Madeleine Gray (burnlyrical) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-10-11 20:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-29, linnea, madeleine |
Shine on, you crazy diamond
Who: Linnea, Madeleine & familiars (NPCs)
Where: The park
When: Afternoon
Pulling up outside the park, Madeleine tapped a nervous rhythm on the wheel before climbing out and scanning the greenery. It had been well over an hour since she had last heard from her familiar, let alone seen her. She had had no problems with letting the snake go past the boundaries of the garden to hunt. That was not necessarily something she wanted to watch and it was only fair given that before hearing ‘the call’ or whatever it was, Althea was a wild animal. And really, she still was. But their last exchange had been a brief mention of trees before the line connecting elemental and familiar had fallen silent. The longer the constrictor was quiet, she more anxious Madeleine became. Clearly, nothing horrific had happened to her, else she would probably be dead, but that wasn’t really comforting. It was actually quite terrifying how such a large snake could go completely unnoticed.
‘I am simply experiencedknowledgablegood at what I do,’ came the lazy flow of consciousness that the elemental had been waiting for.
“Where are you?” No, she really couldn’t care less whether or not anybody heard her apparently talking to herself. “This is far from amusing.”
‘I didn’t know you cared.’ Althea wasn’t showing herself, however. She was comfortable. And in a moment, if no one scared it away, her mouth would be full.
There was going to be a party at her house that evening. A party that involved someone - Harley - turning twenty-one. While Linnea had smiled and gone along with Dagmar’s invitation to allow this thing to happen she was a little uneasy about it. Dagmar, for one, was underage and there was definitely going to be drinking at the party. Last thing she needed was for her daughter to be fully exposed to - oh who am I kidding? She drinks. Knowing was one thing, accepting was a completely different and she refused to accept it. So, to keep from thinking about it until she had to, Linnea had decided that a walk in the park would be brilliant. Normally she would have gone for the lake or the river but Strike had made an odd declaration about being tired of fish, saying something about craving a mouse.
’I can’t hunt if you don’t put me down.’
Linnea shrugged, stroking her fingers against Strike’s head idly as she stepped along one of the emptier paths. Yes, water was prettier, but she did not mind the look of the sunlight as it filtered through the leafs. Made everything look a unique sort of green. “You’ll have plenty of - oh.” Stopping at the sound of a woman calling out for someone, Linnea turned along a fork in the path and stopped at the sight of a woman who did not look like she belonged in the forest at all. Even she consented and wore sandals instead of heels. Concerned that maybe she had lost her child and always being willing to help in that instance, Linnea smiled and walked closer. The fact that most people would be unnerved by the snake looped around her neck did not even occur to her. “I heard you calling - have you lost someone?”
’That is a BIG snake.’
“You could say that,” Madeleine answered automatically, chin tilting upwards as she eyed the tree branches suspiciously. She didn’t know exactly what her familiar was up to, but nothing good was going to come of this. Especially since she hadn’t thought to cast any sort of glamour, so the world was free to stare at a vaguely irate fire elemental in her natural state.
‘Oooh. A snakeling.’
There was a soft rustling from somewhere overhead... that turned out to be a bird, much to Madeleine’s annoyance. Still, she cast her eyes down at the mention of a ‘snakeling’. What was she blathering on about this time? “I don’t suppose you can see... Well, an eight foot constrictor?” She looked at the other woman with exasperated resignation, just in time to miss her familiar launch herself from a branch and begin to crush her dinner a few metres away. The elemental’s eyes closed while she counted to ten. “Never mind.”
‘I told you I was going to hunt,’ was the unaffected response. Yes, Althea was going to speak with her mouth full. And there was nothing Madeleine could do about it.
The redhead did not look all that happy and Linnea was not surprised. If she was missing a child... no, she would be more worried and panic-stricken than this. After another moment passed Linnea realized why. It appeared that her familiar, the big snake that Strike had mentioned moments before, had been hunting. “Ah, well, there she is.” Why Linnea knew it was a she and not a he she had no idea, but she had a feeling that it had come from Strike. Somehow snakes just seemed to know these things about one another. Perhaps because there were differences for them to spot just like humans had their obvious differences. “I suppose she is your familiar and not just an exotic pet.” People tended to call the police when it came to errant large snakes.
