![the correspondents puppet loosely strung the correspondents puppet loosely strung](http://is3.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/v4/f6/50/56/f650561c-5296-3dab-4d30-603a23a8c998/source/1400x1400sr.jpg)
There is a brief moment of disorientation before the world rights itself. Not the Lonely, not the Mother, not even Death itself.Įlias doesn't know how much time has passed when he feels a hand on his shoulder. Nothing can steal away his thirst for knowledge. They read, and Elias is so deep in the pages of his book that he can almost forget where he is. Voice low, happy, in a way it wasn't since many bodies prior. Jon is focused on the food, complimenting a job well done, and Elias laughs. Jon passes him something, and their fingers brush against each other. They move around the kitchen, movements a bit out of sync, but comfortable in each other’s space.
![the correspondents puppet loosely strung the correspondents puppet loosely strung](https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000014093814-43twm0-t240x240.jpg)
He looks just as beautiful as he did the first time they met, even with the changes. They cook, and Elias steals glances at Jon. He doesn't start paying attention to that now.) (He paid no mind to the way Jonathan sometimes beckons him closer, as if pulling on a string. His Jonathan's smile always makes him feel better. Elias starts to move again, and the world feels more vibrant. It reminds him of the moments he had somewhere in the middle of his long long life where all the pieces were in place and nothing was happening. Elias always feels a bit empty during this part of the day. To hate that part of the day would require him to feel anger, but any anger he feels is smoothed over. Or, well, hate is too strong a word for it.
![the correspondents puppet loosely strung the correspondents puppet loosely strung](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oFQynNZ8R9A/maxresdefault.jpg)
A ghost, an idle performer, the space between. Walking through their home and barely registering his steps. Everything Elias does is done with his companion. He doesn't quite know what to do without Jonathan there. It does not scream anymore, and when it has a voice it is easily dismissed.) (In the back of his mind, the tiny voice that used to scream and scream for Jonah to return to his patron, to his Institute, to himself lays dormant.
#The correspondents puppet loosely strung free
He did a lot besides that, but with the ritual now more or less out of his mind Elias has a lot more free time. The majority of his time before Jon was spent planning for the ritual or making deals or collecting favors.