'... Madeleine, what's a Chuckie?' There were some details that Althea couldn't glean from her elemental; they were impressions, ideas left behind rather than solid facts. Thus far, Althea's understanding of the term was largely childhood trauma. "It's a doll from a horror movie. A murderous doll that happens to be possessed." 'Apparently Martie is wearing similar clothes. And Madeleine wouldn't put it past him to try killing everyone.' Althea's tone was one of amusement. Because she knew she made the monkey uncomfortable. 'He doesn't like snakes.'
The other difference, Madeleine had to acknowledge before she aligned herself too much with her mother, was that she knew when to stop staring. Like when otherwise she risked tripping up. She had never witnessed her mother stare to the point of causing herself injury, but nevertheless. She also remembered that men were actually people and not just eye-candy with various functions. "Thank you. If I didn't know better, I'd have said they left it all deliberately." As it stood, the water elemental had barely acknowledged she had a serious aversion to it and he wasn't even vaguely that vindictive. It would have done him credit were it not for the fact the judge was Madeleine. 'And Zaviar, and your mother...' All in all, it destroyed any hope he had of his ex-wife ever feeling at all bad over the situation with the paperweight. "I would end up 'accidentally' playing the cello into the evening." What? She was easily distracted when she didn't want to do something. Madeleine blinked at that question. "There's a period of a few days considered the optimum time for conception, but it is possible to conceive any time during the month." Because the human body liked to mess with its owner's head.
"That's because my anatomy is not so simple as that," she replied flatly. Biting the end of her finger, she drifted back to get another box, trying to do the maths in her head. She had never had the most regular schedule... 'Why is everything about you inconclusive?'