Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Mar 23, 2008 21:15:43 GMT
Swing, swing, back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
Madeleine hadn’t ever noticed these before. In all the times she’d been in Cardsdale, she’d never once followed this little side street that led off the square to the end. She’d followed it today – her stir craziness had resurfaced in the past couple of days, and she was trying to get out. Just to… get out. The stone walls of Orchid Hill seemed to be moving inwards, the rooms compressing, and the air just… there wasn’t enough air. Of course, she knew that there was enough air for her, but it didn’t calm her. There were times when she just couldn’t breathe and it felt like everything was going to get smaller, and smaller, until there was…
It was stupid, but she’d always been like that.
At least now that Lee knew why she was stir-crazy, it would be easier for her to go out and get some space from everyone. She’d even been considering going back to her parents for a few days, and she could use the opportunity to talk this whole thing out with her mum, but she’d decided that she didn’t really need to. As long as she was outside the Orchid wall, it’d be okay.
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
She’d been walking about Cardsdale, trying to feel less oppressed, and she’d followed this little side street… and wound up at a children’s play park. From the looks of things, it hadn’t been used for a while. The jewel bright coloured paint had flaked and departed from the metal at the slightest touch, dry and brittle. The formerly cheerfully painted soft ground had been scuffed, colours worn by weathering; and was littered by paper, broken glass, cigarette butts, and used, broken needles. Most disturbingly, underneath the overgrown shrubbery bordering it, the shiny steel of silver blades lurked, glinting in the occasional patches of sunlight that leaked through the moody grey clouds.
Such a shame.
The russet-rusted chains of the swing creaked as Madeleine swung gently back and forth, her feet scuffing along the faded coloured tarmac – dirty lavender, blackened green, dirt-embedded blue – before lifting from the ground.
Back, and forth.
The breeze brushed Madeleine’s hair away from her face, and swept pieces of grit and litter across the tired floor, the shuffling sound providing a background to the gentle chinks of the broken glass as they connected with each other.
Swinging like this, Madeleine felt free – more free than she’d felt in a while. Of course, she loved Orchid, and staying in one place wasn’t as hard as it had been – but the novelty had worn off, and even though she had all these other things going on – she had her army, she had training, she had a fiancé… habit and breeding were hard to get rid of quickly.
Still, it could be worse. She allowed a smile as she remembered Russ, who would physically be sick if he was in one place for too long. Kind of like withdrawal symptoms.
Poor guy.
She kicked up from the ground again, swinging higher and higher into the air. The wind rushed past her ears, flinging her hair behind her, a mass of curls in the air.
A dog barked at the other end of the park, and she stopped, the swing swinging lower and lower until her feet scuffed the ground again.
It was a huge dog, mainly black, with a white chest and brown patches on his legs and face. A Bernese Mountain Dog.
Now, that was just creepy.
“Jake?” she said, stupidly.
The dog cocked its head at her, before loping over to her gracefully, placing its head in her now still lap.
She smiled at her own stupidity as she scratched the dog’s head. She’d just been thinking of Russ, that was all. This obviously couldn’t be the same dog, it was just her thoughts.
Still, it was a very friendly dog, letting her stroke it like this. It was a little creepy, she reflected, how scary the resemblance was between this dog and Russ’s Bernese, Jake.
“Hey there,” she said to the dog, wondering how it stayed so calm there, despite the fact that it must smell cat from her.
Mocha was settling in well, happily going about the place and delighting the others in the dorms with her cuteness and huge blue eyes. She still hadn’t gotten over her seeming aversion to Lee, refusing to let him pick her up, and wouldn’t sit on his lap, the way she did with Madeleine.
Clearly this cat knew who her owner was.
She was a smart one.
The dog licked her hand as she found the collar, looking at the name tag – and did a double take.
“So your name is Jake too, then?” she murmured, stroking the dog’s silky hair.
At his name, Jake barked.
She laughed. “You know, that’s really creepy.”
Jake’s ears suddenly picked up. His head turned, and he ran off.
Madeleine leaned back in the swing. “Oh, well, fine then,” she chuckled, kicking back and swinging again.
It wasn’t the best day, she thought as she looked up at the sky. Slate grey, the clouds hung over the area, giving it all a gloomy, atmosphere. Not even the sun shone through these at the minute – they were too heavy, like a thick charcoal blanket across the sky.
