Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Nov 3, 2007 20:58:13 GMT
Madeleine sipped her coffee, looking around the bookshop as she waited.
It was surprisingly empty today, and for the first time in her life, Madeleine was finding herself being given cold looks by some of the villagers.
She knew why. The village was still reeling from the trauma created by the recent battle - especially from the deaths of those teenagers in the "Youth Revolution". Although most of those killed had been either enemy gifted soldiers or Orchid students, the Youth Revolution had not been able to escape the death toll, and a few had been killed.
If she was honest, though she was sorry that the people had been killed, she really thought that the Cardsdale villagers should have stayed out of the whole thing.
Still, it wouldn't do to admit that.
A gust of cool wind blew into the shop, and Madeleine, wrapped up in her coat, scarf and fingerless gloves again, shivered as her mother stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop.
Rhiannon Baudelaire smiled across to her daughter as she went to the counter and ordered a hot drink, before coming across to her, pulling off her elegant leather gloves.
"Hey, honey," she said, hugging Madeleine. "Feeling any better?"
"Loads," replied Madeleine, half-truthfully. She did feel a lot stronger, but unfortunately, her body wasn't quite attuned to her mind, and while her walking had improved by quite a bit, her powers still hadn't returned properly.
"That's good," Rhiannon said in her quiet, soft voice, before sitting down opposite her.
Madeleine studied her mum. Though she had seen her in July, the change in her was drastic. Her bright blue eyes, so like Madeleine's, were tired looking and veiled, and new lines had appeared on her face. She looked so weary.
When her parents had arrived at the hospital wing, Madeleine had been shocked at how terrified and old her mum looked. It was close to how she had looked when she had been in the ambulance with Shaun when they were trying to resuscitate him - but it had made it clear that if Madeleine had given up the fight, Rhiannon would have lost her mind.
And her dad... well, that was just scary. Madeleine had never seen her dad look scared before, and it was awful seeing that expression. Her dad was so tall and intimatiding and strong - he wasn't scared of anything.
But now, the light and life was returning to her mum's eyes, and her dad was back to normal, making awful jokes and freaking out because Madeleine was dating Lee.
"How are you, mum?" asked Madeleine carefully.
Rhiannon smiled. "I'm fine." But her face suddenly took on a more sombre look as she looked in her stylish handbag and took out a cream envelope. "I meant to give this to you... it was Cecelia's; Shaun gave it to her. I thought you might like to have it..."
Madeleine took the envelope and opened it, before taking out the silver and opal Claddagh ring.
"Oh," she said, surprised.
The Claddagh ring was an old Irish custom, with the symbol of a heart held in two hands surmounted by a crown - the heart symbolises love, the hands friendship, and the crown loyalty. The way that a Claddagh ring is worn is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic status - traditionally, if the ring is on the right hand with the point of the heart facing outward, the person wearing the ring is single or not in a serious relationship: "their heart is open." When the point of the heart is facing towards the person, then their "heart has been taken".
"It was a very Shaun thing, giving her that," Madeleine remarked. "All the symbolism..."
Rhiannon laughed, and smiled mischievously. "That's what I thought. You should put it on."
Madeleine glanced up at her mother, and started to laugh. "Now, that's just plain nosy."
Her retort was cut short by a waiter bringing over two cups coffee, placing one at an empty seat beside Rhiannon
Smiling, Madeleine studied the ring for a moment. Shaun had bought this...
While her mum was sipping her drink, Madeleine slipped the ring on her hand, with the point facing in towards her.
Her mum didn't notice, but glanced at the door. "Your dad should be coming in any second now."
Madeleine didn't doubt it. Rhiannon had the power of telepathy, which was part of the reason she didn't ask a lot of questions - and the reason that Madeleine never lied to her, though usually she was polite and kept out of her daughter's head.
However, temptation sometimes proved too much.
The door to the coffee shop opened again, and Stephen Baudelaire stepped through. Spotting his wife and daughter, he grinned and made his way over.
"Hey you," he said, ruffling Madeleine's hair and sitting down in front of the full coffee cup.
She made a face. "Thanks for that."
He just chuckled. "It's freezing out, isn't it?"
If a passer-by had looked towards him, they would have immediately noticed that aside from the eyes and height (and her dad's scary muscles), Madeleine and Stephen looked extraordinarily alike.
"That's what the weather's like up this end of the country," Madeleine said, thinking with longing of where her parents were living at that point and feeling a little stir-crazy. "You're moving next week, aren't you? Where-"
She was interrupted by the door opening again, and Lee stepping through.
Her face immediately lit up and she called him, waving.
Her dad's eyes flicked to the Claddagh ring on her hand, and he raised an eyebrow towards Rhiannon, but Madeleine didn't notice.
