Teli (Tori x Eli)

***"Oh, and one more thing. If anybody asks, you're my girlfriend."***

This article is about the ship named **Teli (Tori x Eli)**. While the relationship itself is confirmed to be canon, the ship name, as well as any art depicting the pairing, is fan-made.

## Relationship Information

### Characters

Tori Pritel
Eli Frieden

### Names

Teli
Toreli
Elori
Fritel

### Length

Friends (both sides) (pre-*Masterminds*–present)
Crush (Tori's side) (pre-*Masterminds*–present)
Crush (Eli's side) (*Criminal Destiny*–present)

### Rivals

Tori x Blake Upton

**Teli (Tori x Eli)** is the romantic/friendship pairing between Tori Pritel and Eli Frieden.

Eli and Tori have been friends ever since they were little kids, but their friendship started to get closer after Eli's best friend, Randy Hardaway, was sent to live at McNally Academy in Colorado.

## Tori's opinion of Eli

It is hinted multiple times in the trilogy that Tori has a crush on Eli. She cares for him quite a bit and comforts him when he needs it. In *Criminal Destiny,* Tori stated that she realized how much she missed just hanging out with Eli, and believed that having Eli besides her was the only thing making everything they went through bearable. Tori believes that Eli is really good-looking and greatly admires him.

## Eli's opinion of Tori

While it isn't as obvious, it is hinted at multiple times that Eli has feelings for Tori too. He also cares greatly for her, getting very worried when believing she's in trouble. He got jealous when Tori began to have a celebrity crush on Blake Upton, whose appearance is almost identical to Eli's. He also finds it really easy to talk to her and finds her very smart, in a common sense way. Eli's feelings for her likely started after they broke out of Serenity.

## Significant moments

### *Masterminds*

* Chapter 4: Tori sat down next to Eli and attempted to comfort him during Randy’s goodbye party.
* Chapter 4: Eli said that she was easy to talk to and thought that Tori was really smart in a common sense way.
* Chapter 6: When Eli spoke about Randy's letter, Tori wanted to hug him and console him, then believing that she should keep an eye on him.
* Chapter 6: Tori said that him taking everything so seriously was one of the things she liked most about him.
* Chapter 7: Eli stated that he thought she was a great artist.
* Chapter 10: She was so worried when he fell that she was constantly calling him and passed by his house, hoping to catch a glimpse of him through a window.
* Chapter 10: She wanted to throw her arms around him upon seeing him walk into the classroom healthy, but just jumped up to welcome him instead. Tori was then concerned about what had happened to Eli.
* Chapter 11: She chose to squeeze Eli's wrist upon hearing a noise that frightened her.
* Chapter 15: Amber Laska stated that you’d have to be locked in a closet not to notice that Tori had brewing a crush on Eli.
* Chapter 15: Amber believed that Tori had started a collection of photos of Eli when stumbling upon the photos she had taken of the whiteboards in the Plastics Works.
* Chapter 19: She went to his house to tell him about her decision to leave Serenity.
* Chapter 20: Eli tried to help Tori when they both fall ill when trying to get past the town borders.
* Chapter 24: He tried to make sure Tori was okay and was clear of the truck's tires after jumping out of the truck.
* Chapter 24 & 25: The second person they both called for after leaping from the truck was each other.
* Chapter 25: Tori was relieved when she heard Eli's voice.

### *Criminal Destiny*

* Chapter 2: Eli helped Tori when the Purple People Eaters spotted her, unfurling the school flag and trapping them underneath.
* Chapter 10: She was worried about where he was when the clones were staying in the motel room for the night.
* Chapter 12: They helped each other wash the blood off from their “surgery” in the creek, and worked together to hold Malik's head steady during his turn.
* Chapter 18: When wondering about Bartholomew Glen, Tori stated that Eli wasn't the murderer type, instead believing that he was sensitive, gentle and smart.
* Chapter 21: After waking up afraid, Tori immediately wondered where Eli was. After finding him, she laughed at his joke and realized how much she missed hanging out with him.
* Chapter 24: She became concerned and frantic after accidentally mistaking him for a menacing intruder and injuring him. Then, he took her hand, holding it for a long time, and attempted to reassure her.
* Chapter 28: When Eli was grabbed from behind, his first thought was not of his own safety, but to wonder where Tori was.
* Chapter 28: After Tori began to cry, Eli tried to assure her that Amber and Malik could be okay.

