I have a hard time believing that the IC would have actually used Elain when they asked her about searching for the dread trove. If only for the fact that if Elain had already agreed why did they have to ask Nesta at all? Nesta didn’t even have to know about it, really, and if they did ask and she wasn’t following through then they could have asked Elain then and just went on their merry way and I’m sure Nesta would have been pissed, but Elain would have done it... probably. They didn’t have to involve Nesta at all really, because Elain would have been the most convenient if they also didn’t feel she wasn’t incapable. Elain, I’d argue, would have been the better option if only for the fact that they think she’s fine, and Nesta for sure was not. So I don’t see how that whole scene was not a manipulation on Nesta’s part for this very reason. Especially because we get that scene separate from Amren being like there are many ways to convince her.
But we also get these small instances where Elain is brought up to be an option and then quickly shut down but not just by Nesta. Which I think is very interesting thing, because Nesta’s overprotectiveness is her being deeply afraid of the cauldron and what the cauldron did the last time which for some reason, is misunderstood. But also it’s her personality as we’ve seen from her lying her body on Cassian, her sacrificing her power for Feyre, her “coddling” Elain, her “I don’t care about me” speech. Her sticking up for Gwyn. She’s very protective. That’s her love.
But, why do the IC do it? This is the question... that haunts me. And makes me often wonder if more problems are caused just by the dynamic of this group of people, not necessarily individually themselves. Because individually they all need healing arcs. But as a group they need group therapy and less moral responsibility, because there is no reason they need to be involved in so many things outside of the Night Court and Prythrian now and again.