It was surprisingly empty today, and for the first time in her life, Madeleine was finding herself being given cold looks by some of the villagers.
She knew why. The village was still reeling from the trauma created by the recent battle - especially from the deaths of those teenagers in the "Youth Revolution". Although most of those killed had been either enemy gifted soldiers or Orchid students, the Youth Revolution had not been able to escape the death toll, and a few had been killed.
If she was honest, though she was sorry that the people had been killed, she really thought that the Cardsdale villagers should have stayed out of the whole thing.
Still, it wouldn't do to admit that.
A gust of cool wind blew into the shop, and Madeleine, wrapped up in her coat, scarf and fingerless gloves again, shivered as her mother stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop.
Rhiannon Baudelaire smiled across to her daughter as she went to the counter and ordered a hot drink, before coming across to her, pulling off her elegant leather gloves.
"Hey, honey," she said, hugging Madeleine. "Feeling any better?"
"Loads," replied Madeleine, half-truthfully. She did feel a lot stronger, but unfortunately, her body wasn't quite attuned to her mind, and while her walking had improved by quite a bit, her powers still hadn't returned properly.
"That's good," Rhiannon said in her quiet, soft voice, before sitting down opposite her.
Madeleine studied her mum. Though she had seen her in July, the change in her was drastic. Her bright blue eyes, so like Madeleine's, were tired looking and veiled, and new lines had appeared on her face. She looked so weary.
When her parents had arrived at the hospital wing, Madeleine had been shocked at how terrified and old her mum looked. It was close to how she had looked when she had been in the ambulance with Shaun when they were trying to resuscitate him - but it had made it clear that if Madeleine had given up the fight, Rhiannon would have lost her mind.
And her dad... well, that was just scary. Madeleine had never seen her dad look scared before, and it was awful seeing that expression. Her dad was so tall and intimatiding and strong - he wasn't scared of anything.
But now, the light and life was returning to her mum's eyes, and her dad was back to normal, making awful jokes and freaking out because Madeleine was dating Lee.
"How are you, mum?" asked Madeleine carefully.
Rhiannon smiled. "I'm fine." But her face suddenly took on a more sombre look as she looked in her stylish handbag and took out a cream envelope. "I meant to give this to you... it was Cecelia's; Shaun gave it to her. I thought you might like to have it..."
Madeleine took the envelope and opened it, before taking out the silver and opal Claddagh ring.
"Oh," she said, surprised.
The Claddagh ring was an old Irish custom, with the symbol of a heart held in two hands surmounted by a crown - the heart symbolises love, the hands friendship, and the crown loyalty. The way that a Claddagh ring is worn is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic status - traditionally, if the ring is on the right hand with the point of the heart facing outward, the person wearing the ring is single or not in a serious relationship: "their heart is open." When the point of the heart is facing towards the person, then their "heart has been taken".
"It was a very Shaun thing, giving her that," Madeleine remarked. "All the symbolism..."
Rhiannon laughed, and smiled mischievously. "That's what I thought. You should put it on."
Madeleine glanced up at her mother, and started to laugh. "Now, that's just plain nosy."
Her retort was cut short by a waiter bringing over two cups coffee, placing one at an empty seat beside Rhiannon
Smiling, Madeleine studied the ring for a moment. Shaun had bought this...
While her mum was sipping her drink, Madeleine slipped the ring on her hand, with the point facing in towards her.
Her mum didn't notice, but glanced at the door. "Your dad should be coming in any second now."
Madeleine didn't doubt it. Rhiannon had the power of telepathy, which was part of the reason she didn't ask a lot of questions - and the reason that Madeleine never lied to her, though usually she was polite and kept out of her daughter's head.
However, temptation sometimes proved too much.
The door to the coffee shop opened again, and Stephen Baudelaire stepped through. Spotting his wife and daughter, he grinned and made his way over.
"Hey you," he said, ruffling Madeleine's hair and sitting down in front of the full coffee cup.
She made a face. "Thanks for that."
He just chuckled. "It's freezing out, isn't it?"
If a passer-by had looked towards him, they would have immediately noticed that aside from the eyes and height (and her dad's scary muscles), Madeleine and Stephen looked extraordinarily alike.
"That's what the weather's like up this end of the country," Madeleine said, thinking with longing of where her parents were living at that point and feeling a little stir-crazy. "You're moving next week, aren't you? Where-"
She was interrupted by the door opening again, and Lee stepping through.
Her face immediately lit up and she called him, waving.
Her dad's eyes flicked to the Claddagh ring on her hand, and he raised an eyebrow towards Rhiannon, but Madeleine didn't notice.
