#elrod

Celebrimbor, showing up to break into a bank at 3am: This is a terrible idea and I cannot believe I’m doing it. I’m not doing this again, Elrond. This is a one-time thing and I hope you appreciate it.

Elrond: I know. I do, really, thank you. I brought everything, I just need a hand - what’s that?

Celebrimbor: [had been getting a mysterious electronic doohickey out of his bag; set it at the side of the building, presses a button and looks satisfied when there’s a soft beep]

Celebrimbor: Short-range multi-purpose signal blocker. Can’t EMP the building, alarms would go off somewhere else - this way, none of the alarms will get out, and the camera data will be scrambled.

Elrond: Did you make that?!

Celebrimbor: Only the image scrambling - the rest, I borrowed it from work. [going around to a side door] Did you not have a plan for the remote alarms? See, this is exactly what I’m saying about how this is a terrible idea - we don’t care if it’s obvious there was a break-in later, right?

Elrond: No...

Celebrimbor: Great. [still talking, gets a vial out of his bag, uncaps it carefully and pours it on the lock. the lock dissolves] I don’t care what Maedhros thinks he needs, or what you think he needs, this just isn’t worth the consequences - 

Elrond: Sorry, what’s that?

Celebrimbor: [opening door, walking in] Classified. It’ll evaporate without a trace, don’t worry. And if you’re caught, fuck the sons of Fëanor, how will that reflect on Gil-galad? What will your girlfriend think? 

[at a mechanically locked door] Elrond, fishing out lockpicks: Here, I can - 

[Celebrimbor continues lecturing while Elrond picks the lock. The vault itself, however, is electronically as well as mechanically locked]

Celebrimbor: [still lecturing (ranting), pulls out another doohickey, a little less sleek, and presses it against the keypad. the whole thing buzzes, lights, and goes dark. The door clicks]

Elrond: Okay, that one was an EMP.

Celebrimbor: - if my father thinks he can - yes, I made it in my garage. [opens door] If he thinks he can just....

ALSO by the end of it, Maglor is going to be on Elros’s maybe-extradition-proof topical island that needs more houses - well, at the actual end of it, everyone has to come together again for some dramatic mass confrontation, shoot-out and/or family shouting match, obviously. But Elros & Maglor arrive at that together, with the girl Elros’s new girlfriend (or Elros’s pre-established wife?) in tow... 

BUT I’m torn as to whether it’s like, Elrond (& Elros) starts out genuinely not knowing where he is, they want to but also maybe they don’t because the affection between them and Maglor is Complicated, on account of the whole murder/kidnapping that preceded the genuinely affectionate parenting. But then like 2/3 through the plot, on their daily Zoom chat, Elros is like, “You know those finches I was telling you about, which keep trying to steal my breakfast?” 

“Yes?” Elrond replies, still half-distracted by his own, more dire troubles. 

“Well today a new bird showed up. A really big one, dark-haired. I think ti’s pretty rare - probably a lot of people would be excited to find it. 

“Uh-huh...”

“Sings really loudly and obnoxiously.” 

“...oh. Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want...advice to get ride of it? We could- I mean, we should call a- a zookeeper.”

“No. No, I think it’s....fine. For now. But don’t tell any other ornithologists either.”

OR 

Has Elros been telling Elrond about the pretty birds that live in the trees near his apartment every day, about how they sing, they seem to enjoy the sunshine, the little fuckers stole his croissant...they seem to be anxious about the threat of hunting cats... Elrond says to send the birds his love and Elros says he’s sure they’d like Elrond, too, if they met him, and be worried about how he’s doing...

And you the audience just have the slowly dawning realization that Maglor has literally been there with Elros the entire time and they made this code in advance, and are deliberately not telling anyone.

One hand hand a dash more emotional drama; on the other, more dramatic irony, you know? I’m very torn.