They did. Her name's Adaine. And another girl, haven't spoken to her much yet. [She takes a pull of her cigarette, blowing it into a ring fairly effortlessly. A very simple cantrip.] And a housewife.

[The kids are fine. She took charge of looking out for some of the younger teenagers in Gloucester, they all vanished without a trace. Fine. She's done that before.

The presence of a partner though, that grates on her. It's like another reminder, digging at her skin. What she's lost, what she'll get back. If she were any more self obsessed, she'd suggest it was an intentional slight.]

I'm aloof, perpetually judgemental and emotionally distant, though. That makes me the ideal father figure. You, on the other hand...

[Aelwyn lets out a small laugh, low in the back of her throat like the very idea of it is a joke.]

Oh yes, looking at you I can just tell you're the result of some amazing parenting. [William Seacaster sold them palimpcests to stave off a midlife crisis. Penelope speculated idly when they were making plans to move on Zelda and Ostentatia that they were able to manipulate him so easily because Seacaster was jealous of his own son.

Strange what sticks in your mind after dying.]

But yes, there's exceptions to the archetype. There's also a cultural difference across the board, really. But there's a very specific type of family dynamic that's being put on display here, and it's never as pretty as it seems.

[So that touched a nerve. Interesting.]

I really don't need to, sweetie. [She leans against the wall, watching him struggle. There's a balance to maintain here. She doesn't quite want to isolate him, mostly for Adaine's sake. She can't say she's particularly moved by any reservations about hurting his feelings. Still, anyone with a brain could say that William fucking Seacaster would hit some roadblocks as far as parents go.

The fact that they're all the same, that the cycle persists, that the rot bleeds through no matter what anyone does, that's just a bonus. A family that offered to embrace her, that offered the same to everyone they preyed on. Devoured them and spat them out.

It sticks in her mind a little bit, the particular fears they were preying on. Even after she burned them all to ash.]

Most people would hire a sitter, you know. Bringing an infant into a confrontation with a violent criminal that has tried to kill you at least once doesn't seem like the best idea.

[She actually laughs at that, out loud. It's not extended but it is genuine, like he's just said the funniest thing he could possibly say. The rabbit approaches the wolf and says it knows how to handle itself. There's a lot of pride in Fabian. A lot of ego built on a shaky and fragile foundation. Destroying it would be so easy...

She suspects that it won't be her that does it though. There's something worse at the root of this place.]

This place? This place is a fucking fly trap. [She shakes her head.] There's no crime, I'll grant you that.

Speaking of, want some cocaine?

What?

[Aelwyn squints at him. The idea that she might be carrying some expectation that doesn't match whatever present has allowed him to tattoo himself up like some kind of prized cow.

She didn't see him at Tellamine's weird summer camp, she didn't see him at the tower, she didn't see him at...

The party is one of the memories that she came back to. Found herself trapped there in her own nightmares more than once. She was surrounded by facimiles of beautiful women who all smiled and laughed and flirted as Aelwyn took the final step, and faltered.

All of Adaine's dipshit friends were there. Including Fabian. I came here to fuck! Huh. A bottle smashed over a head, snuff off someone's chest - his? Did she kiss him? She kissed a lot of people, screwed a fair few more.

Huh.]

First off... That's the single most cringeworthy way you could possibly even say that and you should feel bad.

[She inclines her head, thinking of how exactly to say this.]

Secondly. We've also only met once, right?

[She can guess, of course, the context under which they "met." Eager to please, not half bad in the looks department, utterly desperate for affection. Sure, she can see it.

Wouldn't last long. Which explains why he struggles to look at her without flushing. Pining after her makes sense. She's hot. She's been aware of that fact for most of her life, and she's used it to her advantage a considerable amount. Still. She can't help but wonder...]

Yeah well - the last thing I remember from Spire is running off with your coach trapped in a gem and ditching you all in the woods. [She cocks her head.] Three years ago. Roughly.

Look, honey, the person you think I am? [That girl is dead. A necessary part of the process.] That's not me. I changed a lot more, I'd wager.

[There's some layer of hurt there. It's interesting, but nothing particularly appetizing. Maybe she's going soft, or maybe she's using her brain and realizing she shouldn't try feeding on one of Adaine's annoying little friends. Either way, she looks away.]

Right then. [Aelwyn's good at accepting the stories they tell themselves to make the truth easier to bear. She spent the first eighteen years of her life doing it.] Nothing at all.

[It wouldn't matter regardless. Beyond them being strangers, Aelwyn has someone she would destroy the world a billion times over for, and she's far, far away from here.]

My sister is very dear to you, then. [Deflect. Her lips quirk into a small smile as she weaves together her elaborate trap.]

Mm.

[Very non commital answer in a lot of ways. She should be happy for Adaine that she has all these loyal friends so committed to her. She's always deserved it, of course.

And yet.]

So. Do you like her?

[Direct, the kind of juvenile teasing she'd use when she was alive. See, a distraction.]