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[queenofechoes]

Network ⛥ Action ⛥ Psychic

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[howtheyshine]

He uses his warden item to find her, because that's what it's supposed to be for.

His warden item, he's discovered, is his crown, or rather, the collection of pieces that make up his former crown, which float over his palm in a loose ring that looks like it did when it was all one piece. The front, the tallest spire, seems to orient in Madelyne's direction.

He has no idea how to read anything else from it yet.

Anyway, wherever she is, there is now also a very worried-looking Edwin, brow sharply furrowed.

"I didn't plan for this to happen. I'm sorry." He fishes around distractedly in his own chest for a moment before he pulls her rather meaty dossier out through his shirt like it's perfectly natural. "Do you want to read your file with me? I-I didn't want to do it without you. It doesn't feel right."

[queenofechoes]

Madelyne is, at the moment, on the deck. Well, almost; she's actually balancing on the rail, putting her just a little closer to the stars. There's no struggle to balance, or bracing to jump.

When she hears Edwin, she twirls around easily. He may notice that she's using her limited telekinesis as a sort of buoy, keeping her light and steady.

"I know wardens don't get to choose much of anything beyond being here." Level, and quiet; if she did any shouting it must have been in private. She doesn't blink at the strange motion - if anything, it makes her shoulders ease slightly - but her gaze locks on that file. It takes her a moment to register the question.

"...I'd prefer that. Yes." She'd have - more of a voice in it all, then, but of course that isn't what she says. "I can't say I'm not curious."

[howtheyshine]

"We don't have to do all of it at once. I-- I wish I hadn't read mine all at once. It wasn't even long, I haven't existed that long, but it had things from before I was me, too."

He's rambling. Anyway-- "Where do you want to read? Or when, we don't have to do it right now."

[queenofechoes]

"The god you were," she murmurs, low and grim. She can't help but wonder - how much will it say about the Phoenix, and its crimes, and its death?

"I think...I'd rather rip the bandaid off all at once." She hops from the rail onto the deck, landing as light as a feather. "Let's go to my cabin."

It's not really the Embassy, not any true seat of power, but she still feels more like a queen there. Besides, the door locks.

[howtheyshine]

He relaxes a little when she doesn't get upset, and then wonders immediately if she's hiding it. For once, though, it's not anxiety over whether or not she's upset with him. It's anxiety over the prospect of her being upset and alone with the feelings.

"Right." He looks down at the file in his hands, frowning at it, then looks at her again. "Where's your cabin?"

[queenofechoes]

"Level eight." She's never been sure if the assignment is random or not. Was it a gesture of trust, putting her on the same level as the engine room, or understanding, or -

"You ever see that tree, in one of the common rooms?" She starts moving before she finishes the question.

gift

[erbier]

[ Ilde leaves a basket that overflows with fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. All of the produce is more or less recognizable. Some variants are from Ilde's dead home world; subtly different in flavor or color. There is a little note that says: ]

Bring back the basket and I will fill it again.

[ But truthfully, more will appear eventually whether Madelyne brings her the basket or not. ]

Backdated to After the VIP Flood so i don't KEEP FORGETTING

[howtheyshine]

He gives her a day between the clear end of the chaos and his check-in. He wants her to have some time to settle, but not too much time to be alone. Not after everything he read in her file, not when Jean was the one who showed up.

The highest point of his broken crown, when he holds the pieces in a ring hovering over his palm, leads him to wherever she's decided to post up this afternoon, and he closes his hand to call the crown's pieces back to himself--back into his chest, specifically, it's a useful storage area--before he says anything.

"Hi." That's about as neutral as an opening can get, right?

VERY MUCH A MOOD

[queenofechoes]

Madelyne doesn't like asking for things, so it says something that she's in the Enclosure at all. The actual scenery would be less obvious to most people, but Edwin knows about the cottage in Anchorage; he knows this is where she was happy, once. This is where Scott came back to, later, with Jean.

She's abandoned all pretence of regality, sitting cross-legged on the carpet with her back against on of the couches. There's a long letter written in pink cursive on her lap, but she's focused on something cradled in her hands. When she looks up, it's made clear: this is the headpiece of Jean's costume, which she must have left behind on purpose.

"Hey." There's no evidence of crying on her face, but her voice sounds hoarse; maybe she was screaming instead.

post-redwall breach

[deuceoftears]

He gives them both a day to compress, then knocks on her door.

[queenofechoes]

There's a gentle thump and a stretch of silence before her footsteps draw close. The door opens smoothly, just in time for her expression to match.

With a slight cock of her head, "Huh. Your eyes are the same."

[deuceoftears]

"You fly the same," he replies, warm but not over-familiar. They don't really know each other. But he'd like to.

[queenofechoes]

"Oh, that's smooth." There's an edge to the way she grins, but she does step back and gesture for him to come inside.

Her cabin is clearly a blend of two different rooms, but they share a common aesthetic. There's her office, dominated by a simple wooden desk covered in paperwork contrasted with a chair like a fiendish throne; there's her bedroom, dominated by a canopy bed hung with red velvet curtains and covered in white satin sheets. The decoration ranges from 'demon heads on plaques' to 'paintings of vast, beautiful landscapes'.

[deuceoftears]

The grandiosity feels more familiar than most of the barge's decoration, even if it isn't as coherent as the Hexarchate.

"I mean it. I was very jealous for a bit, after the dreams."

[queenofechoes]

Envy without fear has become such a novelty that it catches her off guard for a moment, before she settles into a faintly nonplussed smile.

"I'd take you for a trip in the clouds, but - " She shrugs, and hovers a few inches off the ground. It still requires a certain level of poise and balance, but it's not exactly exciting.

[gulling]

This terrible fuckin' creature touched me and I pushed it back outta my visions.

[ She reports her improvements to her shielding with breathless pride. ]

[queenofechoes]

[ The way Maddie grins is a little bit vicious, while still being warmly sincere. ]

That's my girl. Any idea where it came from?

[gulling]

It was just Vinny. I bashed his brains in and he turned into some creature.

[ Someone is deeply not contrite about this ]

[deuceoftears]

John's told you, I presume?

[It's only minutes later.]

Voice

[queenofechoes]

[ Madelyne's response takes longer. Her voice is hoarse, low, aching. ]

Yeah.

Re: Voice

[deuceoftears]

I'm going after him.

Re: Voice > Video

[queenofechoes]

...You - ?

[ She hadn't registered that as an option. There's a beat of silence, taut as a bowstring, before the video snaps on. It doesn't matter, suddenly, how clear it is that she's been crying; the gleam in her eyes is freshly, fiercely determined. ]

Wait for me.

Re: Voice > Video

[deuceoftears]

I'm packing in my cabin now. The door will open for you.

Re: Voice > Video

[queenofechoes]

You know I can't leave yet.

[ This time, when her gaze ignites, it isn't with helpless rage she can do nothing with. ]

And you need to be prepared for whatever bullshit we could face there.

I already lost my sister, Jedao.

[erbier]

She may or may not have fussed with her hair before knocking at the cabin door. Her dress might be a favorite; a burnt sunflower color without any grass stains or dirt. The ruffled socks may or may not have been a gift from Madelyne herself. She shifts the way she is holding the basket of produce, glancing down the hall for anyone walking by.

And her gaze returns quickly when the door opens.

"Hello."