“Woof!”
She glanced out again, and Jake was back.
She laughed. What a weird dog.
This time, he was barking all the way over, but instead of going straight to Madeleine, he kept stopping, looking back, and barking.
“Jake!” a male voice called, presumably Jake’s owner. “Jake, what is it?”
Jake just kept moving forward and stopping, until his owner came into view.
“Jake, what the hell?” someone grumbled, climbing through a bush, his voice loud and deep.
What?!
Madeleine’s hand gripped the iron chain tightly as she recognised the voice.
No, it couldn’t be.
Couldn’t be.
But the guy came further into view, and he stopped suddenly, staring at Madeleine as Jake bounded forward to her, barking joyfully.
His dark hair ruffled in the wind, and his eyes were dark and confused as he studied her, eyebrows furrowed.
“Russ…?” she half-whispered.
He stepped forward, missing the broken glass and litter without even looking at the ground, just keeping his confused eyes on her.
Then, he spoke.
“Well, Jesus, I thought Jake had gone mad, but it’s only you,” he said, moving to beside the swing. “It is you, Madel, right?”
“Yeah, it’s … it’s me… what – what are you doing here?
Russ… here? In … Cardsdale?
No, it didn’t make sense. The nearest stopping place was a good ten miles outside No Man’s Land, and Russ was determined to keep out of the war in that way, at least. Of course, it didn’t stop him getting in to those fights. And it wasn’t as though Cardsdale had some sort of tourist attractions – not that Russ was ever into culture, anyway.
But even if his stopping place was near here… why was he here?
Russ Ford didn’t answer, but sat down on the swing beside her, watching Jake nudge Madeleine’s hand with his nose.
Automatically, she petted his head, but she was looking at Russ.
He hadn’t changed a bit, not at all. His hair still needed a cut, his skin still the same pallor, his gait still confident, his eyes still as dark and brooding as they had been before… the only change was that his muscles had continued to build up since last they met.
Git. He needed to stop this.
“It’s really you, Madel,” he breathed, looking at her, his eyes lighting up a little, removing a small bit of his trademark broodiness. “God, look at you. Haven’t seen you in ages – and what have you been getting up to since then? Head of the Warriors… you’re the talk of every camp.”
“I’m – what?”
Madeleine was … shocked. Stunned. He was…. Russ was here. Here. In … Orchid?
He didn’t seem surprised to see her at all – though, of course, maybe he wouldn’t. But it was strange, all the same…
What was he doing here?
“The gypsy girl who became Head of the Warriors.” For some reason, Russ’s eyes darkened.
“Russ – what… what are you doing here? Isn’t camp far away?”
His eyes darkened yet again. “No, I’m getting an education… cuz.”
Madeleine winced.
Russ chuckled. “Haven’t told them that yet, have you Madel? About dating your cous-”
“Shush!” she hissed, glancing around her.
“Clearly not,” he laughed darkly. “Are you embarrassed of me, or something?”
“Not you Russ, but… you know what this was like.”
“Dating your cousin… yeah. Does your fiancé know about this?”
That stopped her.
“You know about that?”
Russ laughed, this time, cheerfully. “We were three trailers up from your mum when you told her.”
Madeleine blushed scarlet.
He looked taken aback. “You blush now?”
That just made her blush even more.
He laughed again, pulling his cigarette packet and lighter out of his pocket and lighting up. “You’ve changed.”
Madeleine winced as the grey smoke wafted across her face. “Do you have to do that in front of me?”
That amused him. “There was a time when you weren’t so averse to a couple of these yourself, Madel.”
“Yeah, well, like you said, I’ve changed,” she muttered. “So, you’re at Orchid now?”
“Yeah, Mum thought it was a good idea,” he said evasively. “I’m a Warrior, so you’ve to put up with me…”
Oh, crap.
Madeleine rolled her eyes. “I don’t like my Warriors smoking.”
He smirked and took a heavy drag.
“Seriously, Russ, you’ll ruin your lungs; I can’t have you running around in a battlefield getting out of breath.”
“Right.”
She just shook her head.
Russ… in Orchid.
Oh, God.
Madeleine didn’t want to consider the implications of that. She’d worked hard to keep her past a secret, and Russ arriving here meant that it could all be pulled around her in a few seconds. Her identity could be revealed, and things about her past, her brother, and her family could all come out…
After all, Russ was known for being honest...
