'I think we have different definitions of need,' Althea remarked after a moment. Her point of view on the subject was concrete because it hinged on Madeleine's. Which was not going to change and was not something she was every going to explain to her familiar because it was unlikely she fully understood it herself. For much the same reason why she really did deem it acceptable to put an infant in the oven to see if it caught fire. You couldn't do that with a wereling, though, Althea suddenly realised. That explained a lot of Madeleine's current panic. And then there was the vanilla thing. But she did not think her ward would make a vanilla. Hating something that much had to have some kind of effect on any offspring.
Having braved her own bedroom where her mother was still on the phone, Madeleine had the logs to build what would be the beginnings of a fire when she had pulled the last of the boarding away. It seemed fitting that what was originally blocking the chimney actually made for excellent kindling. The fact she was only actually building a fire for her own comfort and not so she could rid herself of things she didn't need had not gone unnoticed by her familiar. The snake knew better than to say it outright, though. Madeleine's mind never stopped working - not even when she was drunk - and now was no exception. While her expression gave the impression of an absentminded fire elemental playing with flammable objects, she was actually considering the merits of DNA and blood testing in utero. If it was even possible. And if it would be possible to find a doctor who would actually perform such a test because so many considered such things to be unethical. "Althea, if you have something to say then say it," Madeleine threw over her shoulder, tying her hair in a knot and pinning it up with a pencil she'd found in the nearest box. 'I don't think you'd have vanilla offspring,' the snake stated after a moment's thought. That was all she had to say. Well, almost. 'But I do think you should have offspring.' It would be nice. The stare that was leveled at her had very little effect. She was a snake. She stared all the time.
Starting slightly - A little warning, please, Althea. 'Well you knew he was around.' - Madeleine blinked up at that comment. "Mostly true but not entirely. I found new fire irons." She waved the poker at him before setting it in its stand almost fondly. She had good memories of pokers and the like. They usually involved leaving them in the fire and then her or Jackson handing them to one of the vanilla nannies directly. She would never understand why they actually gripped tighter when they realised it was nigh red hot. "As for everything else... I'm working on it." Of course, it would help if she actually lit the fire. 'She is dawdling,' Althea tattled as the logs and kindling burst into flames. 'And thinking too much.' She was also ignoring her familiar as of now. "You would probably do well to avoid compiling a list of ways I am like my mother. You'll disturb yourself." She was teasing. Sort of. And actually, yes, there was something chewable somewhere. Arms disappearing up to her elbows in one of the boxes, she retrieved a ball. Before she really thought about what she was doing, she had moved to roll it through her bedroom door. 'I thought Knight was in your collective bad books.' Bugger. She immediately turned pink, looking at Zaviar guiltily. "Should I not have done that?" No, she wasn't tremendously annoyed with the dog, but he wasn't her familiar and it wasn't her leg he had savaged.