’I’ll never be big enough to eat something like that,’ Strike remarked a touch wistfully, lifting his head up to get a better look at what was going on in the tree. ’New snake, I don’t know what you are.’ Other than big. And belonging to the redhead in heels, which was apparently a big deal since Linnea had thought about it.
Turning her head to stare at the knot of muscle and -- well, she was assuming that was fur -- Madeleine had to bite her tongue before she responded with a rather harsh ‘yes, I can see that’. Had Althea not been in the process of eating, and apparently it was difficult to move with your jaw unhinged, she would have said it regardless. But as it was, she was stuck here while her familiar had her mouth around a rabbit’s head, and it wasn’t as though she could just expect the other woman to just go away. Though she rather wished she would. “Yes, she is -- Oh,” realisation dawned as she noticed the other snake. “Snakeling... Althea, I do wish you would talk -- think -- normally. And no offense intended,” she added quickly, “She just assumes everything smaller than her is either a child or dinner. I’m Madeleine Gray.” Extending one hand, she actually managed to pull together a polite but harassed smile. She was occasionally capable of being like an allegedly decent human being.
‘You’re all smaller than me,’ Althea pointed out, not bothering to privatise her thoughts at all. She was over two feet longer than her ward was tall. ‘None of you are dinner and he is not a child.’ How she actually managed to think in a tone that suggested her mouth was full was beyond Madeleine, though she suspected it was done deliberately to annoy her. ‘I am a Northern Common Boa,’ she answered the smaller snake, slowly untangling herself for maximum swallowing potential. ‘Or just a boa constrictor... I find human classifications unnecessarypointlessredundant.’ She considered his size for a moment. Or lack thereof. ‘And why not?’
“Huh.” Linnea found herself suddenly grateful that Strike was the size that he was and she never had to witness him doing that. Especially around the children. Though chances were that Satu would just stare and ask if she could poke him with a stick while he was at it. Shaking those thoughts off she offered a more pleasant smile and accepted Madeleine’s hand. “Linnea Selanne.” All pretenses of her married name had been dropped though she would always respond if someone called her Mrs. Niemi. “And this is Strike.” Who seemed to be far too enthralled by the snake currently working on eating a rabbit - a sight that Linnea was pointedly avoiding. Otherwise she would be unable to eat anything for the rest of the day. “Sorry to say I haven’t met you before, I usually pride myself on at least knowing everyone in town. Though I’m glad to hear that Althea doesn’t consider us dinner.”
’Because we don’t grow that big,’ Strike responded before he unwound himself and started slithering down. Had Linnea not knelt down then he would have used her leg to go the rest of the way. ’I’m an Eastern Massasuaga. And not a snakeling, just not as large as you. How do you curl up on your human that way?’ Strike’s favorite mode of transportation had rapidly become Linnea and he would have hated needing to return to slithering around everywhere. He could be a lazy little thing.
Madeleine’s attention was firmly on Linnea rather than her familiar’s eating habits. It was bad enough that the creature was in her head, never mind that she may also have to watch the slaughter of what may well have been an escaped family pet. ‘Not domestic. No fun in chasing the tame.’ Actually, on some level the elemental understood that. At the same time, she wasn’t really one for giving others a chance. Figuratively shaking thoughts of malevolence from her head, Madeleine acknowledged the other familiar with a smile. After all, it wasn’t as though this woman was vanilla. Unless she was taking someone else’s familiar for a walk. Which wasn’t likely. “I only moved here recently, though perhaps you knew the Myers’? Their son is my ex husband.” She was almost proud of herself for being able to say that out loud without betraying precisely what she thought of him. And, as a result, his whole family. Glancing back at Althea almost habitually, Madeleine’s head snapped back round again. That was... not what she had wanted to see. “On the plus side, she won’t need to eat for another a month after this.”
‘Oh.’ She would have blamed her inability to grasp the obvious on the fact she was technically occupied, but Althea was incredibly good at missing them without the distractions. It was, perhaps, linked to her ward’s tendency to actively dismiss the obvious or leave it unstated. Or it could just have been her. There was no telling, really. ‘I don’t,’ Althea answered in something of a sulk. ‘I tried, but she fell over and had to get--’ A warning tremor of don’t you dare found its way down the grapevine. Please. She was a snake, not stupid. ‘--help. She was warmcomfortablecozy. I didn’t want to get off.’ She paused. ‘It’s easier when she is sat or lying down.’ And drunk. But that part could be left out.