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
Madeleine hadn’t ever noticed these before. In all the times she’d been in Cardsdale, she’d never once followed this little side street that led off the square to the end. She’d followed it today – her stir craziness had resurfaced in the past couple of days, and she was trying to get out. Just to… get out. The stone walls of Orchid Hill seemed to be moving inwards, the rooms compressing, and the air just… there wasn’t enough air. Of course, she knew that there was enough air for her, but it didn’t calm her. There were times when she just couldn’t breathe and it felt like everything was going to get smaller, and smaller, until there was…
It was stupid, but she’d always been like that.
At least now that Lee knew why she was stir-crazy, it would be easier for her to go out and get some space from everyone. She’d even been considering going back to her parents for a few days, and she could use the opportunity to talk this whole thing out with her mum, but she’d decided that she didn’t really need to. As long as she was outside the Orchid wall, it’d be okay.
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
Back, and forth.
She’d been walking about Cardsdale, trying to feel less oppressed, and she’d followed this little side street… and wound up at a children’s play park. From the looks of things, it hadn’t been used for a while. The jewel bright coloured paint had flaked and departed from the metal at the slightest touch, dry and brittle. The formerly cheerfully painted soft ground had been scuffed, colours worn by weathering; and was littered by paper, broken glass, cigarette butts, and used, broken needles. Most disturbingly, underneath the overgrown shrubbery bordering it, the shiny steel of silver blades lurked, glinting in the occasional patches of sunlight that leaked through the moody grey clouds.
Such a shame.
The russet-rusted chains of the swing creaked as Madeleine swung gently back and forth, her feet scuffing along the faded coloured tarmac – dirty lavender, blackened green, dirt-embedded blue – before lifting from the ground.
Back, and forth.
The breeze brushed Madeleine’s hair away from her face, and swept pieces of grit and litter across the tired floor, the shuffling sound providing a background to the gentle chinks of the broken glass as they connected with each other.
Swinging like this, Madeleine felt free – more free than she’d felt in a while. Of course, she loved Orchid, and staying in one place wasn’t as hard as it had been – but the novelty had worn off, and even though she had all these other things going on – she had her army, she had training, she had a fiancé… habit and breeding were hard to get rid of quickly.
Still, it could be worse. She allowed a smile as she remembered Russ, who would physically be sick if he was in one place for too long. Kind of like withdrawal symptoms.
Poor guy.
She kicked up from the ground again, swinging higher and higher into the air. The wind rushed past her ears, flinging her hair behind her, a mass of curls in the air.
A dog barked at the other end of the park, and she stopped, the swing swinging lower and lower until her feet scuffed the ground again.
It was a huge dog, mainly black, with a white chest and brown patches on his legs and face. A Bernese Mountain Dog.
Now, that was just creepy.
“Jake?” she said, stupidly.
The dog cocked its head at her, before loping over to her gracefully, placing its head in her now still lap.
She smiled at her own stupidity as she scratched the dog’s head. She’d just been thinking of Russ, that was all. This obviously couldn’t be the same dog, it was just her thoughts.
Still, it was a very friendly dog, letting her stroke it like this. It was a little creepy, she reflected, how scary the resemblance was between this dog and Russ’s Bernese, Jake.
“Hey there,” she said to the dog, wondering how it stayed so calm there, despite the fact that it must smell cat from her.
Mocha was settling in well, happily going about the place and delighting the others in the dorms with her cuteness and huge blue eyes. She still hadn’t gotten over her seeming aversion to Lee, refusing to let him pick her up, and wouldn’t sit on his lap, the way she did with Madeleine.
Clearly this cat knew who her owner was.
She was a smart one.
The dog licked her hand as she found the collar, looking at the name tag – and did a double take.
“So your name is Jake too, then?” she murmured, stroking the dog’s silky hair.
At his name, Jake barked.
She laughed. “You know, that’s really creepy.”
Jake’s ears suddenly picked up. His head turned, and he ran off.
Madeleine leaned back in the swing. “Oh, well, fine then,” she chuckled, kicking back and swinging again.
It wasn’t the best day, she thought as she looked up at the sky. Slate grey, the clouds hung over the area, giving it all a gloomy, atmosphere. Not even the sun shone through these at the minute – they were too heavy, like a thick charcoal blanket across the sky.
“Woof!”
