Silver Elite: Chapter 48
Nov. 25th, 2025 05:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaWren goes to Cross's quarters that evening.
This is Wren's penance for doing...uh, nothing, because Cross's sympathy for Mods extends as far as not murdering them and no further, and it's actually very stupid for Wren to do this. She isn't even at fault for the thing she feels bad about! But also, she shouldn't feel bad about it!
Like, if Wren was pro-Mods and just didn't like the Uprising's methods, that would be interesting to read about, but Wren literally isn't doing anything herself, so the only crime the Uprising has committed is being pragmatic and not being nice to her personally. We've seen no evidence they aren't trying to take down the government and save Mods.
Wren then takes off her pants and shows Cross her bloodmark, proving that she has four powers, not one. I had forgotten that that was what the bloodmarks meant, since it's never come up. Also, she had Ellis heal her burn, so he...saw the bloodmark?
So Wren tells Cross her entire backstory, including that she can sometimes incite. Cross is mad at her for putting herself in danger by exposing her bloodmark to Ellis, which, yes, that was idiotic and Wren's explanation, that she wanted Cross to see the real her, is also stupid. Wren is guilty of many things, but not betraying Cross!
They fuck. Then they talk about Cross's tattoos, and then Wren tells Cross that the Uprising has plans for the Jubilee, which she just found out.
Okay, those three people were soldiers, they were not innocent. They had literally signed up to risk their lives doing this, and as far as we know had willingly applied for and struggled to get into an elite unit. That is not the same thing as civilian casualties. Wren, for once in her life, actually defends the Uprising and says they never kill civilians, and points out rightly that the General literally did something called "The Silverblood Purge" that killed tens of thousands of people.
And this is the military you want to join so badly, Wren? This is the thing you feel torn about betraying? Is Cross's dick that good?
Next scene.
Wren eats with Lyddie, who tells her that she thinks Travis, Cross's brother, is trying to replace him. Lyddie is apparently so gossipy she can't resist telling Wren secret info. It never occurs to Wren that Lyddie might be telling her this because they are friends and Lyddie values that--no, instead, Wren just judges her for being a silly gossipy woman.
Wren warns Cross about this, then tells us that she bought a fancy new dress to impress Cross at the Jubilee.
Worth noting that throughout this scene, Wren tells us multiple times that she is settling for Lyddie now that Kaine is gone. Presumably because Wren, like many of her romantasy brethren, is a misogynist.
Next scene.
Adrienne gives Wren a mission, and she accepts, picking up a secret package and borrowing a car so she can go into the city. She hopes that no one has noticed she has mysteriously acquired a pack on the cameras.
Ah, yes, our protagonist, who has still not grasped that people are watching camera feeds and monitoring her search history in this dystopia she lives in.
“My uncle didn’t find me on the side of the road.”
Cross swings his gaze back to me.
“He smuggled me out of the city when I was five years old. My parents were Uprising operatives. Working to take the system down from within. My father died in the field. My mother was executed for concealment.”
This is Wren's penance for doing...uh, nothing, because Cross's sympathy for Mods extends as far as not murdering them and no further, and it's actually very stupid for Wren to do this. She isn't even at fault for the thing she feels bad about! But also, she shouldn't feel bad about it!
Like, if Wren was pro-Mods and just didn't like the Uprising's methods, that would be interesting to read about, but Wren literally isn't doing anything herself, so the only crime the Uprising has committed is being pragmatic and not being nice to her personally. We've seen no evidence they aren't trying to take down the government and save Mods.
Wren then takes off her pants and shows Cross her bloodmark, proving that she has four powers, not one. I had forgotten that that was what the bloodmarks meant, since it's never come up. Also, she had Ellis heal her burn, so he...saw the bloodmark?
So Wren tells Cross her entire backstory, including that she can sometimes incite. Cross is mad at her for putting herself in danger by exposing her bloodmark to Ellis, which, yes, that was idiotic and Wren's explanation, that she wanted Cross to see the real her, is also stupid. Wren is guilty of many things, but not betraying Cross!
They fuck. Then they talk about Cross's tattoos, and then Wren tells Cross that the Uprising has plans for the Jubilee, which she just found out.
“The Uprising has something planned for the Silver Jubilee.”
He stiffens. “And you’re only telling me this now because…?”
“I only just found out. And I don’t even know what the plan is. I am so low on the food chain that it would take an infinity ladder to see the top.”
“There’ll be civilians in attendance at the Jubilee.”
“I assume whatever they have planned won’t involve the guests. The network would never harm innocents.”
“They harmed innocents at the weapons depot,” Cross says tightly.
“Three. That’s minimal casualties.”
Okay, those three people were soldiers, they were not innocent. They had literally signed up to risk their lives doing this, and as far as we know had willingly applied for and struggled to get into an elite unit. That is not the same thing as civilian casualties. Wren, for once in her life, actually defends the Uprising and says they never kill civilians, and points out rightly that the General literally did something called "The Silverblood Purge" that killed tens of thousands of people.
And this is the military you want to join so badly, Wren? This is the thing you feel torn about betraying? Is Cross's dick that good?
Next scene.
Wren eats with Lyddie, who tells her that she thinks Travis, Cross's brother, is trying to replace him. Lyddie is apparently so gossipy she can't resist telling Wren secret info. It never occurs to Wren that Lyddie might be telling her this because they are friends and Lyddie values that--no, instead, Wren just judges her for being a silly gossipy woman.
Wren warns Cross about this, then tells us that she bought a fancy new dress to impress Cross at the Jubilee.
Worth noting that throughout this scene, Wren tells us multiple times that she is settling for Lyddie now that Kaine is gone. Presumably because Wren, like many of her romantasy brethren, is a misogynist.
Next scene.
Adrienne gives Wren a mission, and she accepts, picking up a secret package and borrowing a car so she can go into the city. She hopes that no one has noticed she has mysteriously acquired a pack on the cameras.
Ah, yes, our protagonist, who has still not grasped that people are watching camera feeds and monitoring her search history in this dystopia she lives in.