Linnea noted that Madeleine smiled at Strike, not at her. Not that it really bothered her it was just the opposite of what she was used to. Though the fact that she had her own snake familiar - who seemed quite content to eat her rabbit right there in front of them with no regards for whether or not it was appreciated - sort of nullified the expectation of a surprised reaction at Strike’s presence. Though she could not help but wonder what Madeleine was because he felt no sense of kindred with her, if anything there was a slight push like she had always felt around Dagmar’s friend, Bren. “Ah yes, I know the Myers,” Linnea said with a bright smile. Another family of water elementals was something that she could not help but have connections with. “Very watery family, though I didn’t know much about their son.” A little young for her tastes back when she had had any contact with him. “Sorry to hear that you’ve divorced though I hope that you’re enjoying their home.” They had had such a lovely pond in the backyard. Linnea was assuming she had the home, knowing how women normally fared in divorces even if she had never been able to get one herself. “Ah, that must be nice, Strike thinks that he needs to eat every day. I tell him he is going to get fat.”
’Maybe I want to be fat,’ Strike shot out. Actually he did not really care about his size because he knew that it would take a lot before he was too big to be of any concern, and his concern was not being able to being carried around. Unless he grew a lot more that was not going to happen. Surely he would never have to worry Linnea collapsing under him because of his weight. ’Like a warm rock? Mine isn’t. She’s kind of cold unless she’s out in the sun or in hot water.’ That was why he loved his sun lamp so much. ’Does she like you laying on her?’ No he was not going to ask Madeleine himself, he was talking to the familiar, not the ward.
No, a bright smile was categorically not what Madeleine wanted to see in connection with the Myers family. Not unless some terrible catastrophe had befallen them. Her own smile broadened slightly, content to dent any reputation Anthony may have. With a sledgehammer, if at all possible. “He was pleasant enough until he saw fit to try and hit me.” ‘Successfully,’ Althea cut in with a definite note of irritation. Her fire elemental seemed to attract people like that. It bothered her. “Enough of that, thank you.” It was beyond her as to why anyone -- except perhaps her ex-husband -- should be sorry about the divorce. “Oh, I’m not. I got to keep the rings.” As though she actually wore them. “But the house is beautiful. It has wonderful acoustics.” Which was, of course, the important part. “And then there are the fireplaces, though I had to rescue them from bad dried flower arrangements.”
Althea made no effort to hide her amusement at the exchange between Strike and his... whatever she was. Size was a problem she had grown, well, into long before she had become a familiar. She was noticing the lack of... compatibility between the two women, though. Which it could be said was no different from the majority of Madeleine’s interactions. She just didn’t like people. But it was more than that. Maybe there was a natural personality clash, but something else clashed too. ‘Madeleine is always warm,’ she answered, a little confused. Humans, even the supernaturals ones, were warm-blooded. Zaviar didn’t count. He wasn’t really human. He was a... human-snake... a were. Why was Strike’s human cold? ‘Only if she doesn’t intend to move for a while.’ Or upset. But then, unlike the were, this human -- Linnea -- seemed the sort to get upset. She supposed Strike would understand that part then, even if Knight did not.
Linnea’s smile vanished like it had never been and she put a hand to her mouth. The Myers’ son struck his wife? She had always been able to overlook what was done to her, to hide it and leave it be, but she had never been able to take news of it happening to other women well. She could feel tears welling up at the thought of this pretty young thing, she could not have been all that much older than Kajsa or Leif, being injured, but years of practice kept them back. People always got uncomfortable when one showed emotions and water elemental or not, Linnea knew how to hold herself back. Even if there was something off about her then she did not deserve to be struck because no one deserved that. “Hopefully they are lovely rings.” Linnea did not have any fondness for hers and they were tucked away in the smallest container within her tiniest jewelry box. “And yes, I remember those, they were a little hideous to look at after a few minutes.” Who would like dead flowers when there were plenty alive? Linnea preferred blooming flowers.
Always warm? Strike could not imagine a human who was always truly warm. Oh they were never cold like stones or water, but Linnea was cooler in temperature than the average human and no one would call her warm to the touch. There was something that he knew, a little bit of knowledge that was poking at him and the snake watched as Althea continued to swallow the rabbit. Oh! ’Is Madeleine fire?’ Because Linnea was water. Yes, the snake knew that technically his elemental was not water itself but he called her that because it was easier and quicker than thinking the whole thing out. ’Linnea needs to be warmer. She is having a hatchling and they don’t like the cold.’
