Eli Rasputin

What matters most is how well you walk through the fire

[infinitehcpe]

gammasgirl‌:

“oh, me, too.” winnie chuckled, letting out a little relieved sigh of air. it was nice to know somebody else who was able to get as wrapped up in the world of books and studying as she did. it made her feel a little bit better about herself, less embarrassed and more comfortable. her watch, working or broken, wouldn’t stop her from spending hours there.

“winifred. uh – ‘winnie’ is fine.” she introduced herself, a bright little smile gracing her features. “i’ve seen you around quite a lot, i think. you don’t have the time though, do you, eli?”

“Well at least I don’t feel quite as lame, knowing I’m not the only one.” Eli says with a soft laugh. He never really worried too much about it - being in the library makes him feel so at peace with all of the books and the stories he holds most dear, but it’s nice to know he’s not the only one who has that sort of connection to this place.

“Winnie. Nice to meet you.” He smiles and nods his head. “Yeah, I’m here a lot. Uh -” He takes a quick look at his watch, “Yeah, it’s a little after two.”

[infinitehcpe]

gammasgirl‌:

she’d spotted him from a mile away – she didn’t know him by name, but the boy winnie had spoken to was somebody who she saw in the library a lot. the pair of them often ended up at neighbouring desks or in the same aisles or both staying back late, so he felt like a safe person to ask. she couldn’t get too anxious if she knew him, right?

surprised but not unpleased with his concerned response, winnie smiled softly. “thanks. i just– my watch is broken, and i… you know, i end up here for hours because i don’t realise how much time i spend and i just… needed to make sure i hadn’t been here for, uh, six hours. again.”

He’s seen her around the library more than enough - he recognises her, even if he doesn’t really know her. There’s a sense of familiarity though, from having crossed paths in the library, of having seen each other more than enough times. It’s always nice to meet someone else who seems to love it here as much as he does. “Oh, listen - I end up in here for hours at a time with a working watch, you have nothing to worry about.” Eli says with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “I’m Eli, by the way.”

[infinitehcpe]

gammasgirl‌:

winnie, at this point, lived in the library. and sure, technically, she lived in an apartment with her best friend, but the amount that she studied in the paragon library was astounding. it was as though she couldn’t function without throwing herself into work. time slipped away from her, as it always did, and she hadn’t realised it was so late. looking up, she spotted someone at a nearby shelf. 

“excuse me– sorry,” the redhead started, “do you have the time at all? my watch has stopped.”

Being with books is a huge comfort to Eli. He’s got a few things at home, things he’s accumulated over the years - but it’s only a small collection. It’s hard to really keep mountains of books when you don’t settle down that often. So the library is a kind of heaven for him, a safe space where he can escape whenever he needs to.

He’s very much off in his own world when someone reaches out to him, taking him by surprise a little. “Uh - it’s a little after two, why? Are you alright?” He asks, tilting his head to the side a little.

[infinitehcpe]

likehcpe‌:

“ she sounds like she’s a tough cookie , “ fabian smiled , glad to know that matilda liked them. “ yeah , she’s awesome , she’s a bit grumpy and hates human contact on most days but she’s great. “ fabian has had wanda since she was a KITTEN , even if she was on the older side they still couldn’t imagine losing her. 

“Yeah, she’s pretty tough. Definitely keeps me on my toes.” Eli says with a soft chuckle, reaching to stroke Matilda’s fur gently. “I bet she’s actually a sweetheart with people she likes though, right? That’s what I usually see with grumpy cats.” He smiles gently, watching them with a slight sense of curiosity. “I’m Eli, by the way.”

[infinitehcpe]

blayzeconstantine‌:

“Nothing wrong with that. It’s not about the size of your family, but how much you love each other. I’m not going to get preachy, not the type of person I am.” Blayze chuckles a bit, but closes his notebook after that. He really does appreciate Eli taking so much time out of his day to help him out. “I have kind of a big family? It always keeps things interesting that’s for sure.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t mind. It sounds like you have a pretty good idea when it comes to family.” Eli offers kindly, glad to hear Blayze views family in the same way that he does. “Oh yeah? How big is big? I’m not sure what I’d do with a big family, to be honest. How do you handle it?”

