I haven’t finished writing chapter 20 of Lens Atelier but I’m already think about future interactions between certain characters, like Salieri and Loriel.
To be more precise, I want to delve deeper into the growing rift between Salieri and Loriel in the most recent chapters.
Salieri had largely kept his distance from Loriel throughout his time in La Reina. He knew that Loriel, above all, cared more about her own ambitions over all else. He’s a useful tool for her; she even said as much when La Reina was first established.
Their relationship is purely business. You use me for your own goals, I use you for my own.
Salieri—having been thrust into the Distortion-solving business right when he joined La Reina—accepted that he would have no friends in La Reina.
This would’ve remained the main dynamic of La Reina were it not for Gabriel’s accommodating-self joining. Despite Salieri being incredibly guarded towards literally everyone, Gabriel was the easiest for him to talk to. He could make a connection with Gabriel, even if they were just coworkers. Or hell, maybe they could’ve been friends.
But that wasn’t possible. Not because Salieri is naturally averse to making friends. It’s because Loriel forbade him from telling Gabriel things that a friend shouldn’t hide. He has to hide why he joined La Reina, why he’s in District 14, and he has to hide his hang-ups. Loriel assures him Gabriel is a temporary employee. If Salieri says nothing, he won’t put Gabriel in danger of being hunted down by Grade 1 Fixers.
Logically, it made sense. Salieri acknowledges as much.
But for someone as emotional as him, he hated it. It made him angry. It was one thing for him to expect no sort of emotional support from his own boss, but to not be able to even make any sort of meaningful connections with others? To hide basically everything about himself because it ties him to the reason he’s being tracked down?
It reminded him of how badly he missed Puller Office. How nice it could’ve been if his coworkers that he considered family hadn’t been murdered. That his nightmares would cease. For his survivor’s guilt to stop eating away at him.
These are the circumstances that would set up a dialogue between Salieri and Loriel after Chapter 20.
90wish