“Strike,” Linnea’s tone was slightly horrified and she could feel her cheeks heating up. “I think that... snakes forget about what they should and shouldn’t say in front of new company.” We are going to have another one of those talks when I get you home. Strike just turned his head to face her, flicking his tongue out in a manner she would almost say was like a child sticking their tongue out.
It was funny. When Madeleine said she honestly did not care, it was the truth. When she did care, nothing was said on the matter. This lady was a stranger in everything but name and familiar -- she did not much care about her -- yet she still found herself reaching out for her inner flame. Perhaps it was down to her having reconnected with her element that she was more inclined to at least put up the facade of caring. It was strong -- her flame -- if not a touch weak at points; like a fire left to burn through the evening. Which, when one thought about it, made sense. Given her approximate age, she probably had children or a well established career -- or both -- that proved to create a hectic enough environment. While the fire elemental thrived on that kind of atmosphere (children withstanding), it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. “They’re expensive lumps of metal,” she responded after giving her wedding ring consideration. “Truth be told, I don’t actually know where they are. My mother probably has them.” The remark about the dried flowers pulled her features into an amused smile, “A little worse after they’ve been left to gather dust.” Far better when rendered to ash.
‘Yes. And cozy when she isn’t irate. She is... equatorial when angry.’ That thought made Althea pause for a moment, and not because of the annoyed vibes she was getting from her elemental. ‘Linnea is water, then.’ She was getting good at answering her own not-quite questions. ‘She may not have hatchlings,’ she pointed out, expertly ignoring the women in the background. ‘They may be live... waterlings... None of my snakelings complained of the cold.’ Being an ectothermic creature and complaining to one’s mother about a lack of heat didn’t really accomplish much.
That... was actually something Madeleine could sympathise with. Or at least relate to. She chose the latter. “I am of the firm belief they do it deliberately,” she stated, directing a crocodile smile at her familiar. “They say what they think needs to be said when they think it needs to be said. It would almost be useful if they got it right.” Most, if not all, of that was aimed at Althea. As for Strike? Well, if the shoe fits. It didn’t take her very long to realise that much of what Zaviar said seemed to follow the same rules. The only difference was that he was much, much better at it.
Her mother. I’m old enough to be your mother. Surely this young woman could not be all that much older than Leif, or maybe even younger than him, Linnea could be abysmal at telling ages since her children tended to look younger than they really were. The point still stood though, at least for who, whoever this slightly off-putting redhead was she was quite a bit younger and Linnea felt a moment of gratitude for something unknown that she had gotten out of her marriage after only one strike. “Did they have a garden? Perhaps you can have live arrangements instead.” It was a vague remark that Linnea felt like she was only making well, just because. Strike was intrigued by the larger snake and so she was not just going to leave him there. Even if she really wished he would listen to her about certain things not being said.
’Yes, and she says she won’t have hatchlings either but I’ve seen pictures of when she went through this before. It looks like there’s a giant egg inside. Or a deer. But she claims she didn’t swallow the deer.’ Strike shook his head, a human trait he had picked up from watching Satu and Valterri too much. ’I think it’d be better if she laid an egg and didn’t swell, it looks painful.’
You are potentially the worst familiar anyone has ever had. Linnea’s emotions had been shaken by coming across someone who simply stated she had been abused and now they were being fluctuated because her familiar could not seem to realize the things that bothered her. “Like reptilian consciouses who impart their knowledge on everyone. Althea seems to be older than Strike, perhaps she’ll learn faster.” Linnea was also of the opinion that a female should realize what behavior was damaging and stop it first but then that was likely not always the case. Though she doubted Strike would ever stop. ’You are correct.’
‘I told you we need more greenery,’ the constrictor cut in again, much to Madeleine’s annoyance. ‘I want an indoors-tree. It is colderunpleasantlacking outside.’ Unless she remembered to light the torches, which was only really when she needed to channel negative energy into something else... which was fairly frequently, but not frequently enough. “It is warm enough outside or you wouldn’t be in the park choking the wildlife,” she shot back. There was the chance that Althea was simply used to being inside an incredibly warm home and had adapted to the temperature that she set. Which, yes, would make outside colder. But not uncomfortably so. You’re just spoiled. Ah. The garden. She really needed to call the landscapers. “They did, but it has been terribly neglected and I’ve already had one argument with the landscapers--” Glorified gardeners. “--mother hired before I even had the chance to move in. She’s unbearably interfering. But then, so were they.” Perhaps she had been unreasonable, but all things considered, it was relatively understandable.