She glanced out again, and Jake was back.
She laughed. What a weird dog.
This time, he was barking all the way over, but instead of going straight to Madeleine, he kept stopping, looking back, and barking.
“Jake!” a male voice called, presumably Jake’s owner. “Jake, what is it?”
Jake just kept moving forward and stopping, until his owner came into view.
“Jake, what the hell?” someone grumbled, climbing through a bush, his voice loud and deep.
What?!
Madeleine’s hand gripped the iron chain tightly as she recognised the voice.
No, it couldn’t be.
Couldn’t be.
But the guy came further into view, and he stopped suddenly, staring at Madeleine as Jake bounded forward to her, barking joyfully.
His dark hair ruffled in the wind, and his eyes were dark and confused as he studied her, eyebrows furrowed.
“Russ…?” she half-whispered.
He stepped forward, missing the broken glass and litter without even looking at the ground, just keeping his confused eyes on her.
Then, he spoke.
“Well, Jesus, I thought Jake had gone mad, but it’s only you,” he said, moving to beside the swing. “It is you, Madel, right?”
“Yeah, it’s … it’s me… what – what are you doing here?
Russ… here? In … Cardsdale?
No, it didn’t make sense. The nearest stopping place was a good ten miles outside No Man’s Land, and Russ was determined to keep out of the war in that way, at least. Of course, it didn’t stop him getting in to those fights. And it wasn’t as though Cardsdale had some sort of tourist attractions – not that Russ was ever into culture, anyway.
But even if his stopping place was near here… why was he here?
Russ Ford didn’t answer, but sat down on the swing beside her, watching Jake nudge Madeleine’s hand with his nose.
Automatically, she petted his head, but she was looking at Russ.
He hadn’t changed a bit, not at all. His hair still needed a cut, his skin still the same pallor, his gait still confident, his eyes still as dark and brooding as they had been before… the only change was that his muscles had continued to build up since last they met.
Git. He needed to stop this.
“It’s really you, Madel,” he breathed, looking at her, his eyes lighting up a little, removing a small bit of his trademark broodiness. “God, look at you. Haven’t seen you in ages – and what have you been getting up to since then? Head of the Warriors… you’re the talk of every camp.”
“I’m – what?”
Madeleine was … shocked. Stunned. He was…. Russ was here. Here. In … Orchid?
He didn’t seem surprised to see her at all – though, of course, maybe he wouldn’t. But it was strange, all the same…
What was he doing here?
“The gypsy girl who became Head of the Warriors.” For some reason, Russ’s eyes darkened.
“Russ – what… what are you doing here? Isn’t camp far away?”
His eyes darkened yet again. “No, I’m getting an education… cuz.”
Madeleine winced.
Russ chuckled. “Haven’t told them that yet, have you Madel? About dating your cous-”
“Shush!” she hissed, glancing around her.
“Clearly not,” he laughed darkly. “Are you embarrassed of me, or something?”
“Not you Russ, but… you know what this was like.”
“Dating your cousin… yeah. Does your fiancé know about this?”
That stopped her.
“You know about that?”
Russ laughed, this time, cheerfully. “We were three trailers up from your mum when you told her.”
Madeleine blushed scarlet.
He looked taken aback. “You blush now?”
That just made her blush even more.
He laughed again, pulling his cigarette packet and lighter out of his pocket and lighting up. “You’ve changed.”
Madeleine winced as the grey smoke wafted across her face. “Do you have to do that in front of me?”
That amused him. “There was a time when you weren’t so averse to a couple of these yourself, Madel.”
“Yeah, well, like you said, I’ve changed,” she muttered. “So, you’re at Orchid now?”
“Yeah, Mum thought it was a good idea,” he said evasively. “I’m a Warrior, so you’ve to put up with me…”
Oh, crap.
Madeleine rolled her eyes. “I don’t like my Warriors smoking.”
He smirked and took a heavy drag.
“Seriously, Russ, you’ll ruin your lungs; I can’t have you running around in a battlefield getting out of breath.”
“Right.”
She just shook her head.
Russ… in Orchid.
Oh, God.
Madeleine didn’t want to consider the implications of that. She’d worked hard to keep her past a secret, and Russ arriving here meant that it could all be pulled around her in a few seconds. Her identity could be revealed, and things about her past, her brother, and her family could all come out…
After all, Russ was known for being honest...