[infinitehcpe]

blayzeconstantine‌:

“It’s alright. Math is a problem for another day.” Blayze admits with a shrug. He wasn’t too worried about it actually, but he was thankful for the help with this much at least. “I agree though, family is important to keep close. When times get tough they’re the ones who will be there at the end of the day. Good grades or not.” He answers with a grin, followed by a laugh as well. “You close to your family too then?”

“Good. I’m sure someone else can handle it way better than i can.” Eli says with a smile. He’s sure someone will be able to help Blayze with his Math problems, but Eli is bound to just make it worse. “You’re completely right about that. At the end of the day, when things don’t seem to be going right.. it’s good to be able to fall back on your family, to know they’re always there.” He smiles and nods his head. “Yeah. It’s - not a big family, but they’re everything to me.”

[infinitehcpe]

whimsicalwiinnie‌:

❝ suburbia isn’t for me. i’m a city girl at heart. ❞ she’s sharp edges, watching her back, used to everything being within walking distance. a bar on every corner & a thug too. she’s not normal in gotham, but she isn’t an alien. here, she’s painted in bright lights. her actions are nothing but what they are. ❝ in paragon, yes. ❞ well, she did buy a house, but that was just for convenience’s sake. and decorating and redoing the inside gives her something to put time into. winona falcone doesn’t do the whole communal living thing. she’s not a peasant. winona doesn’t miss his recognition. she’d be surprised if he hadn’t. too used to it to care, even.  ❝ i suppose i can extend the same to you. even though circumstances aren’t desirable. ❞

“Well, each to their own as they say. I’m pretty sure some people would say the opposite - which isn’t a bad thing. Everyone’s different.” Eli’s a little of both - or neither, really. Small towns can remind him of a life he wanted to leave behind, cities remind him of the traumatic times he had in his teens - he’s better moving around, finding somewhere new. Being in one place is.. odd, for him. It makes a little more sense to know who she is and linking that to why she’s here. Eli’s seen all the news, he’s read the stories about Winona Falcone, what she did, what she has to live with - and he can’t help but wonder how she does. But that’s not really his place to comment on, he knows better. “I take it you’re planning on getting back to Gotham some time soon, then?”

[infinitehcpe]

blayzeconstantine‌:

“Yeah, it’s your job – right.” Blayze says with a smile as he looks over at Eli. He wasn’t really ashamed in needing some tutoring, but Eli was amazing nonetheless. “Family time is always cool. I get that, I’m always bothering my dad and sibling because they’re here.” He says as he even knows that right be annoying on his part. “They’re alright, some are better than others, you know? Not a big fan of math either.”

“Yeah, and I want to help.” Eli assures him with a chuckle. Of course this is his job, it’s part of what he should be doing - but it’s also what he wants to do. He likes helping the students get through their classes and learn more about this, even if they just need a little helping hand. “Good, bother them as much as you can. Family should always make time for each other.” He can’t help but grin. “Math is awful, I don’t blame you for that. Sorry, I’m not gonna be much help there.”

[infinitehcpe]

snowflakd‌:

   ‘ no no, becoming a statue is your uncle piotrs’ thing .’   illyana chided,  which is as close to a coo her deep voice ever went. ‘ but if you did become one, it would stay like that forever,  but then you wouldn’t be my little eliya would you–’   illyana leant down moving to squish her sons cheeks,   she knew he probably would get annoyed with how much she was doting of him as of late – but all of it came from a place of love, and a quarter worry.   ‘ but  i hear hair spray is a good alternative ? ‘

“Mooom -” Eli says with an air of embarrassment that he absolutely doesn’t mean, letting his mother squish his cheeks for a moment despite the fact that he’s absolutely not a child anymore. He doesn’t mind it so much, though - he knows she’s doting on him and he knows why and.. truth be told, it’s kind of nice, to let himself act like he’s still a child and that his mother can protect him and make it all go away, even if it’s only for a little while. “Okay okay, no becoming a statue. Hair spray will have to do.”