‘But human offspring are big,’ Althea stated, sinking her fangs in further up her mostly-swallowed dinner to drag the rest in. Albeit slowly. The shaking of the head confused her. It was a human trait, and one that she realised Madeleine did not employ much at all. She voiced her refusals rather loudly. ‘The egg would have to be big too. The difference would be... the same. And birth is painful. I had twenty-three snakelings in my last clutch.’ She paused. ‘And I looked like I had problems digesting for a while.’ At least, that was what she had been told. So the deer thing made sense, really. Even if humans did not eat their food whole.
“Perhaps, though she often has a child’s logic.” Bizarre questions asked in the most innocent of ways that generally meant she could not become angry with her. “Are you alright?” Really not a question that made it past Madeleine’s teeth very often unless she was talking to someone who quite clearly mattered. Linnea was not vanilla, thus she mattered more. And Madeleine was no empath, but someone’s inner flame was flaring and due to the general atmosphere in the air she doubted it was down to happiness.
“Most snakes up here hibernate in the winter,” Linnea remarked, eyeing Strike who had informed her in no uncertain terms that he would be doing no such thing, thank you very much. He had a heat lamp now and would simply not accompany her outside when it grew cold. Which it was not, both of them knew that since they had been in the area for years. “Though I’m sure a heat lamp would be useful if you don’t have one already? Strike is extremely fond of his.” And one day she expected to see Valterri or Kajsa curled up under as much of it as they could be, the two lacking the natural tolerance for cold that the rest of the family possessed. “Though if you need a good landscaper, I could give you the name of mine. They are wonderful.” Granted they had objected to the general lack of trees on her property but Linnea could not have been bothered with that before when she was merely concentrated on surrounding herself with as much water as she could get away with.
’Painful?’ Strike cast his eyes up at Linnea. If he could have frowned then he would have, not having realized that there was pain involved in this thing that his elemental was going to do. ’And I don’t think she can have that many so maybe it hurts less if there are less. I hope she doesn’t have that many. You can’t have that many hatchlings.’ The number that she had now was enough, though Strike was eager to see what a newly born human looked like. ’You don’t look like you’ve ever had problems digesting.’ It was a strangely polite remark that she would not have expected from him a month ago. Perhaps he really was picking up on her mannerisms in the same way that children did. ’Your children have too many limbs, I wouldn’t want to be one of them.’
Linnea offered her best smile, a practiced one that came easier than anything else and she nodded her head. “Some things just bother me the slightest bit, but it’ll pass.” And come back again later when I’m driving because that is far too far from any source of water. Perhaps she should take up Strike’s advice and carry around a little fountain with her wherever she went. Certainly would keep her mood swings in better check. “Thank you for your concern, Ms. Gray. I could ask the same of you if for no reason other than you sound English and yet you’re here. Transplanting is always difficult.” She would know.
“She doesn’t actually need one, technically,” Madeleine glanced at her familiar. She had done the homework when the snake wasn’t being cooperative. “And my house tends to be a furnace -- if anything, outside currently seems colder.” It did to her, at any rate. She was something of a human heat lamp, she supposed. Zaviar seemed to appreciate it. Buying him a heat lamp crossed her mind for all but a second before she decided that it might actually be ridiculous. ‘No, it wouldn’t.’ Althea went ignored. She wasn’t a were-snake and couldn’t possibly know that. ‘Look who’s talking.’ “That would actually be wonderful.” She flashed a smile. It was actually taking all of her willpower to maintain the illusion of being... well, nice rather than just attempting to drag her familiar into the car.
Althea simply gave a general noise of mental confirmation. Really, Madeleine had never had children and even she knew that. But then Strike was male and not really required to understand. ‘All humans have too many limbs.’ She didn’t understand how any of them got comfortable. Especially not Knight because his legs pointed in a different direction. At least humans could lay down flat. Shifting slightly, she finally closed her mouth and automatically tasted the air for differences. ‘I feel better.’ She hoped Madeleine had brought the car, though.