### *Payback*

* Chapter 2: They argued amiably over who would take the job of helping others carry their groceries next. Eli thought that Tori's smile was remarkable and that she had a better charm than he did, later thinking that it was good to see her happy. When a man attempted to capture her, Eli warned her as quickly as possible and was concerned.
* Chapter 7: Tori promised to help him stay awake throughout the drive to Atomic Studios, attempting to stay alert with conversation. When they arrived, Eli praised Tori on her ability to lie convincingly and was later jealous after she stated that she found Blake Upton “*gorgeous*”, not realizing that this was because they looked identical.
* Chapter 9: She compared Eli to Blake, a TV star, having remembered when she told Amber that Eli was really good-looking.
* Chapters 9 & 12: People believed that the two of them were dating.
* Chapter 12: Eli never considered running when Tori was captured by Tamara Dunleavy's men, instead attempting to put up a fight.
* Chapter 15: She stated that Eli was brilliant after he had found evidence of Project Osiris at Poseidon Resort and Water Park.
* Chapter 19: The two of them leaned against each other in order to not fall asleep when at the hangar. While navigating to Poseidon, Tori thought that it was incredible how quickly Eli could figure things out and admired him.
* Chapter 25: When the lobby's aquarium is destroyed and a manta ray begins to fall upon Tori and Eli, Eli immediately pushed Tori out of the way, saving her from harm.
* Chapter 27: Eli believed that he would never forget when he and Tori were in the warehouse, eating cookies together. Then, along with Tori, Amber and Malik, they move in together for a group hug.

## Memorable quotes

### *Masterminds*

"*There's something about Tori that puts me at ease. With Amber, you always feel like you're being judged; with Malik, you're afraid he'll make fun of you, or worse, file it away so he can use it against you later. Tori's the opposite.*"
—Eli Frieden, Chapter 4

"*I wish I could help him somehow, or at least wrap my arms around him and tell him everything is going to be okay. (Ha—can you imagine if Malik found out about* that*?)*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 6

"*Everybody's worried about Eli, but it's obvious that I'm the most worried, and Malik won't let me hear the end of it. (...) I just want Eli back, safe and sound.*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 10

"*We're just finishing the Pledge of Allegiance when Eli walks into the classroom. I've practically forgotten what he looks like. But he looks good. (...) I want to throw my arms around him, but one glance at Malik tells me to hang back.*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 10

"*You'd have to be locked in a closet not to notice that Tori has been brewing kind of a crush on Eli.*"
—Amber Laska, Chapter 15

### *Criminal Destiny*

"*I like being with Eli. In Serenity we were getting to be pretty close. Malik used to tease us about being boyfriend/girlfriend, although it was nothing like that. Now we spend more time together than ever, but it's not the same, since we're always running for our lives. All at once, I realize how much I miss hanging out with him.*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 21

"*We went through something pretty terrible. We’re still going through it. The one thing that’s made it bearable is that you’ve been there.*"
—Tori Pritel thinking about Eli, Chapter 24

"*He takes my hand and squeezes it, holding on so long that I actually count: One... two... three...*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 24

### *Payback*

"*The grin on her face is all the more remarkable because there's been so little to smile about these days.*"
—Eli Frieden describing Tori's smile, Chapter 2

"*Amber never agreed with me when I said Eli was really good-looking.*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 9

"*It's incredible how many things he's learned how to do without ever being taught. It's like he can troubleshoot the world the same way he troubleshoots a computer. In all the craziness, sometimes I forget how much I admire him.*"
—Tori Pritel, Chapter 19

"*The memory of Tori and me, side by side on the concrete floor of that warehouse, inhaling Thin Mints and Rah-Rah Raisins, is going to stay with me always.*"
—Eli Frieden, Chapter 27

## Similarities and differences

### Similarities

* They're both cloned from females (Tori from Yvonne-Marie Delacroix and Eli from Tamara Dunleavy) as a result of Project Osiris.
* They both have dark hair.
* They were both born in Serenity, New Mexico, and escaped together in *Masterminds.*

### Differences

* Tori had two surrogate parents while Eli just had his surrogate father, Felix Hammerstrom.
* Tori is a year younger than Eli as well as a grade below.
* Tori is a great artist while Eli is happier fiddling with technology.
* Tori has brown hair while Eli has black hair.
* Eli is cloned from a computer innovator, while Tori is cloned from a bank robber.
* Eli got to meet and even live with his DNA donor, while Tori never got to meet hers.

## Songs that go with Teli

* *Rather Be* by Clean Bandit (feat. Jess Glynne)
* *Had Me @ Hello* by Olivia Holt
* *Spring Day* by BTS
* *Safe & Sound* by Taylor Swift
* *Perfect* by Ed Sheeran
* *Lucky* by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
* *Dusk Till Dawn* by Zayn Malik (feat. Sia)
* *Still Into You* by Paramore
* *Fallen for Your Face* by Lilac Lungs
* *If I Could Tell Her* by Ben Platt
* *We’ll be the Stars* by Sabrina Carpenter
* *Vibe!* by Coyote Theory
* *You'll Be in My Heart* from Tarzan
* *A Thousand Years* by Christina Perri
* *Can You Feel the Love Tonight* from The Lion King
* *One thing right* by Marshmello
* *Wolves* by Selena Gomez