Just as planned, Elliot's declaration struck a nerve, and who better to try to take him to task than Lillian, the most obliviously ill-equipped? He let out a derisive snort, both at the airhead's rebuttal and at the thought that her canned lines rendered him dealt with. Rather than allow Alessa to take the reins, as Lillian no doubt intended to forestall Elliot's inevitable response, the toymaker flared back up without skipping a beat. [color=8F9779]"Didn't you just hear me?"[/color] he asked, voice hard. [color=8F9779]"I just assured you I'm on board for whatever endeavor you might dream up, putting aside all personal objections and unfitness. For isn't it the duty of a hero to suffer through all for the sake of others?"[/color]

He leaned forward again, clapping his hands together and fixing Lillian with his most baleful stare, whether or not she dared to meet his gaze. [color=8F9779]"You [i]are[/i] childish. We're a team in name, but when have you -any of you- made me feel like I'm part of a team? Like I'm even a person? Do you know where I'm from, what I did before the Wards, my last name? Have you attempted interacting with me for any reason other than to assuage the guilt you feel for excluding me and hating me so thoroughly? No, you all have your [i]priorities[/i] well in order."[/color] His accusatory gaze did not lay on Lillian alone. [color=8F9779]"Maybe there's a reason why the other guys on this team got sick and took a different road: your perfect little club is toxic. But don't worry, I'm not as weak as them. I can take all the punishment you can dish out. I will not turn away."[/color] Elliot stood to his feet, gulped down the last of his coffee, and shrunk the empty cup in his hand to the size of a jolly rancher. After putting it between his fingers, he flicked it into a nearby trash can. [color=8F9779]"So I will accept whatever task you give me. But don't imagine it's because you deserve it. It is merely...my lot in life. My curse. When you figure it out, come and tell me what I have to do."[/color] So saying, he left the Little Owl Cafe to wait outside in the cold, unable to stand the suffocation even a moment longer.