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Gray was surprised, upon one of his scheduled check-ins with Erza, to find that it wasn't Erza at all he was reporting to. It was, instead, Jellal.
"Hello, Gray," the man stated, his voice ringing in Gray's ear.
"Jellal?" he asked, blinking at the new communications device in his hand, wondering if maybe he'd misdialed the contraption or something. He was still learning how it worked, after all. "Uh… sorry, I think I… I was looking for Erza."
"I know. I'll be taking your report today instead. So tell me, what have Avatar's movements been like since you last reported in."
"…What's the passcode." Gray wasn't taking any chances with this, though he was concerned he may have already messed up.
"White Christmas."
Gray sighed. That was correct. Though he was confused by the switch, Gray dutifully informed the mage about their targets. All throughout, Jellal asked very detailed questions, about the smaller details of the members' behavior as well as about their movements. To the best of his ability, Gray provided the information as he could remember it.
After his store of intelligence was exhausted, Gray waited while Jellal mulled it over.
"Very good," Jellal finally said. "You've done well, Gray. Now… tell me. How have you been?"
Pulling the lacrima communicator away from his head for a moment, Gray stared at it as if it would provide the answers. When it didn't, he brought it back to his ear. "Come again?"
"I'm asking how you're doing," Jellal repeated, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "How many meals a day do you eat?"
If Gray thought he'd been confused before, he was even more so now. "Three. They feed everyone fairly well."
"I see. And sleep? Approximately how many hours a night do you get?"
From there, Jellal's questions only became stranger and stranger. He inquired after every aspect of Gray's life, small and large. From his daily habits, to his relationships with the other members of Avatar.
Finally, Gray had had enough of this line of personal questioning. "Jellal, I think I've told you plenty about my life in Avatar. Is there a point to all this?" he asked, desperately hoping there was. It was the only reason he'd responded at all to Jellal's questions.
A sigh echoed in his ear. "Gray. It's… it's a difficult thing, that Erza and I have asked you to do for us. We would have done it ourselves if we could. Please believe me when I say that."
"I do." It was strange, to say the least. But he did.
There was a pause. "Thank you," Jellal said. "Look, the reason Erza and I switched is because… because I've been in the same position as you before." Taking a breath, Jellal continued, "Maybe not in the exact way that you are now, but I have been at the heart of darkness. I once stood on the other side. These people surrounding you… I was once like them. And trust me, what they excel at most - what I excelled at most - is, was, in breaking people. No matter how hard you try, you cannot remain unaffected by what surrounds you. It takes a toll. I've been broken before. I've broken people before. I know what the signs look like. I want to be sure that the same doesn't ever happen to you."
Gray's hand shook slightly, his grip tightening on the lacrima device. But he said nothing.
"I want you know that you can pull the plug on this operation whenever you need to," Jellal continued. "Forget what Erza says about this. Your health and life are just as important as the ones we're trying to save. We can find another route if we must. But you? There's no replacing a comrade, a friend. Again… I am so, so sorry we had to put you there. I won't ask for your forgiveness. But please know that someone is going to look out for you. You're not alone in there."
His mouth opening and closing, Gray found himself unable to force his words past his throat, where they clogged his airway. "T-thank you, Jellal," he managed after several attempts. "I appreciate it."
"…Then I will be checking in with you again next week. Take care, Gray."
Then the line went dead.