A rather closed response. Good. It meant she didn’t have to ask any further questions. She didn’t do comforting. “Miss,” one of her many knee-jerk reactions. “Ah, yes. London.” Which may have been an issue if she was the kind of person to feel homesick. Although she didn’t particular like to be on her own. “It has been... interesting, thus far, though it could have been a lot worse. And as it stands a few people I know were already here or have arrived since. It is, admittedly, rather comforting even if I wish one of them would swan dive off the nearest cliff.” Well... more than just one, but for now, Antonin was safe enough from her temper. For now.
As good of an actress as Linnea was she had learned to pick up cues from other people. Such as the one that suggested, merely a minor thing, that perhaps Madeleine was not as pleasant as she appeared. And I can talk how? All Linnea wanted to do suddenly was curl up in her tub and forget everything else for the rest of the night and she was smiling and offering landscaper advice. Hypocrisy was not a pleasant name tag to wear and so Linnea ignored it. She was no empath after all so she could always be wrong about this sort of thing. And if she was not then, well, she simply could not care without later realizing she had been judging someone doing exactly what she did every day. “Treasured Earth is who I use, you can find them in the phonebook.”
’Agreed, all of that walking looks terribly uncomfortable.’ Linnea thought something about how slithering about on your stomach was not much better but Strike chose to ignore that because it was irrelevant. Until she had tried doing just that then she could not know. The fact that maybe he could not know what walking was like unless he did it went unremarked on. After all, he had heard about humans damaging their legs all of the times and if they could do that then clearly they were flawed. His stomach never got damaged. Except for that one time with the sharp stone he had not seen on the riverbank but that did not count.
Interesting? Linnea supposed that not all people from other countries could have the same view as her, and that many actually enjoyed it, but interesting was not a word she would have ever used. “At least there are familiar faces for you, even if one is unpleasant. And a lovely familiar to keep you company.” The Finnish woman’s fondness for and respect of snakes had grown by leaps and bounds ever since Strike had come to her. Before him snakes had just been yet another thing and now they likely qualified as her favorite member of the animal kingdom. “If you ever grow homesick, I know a few good tricks to overcome it.”
’I want to see the big snake again.’
Althea. Linnea corrected.
And it wasn’t the landscapers she had already upset by killing the fish with bleach. At least something good had come of Althea’s hunting. Rather than merely the snake’s very full stomach. A glance at the her familiar revealed that she did indeed look a little comical. The fact the bulge in her neck was still moving was hopefully down to her swallowing. Still. Madeleine doubted very much that her current mask was working anywhere near as well as her usual one. It was a little too late to wish she had cast a glamour. Did it matter, though? Really? She knew what she was and how she acted and she would be more than willing to drop the act and wait in the car for Althea to catch up if given the chance. As it stood, her upbringing in general lead her to play the... whatever this was supposed to be. “Thank you, I shall.” The moment she got her hands on a phonebook. This was one of those moment Madeleine wished she paid full attention to the ‘useless’ things she burned.
‘I see no point in joints that only bend one way...’ Madeleine’s eyebrow arched. ‘Don’t look at me like that. You just foldcrumplebend.’ And yes, her ward might have had better hearing than her, but she didn’t need that hearing. Still in the process of swallowing as opposed to stuffing her mouth, Althea was lethargic. Her movement looked like painfully hard work. She argued that it was... Which wasn’t entirely true. She just couldn’t be bothered moving and wanted her place in front of the fire.
“His face is just fine, it’s the rest of him that bothers me.” While she truly wished Antonin wouldn’t smile so much, the smile looked far better on his face than it did on Ulysses’. And as much as she didn’t like admitting it, the part about the familiar was true. “Well, yes. I’ve never been able to function well on my own.” She was pointedly ignoring the smug feeling she was getting from her own overgrown snake. Just because her presence was, in a sense, necessary it didn’t mean she could gloat about it later. “And I realise it is none of my business, but congratulations.” She briefly wondered if Linnea was in any way like her own mother. Part of her hoped not. The idea of that face and demeanour paired with her mother’s motivations thoroughly disturbed her.
