that situation and herself, instead of feeling bad, she's like damn, that's hilarious if she's a Mod.
Wren's sentiments are understandable, but for her to think this way while in the room with the man she's supposedly in love with, who is obviously in distress? Wren sucks. She's literally sitting there drinking his alcohol and interrogating him about his mom being an Aberrant. This same woman who refused to leave behind her friend during a fake exercise because it was against her principles. I guess those principles don't apply to Cross's mom, who has never personally been nice to Wren.
Cross tells Wren that his mother periodically needs a feeding tube placed because she refuses to eat, and he doesn't want that for her because it's uncomfortable.
Wren then calls out the General for euthanizing mentally ill people while protecting his own wife. Like, she is right, but is this really the time?
Finally, Wren tells Cross she is sorry, and offers to make Cross's mother some soup. She does, and Cross feeds it to his mother while Wren examines the room.
“She grew up in F, before the entire ward was flooded. It was her favorite place on earth. That painting is the town where she grew up.” He nods toward it.Welp. I mean, we all saw it coming, but I actually think this is a nice way of revealing it. Like, I don't think Wren could have figured it out any other way, I only figured it out because I understand genre conventions.
This time, I pay more attention to the details. It’s quite lovely. A serene ocean cove done in soft pastel hues. Blue sea and cloudless sky. A lone sailboat glides across the tranquil waters. It has white sails and a white hull, with a navy-blue stripe running along the bottom and a red flag fluttering atop the captain’s perch.
I can’t make out the boat’s name because it’s too far in the distance—
A shock wave rocks my body as I realize I’m staring at a scene that was described to me before.
Many times.
By Wolf.
To be fair to this chapter, this is the first time Cross and Wren have ever had an interaction that read as romantic without them being horny. Cross's vulnerability in front of Wren is the first time I have not wanted to push him off a cliff. Like, this isn't a bad way to show your love interests falling in love.
But why is it at the 80% mark?