[infinitehcpe]

blayzeconstantine‌:

Blayze tries to take school seriously between his social life and everything else going on with him. He may be set to live for an eternity, but he does want to see this school thing through. He looks over at Eli with a smile. “I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me out. I’d love a break, really.” He leans back in his seat with a yawn. “I’m alright, same old stuff I suppose. What about you?”

“Hey, don’t sweat it - it’s what I’m here for, okay?” Eli says with a smile, waving off the kid’s words. He knows English lit might not be Blayze’s main focus but he’s definitely glad to see the other seems to be taking it seriously enough to do some extra tutoring with him. “Oh, nothing new with me really. Classes, work, family time - nothing out of the ordinary.” Not the whole story of course - but Eli doesn’t want to push things like that on Blayze, he doesn’t need it. “How are you finding your other classes?”

[infinitehcpe]

“You’re doing great, really.” Eli assures the other with a smile, setting his book down for a moment. He definitely didn’t mind helping Blayze with some of his work to make sure he keeps on top of things. He knows this might not be Blayze’s focus, but it’s important he gets through this class - and the least Eli can do is help him along. “Let’s take a break, you’ve earned it. How are you feeling? [ @blayzeconstantine ]

[infinitehcpe]

sugvrplum‌:

“please don’t apologise,” dot insisted, touching his arm gently. her hands moved slowly as she spoke. the truth of the matter was, as much as she had missed him – and god, no human being had missed another more than she had missed eli – the fact that he hadn’t had lead her to hal and carol. the fact that she was alone for so long had given her a family. “you not finding me let hal find me. i have a real dad, now. a whole family. so it’s okay that you couldn’t find me.” she promised, before shrugging. you couldn’t really handle this sort of thing well. “i try. you seem to be taking everything better than i would have.”

Eli can’t help but want to apologise, but he smiles and nods his head at her words. He doesn’t want to dwell on this, doesn’t want to bring them both down by imagining what might have bene - especially when they both managed to find some kind of happy life. “I know. And I’m so happy for you, Dot - a good family and a good life is what you deserve.” There’s really no good way to handle something like this but.. as far as Eli’s concerned Dot’s definitely doing okay with it. “Oh that’s really sweet of you to say but - if it helps, this is just.. a good day. You don’t want to see me on a - a not so good day.”

[infinitehcpe]

snowflakd‌:

       🌸 // @infinitehcpe

  ‘ ah , sit still for a second longer, eliya –’     illyana’s words, though harsh, came from a place of love,  though with her hands so busy fussing with the flowers in her sons hair, it partially came from impatience. ‘  there.’ taking a step back to admire her handiwork, she smiled, ‘ so handsome –’ she remarked, her brother had always let her braid her flowers into his ( albeit short ) hair, one of the most simplest expressions of her affection. ‘

“I am sitting still, mom. Any stiller and I’ll be a statue,” He says with a soft chuckle, though he does his best to stay as still as he can. It’s nice to have Illyana winding soft flowers into his hair this way - it’s gotten a little long lately, he knows he’s due to get it trimmed, but for the time being this is a great alternative. “Aw, c’mon -” He smiles bashfully, resisting the urge to raise his hand and rub his fingers through his hair, instead tilting his head to the side a little and looking over at the mirror to observe his mother’s work. “I love it. How long do you think it’ll stay in like this?”