’Foldcrumplebend... I like the way you talk.’ Linnea found herself suddenly wishing that she had not met this redhead and her snake because she had a feeling that Strike was going to attempt to pick up Althea’s manner of speaking. While it seemed to work for the constrictor she did not think that it was going to sound so good on a male tongue. ’This is a good place for hunting.’ He could feel and smell a mouse sniffing around in the grass. ’I will find you again.’ Strike promised, because he wanted that mouse, and he was suddenly gone after it. Apparently snakes idea of manners were nowhere near as cemented as their wards even if they were picking up other mannerisms.
“Ah, he does that a lot,” Linnea apologized for her familiar. “But yes, if you ever need any help with adjustment tricks then you can get ahold of me. Here.” Linnea was forever giving out her number for this or that and she actually kept little scraps of paper in her purse for just such purposes. Scribbling it out she offered it to the other woman. Elemental or witch... of course it was not polite to ask, but she could be a little curious. And was. “I know that I found it difficult to leave my family behind. Thank you, though.” Even if she was not sure how to feel about it, a hand went to her still-flat stomach. She could accept well wishes. “Though I am grateful that I will not have quite as many as your familiar did.” She smiled down at the now-oddly proportioned constrictor. “I am sure your snakelings were lovely, though.”
‘Thank you. Madeleine says I will... run out of relevant vocabulary.’ She didn’t think it was true. But even the fire elemental’s face twitched with amusement at her familiar’s impression of her. It was actually incredible how a massive reptile with such an apparently airy demeanour managed to mentally convey the air of annoyance used when she had originally said it. ‘I know where to find good food,’ she answered, watching him disappear. She liked him. He seemed nice.
‘I don’t mind,’ Althea just chose to assume Linnea was directing that at her because she knew Madeleine did not care. ‘I suppose I do far worse.’ “Indeed. Being an ambush predator does not give one the right to ambush one’s elemental,” Madeleine added with a hint of impatience, not particularly caring if the other woman knew what she was. If she had any objection to what she was, the trees would burn. Even if she was supposed to be behaving and this was no weather for any kind of forest fire. “Thank you.” She accepted the number, but remained a little confused as to what she was supposed to do with it. Or how she was really supposed to react. It wasn’t as though she had come equipped to reciprocate. “I suppose you know where to find me, should you need anything.” Assuming she could remember where the Myers family had lived. ‘This is almost causing you physical pain, isn’t it?’ That went ignored. Even after it was repeated. ‘They were... very... small,’ was Althea’s only real input on the matter. Because they were. It was one thing having snakelings when she was younger and they didn’t seem so tiny. But now...
Elemental then. Not water. Not air. Earth? But no, Linnea doubted that she had ever heard Bradley or any other earth elemental she had met had ever sounded impatient about anything. They had patience to make stones look hasty. So all that was left was fire. ’I could have told you that,’ Strike informed her, still listening in despite his insistence that he needed to hunt. ’Althea said she’s like a furnace.’ It was so nice of her familiar to share these things with her when he learned them. One day he was going to need to start relaying these facts when he came across them instead of just letting her stumble across them who knew how long later. “You’re fire,” Linnea murmured. That explained the base feeling that there was something pushing against her, had her element been anywhere near then it would have informed her that yes, this was the opposite of her. Perhaps it also explained why that now that Strike was gone, Linnea felt very little desire to remain. Nor did she think Madeleine was particularly fond of it. “I’ve seen baby snakes, they’re quite cute. But I think that I should go wait for Strike, we’re not going to be out much longer. It was a pleasure to meet you, Madeleine and Althea, and I hope you continue finding Scarlet Oak to your liking.” Inclining her head with a polite smile she waited a moment before doing just what she had said - going to look for Strike.
As if you could really mistake me for anything else. “Yes, I am.” And there was the Gray pride that came with being, well, herself. And you’re water. Not that that needed to be said -- Madeleine had a feeling the woman already knew. She was certainly emotional enough, apparently. There was also her underlying urge to just turn tail back to the car and wait for Althea there and the definite lack of... connection, for want of a better word. Fire and water can’t connect. She did not need her familiar to remind her that not every water elemental was her husband, but apparently she needed to remind the snake that the two elements never met without a layer of oil between them. In this regard, apparently Strike and Althea were the oil. “And you,” she smiled, feeling oddly secure in the knowledge that she was being entirely insincere, “I need to get her ladyship to the car.” Which would be fun.
‘I am not that heavy.’
I’m not carrying you anyway.