[infinitehcpe]

sugvrplum‌:

dot didn’t know why she’d never thought that he’d try to find her. maybe it was because she’d tried her best to put distance between herself and everything that had happened. of course, this was no fault of eli’s, but it had been too much for dot to try and handle that hunting him down might have been tipping point. of course, it had been a decade now, and she was much better at containing her emotions. plus, the distance from the incidents from their childhood certainly helped. if their roles were reversed, dot imagined she would have tried her best to find him, too. “thank you for trying.” she said. she wasn’t sure what she might have done if he had found her, but the fact that he tried at all was enough for her. “i don’t think it will ever be easy. but we’re okay. as okay as we will be, anyway.”

“It’s - it’s nothing, really. I.. I couldn’t imagine not at least trying. I’m just - sorry I didn’t find you.” He’s sorry for a lot of things, really. He’s sorry he didn’t find her - he’s even more sorry he had to leave to begin with, sorry he couldn’t be with her the way they’d planned all that time ago. He’s sorry she had to go through all of that along, sorry he wasn’t there for her when he knows he should’ve been. They can’t change it now, though - he can’t undo what’s done, he can’t change how things happened. All Eli can do now is try and make up for it. “I think you’re right. And - for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing amazing with all of this.”

[infinitehcpe]

ofthewhirlwind‌:

“I have done that a couple of times myself actually” she said and nodded. It was the truth. There was a time when Ororo couldn’t control herself and her emotions. A time when her powers overwhelmed her, took her to places she never thought she would go. But now she had grown and now she knew how to handle it. “Just distract yourself. But you also need to let yourself mourn. There is nothing wrong with that, Eli”

“You... you have?” Eli asks in surprise, eyes widening a little. It’s hard to imagine Ororo being anything but always in control, calm and put together at all times. The idea of her losing control the way he had just seems so imaginable. It.. makes him feel as though there’s some hope for him, to be able to really control his abilities one day. “I know. I.. I’m trying to work through it. I guess some things just get to me a little more than I expected.”

[infinitehcpe]

ofthemutanic‌:

“I am weak for animals, what can I say? Even if she was the most awful cat in the whole wide world, I would still love her” he said and laughed softly, shrugging a little. Spending time with Eli had always been one of his favorite things in the whole wide world. Mainly because he seemed to always find a way to make Orion smile, even when he was angry or sad. “No need to thank me, silly. I would do anything for you” he mumbled. “But a movie sounds good”

“She would never be the most awful cat in the world, though. She’s the absolute best cat in the world.” Eli chuckles as he looks over at Matilda. She’s been there for him through a lot in his life after all. “Aw, Orion - you’re a great friend, you know that?” He says warmly, turning to offer Orion a smile. He’s not sure what he did to deserve a friend so sweet and loyal - but he’s glad for it. Glad to have someone he knows he can count on. “Great, here -” He tosses the TV remote over to the other before pushing himself up. “I’m gonna get something to drink, you want anything?”

[infinitehcpe]

whimsicalwiinnie‌:

❝ this place is suburbia already, ❞ she said the word like a curse. gotham was dirty. paragon had hall monitors & security guards. it was like a country club, but for the wayward children of villains and heroes to live in harmony. she much so preferred gotham, where everyone was a villian, and you got stabbed in the front, not the back. it was cleaner that way.  ❝ i’m not here permanently actually. it’s a vacation. ❞ an exile, more like. she stands straighter and flips her hair back. ❝ winona. winona falcone. ❞

“Oh it’s not so bad. Sometimes suburbia is peaceful.” Eli says with a chuckle, though he knows it’s not for everyone. People don’t always like the peace and quiet - even Eli has to admit sometimes it makes him miss the city, makes him crave the noise and hustle and bustle. “A vacation. You’re vacationing in -” As she introduces herself Eli can’t help but widen her eyes, recognising the name immediately. How could he not, it was all over the news. “Well - it’s nice to meet you.” He responds as his expression settles back to normal, determined to push past it. She deserves a chance as much as anyone else - he just hopes she’s not bringing the Falcone family’s trouble with her.