day 22: this is not the shortest section
Sep. 22nd, 2026 06:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marcicatTitle: [title coming soon]
Fandom: Last Binding Series (Freya Marske)
Pairing/Characters: Elsie Alston & Violet Debenham
Content Notes: It's an AU! IN SPACE! But still with magic!
Prompt: limited time
Elsie sidled up to Violet during the post-meal lull. There wasn't much time before the others joined them, and she wanted information. "So, who won the bet?"
Violet laughed and shook her head. "Maud, of course. You'd think I'd know better by now than to bet against her. I thought I'd win for sure with weird creatures, especially with you and Jack involved."
Elsie thought about Cheetham, and Jack's propensity for adopting every stray being he happened upon. "That's fair. Are you sure you didn't win? I'd have thought Edwin would have counted."
"Thank you," Violet said, leaning closer and patting her hand. "That's what I thought too. But Maud thinks he's absolutely lovely and didn't believe me when I said he was a cryptid. Lovingly and respectfully, of course."
Elsie asked, "Wait, which bit was loving and respectful — Maud not believing you, or you calling Edwin a cryptid? And what about the cat?" They still hadn't been able to determine its exact origins, or even its vague origins.
"Both. And the cat doesn't count," Violet said, with an exaggerated sigh. "It would have if it was a transformed Walter Courcey, but Addie says it's probably not."
Elsie wasn't sure how Adelaide Morrissey would be able to tell one way or the other, but everyone had their secrets. Instead of pushing, she said, "What did Maud guess?"
Violet sighed again, and waved towards the ceiling. "Spatial anomaly."
Elsie frowned. "I don't remember any spatial anomalies." She supposed they could have encountered one of those that involved memory-wiping, or time travel, or maybe Robin had a vision that allowed them to avoid a spatial anomaly? The rules of Violet and Maud's bets were — well, they called them complicated, but Elsie thought incomprehensible was more accurate. An avoided vision might count, though.
"It's our best guess for how Addie keeps showing up places without a ship anywhere in range," Violet said with a shrug.
"I thought — magic? The fae, maybe?" Elsie guessed. "Although the idea that any sufficiently advanced magic or fae intervention would likely be interpreted as a spatial anomaly…" It was an intriguing concept. She wondered if Edwin had any research on it.
Fandom: Last Binding Series (Freya Marske)
Pairing/Characters: Elsie Alston & Violet Debenham
Content Notes: It's an AU! IN SPACE! But still with magic!
Prompt: limited time
Elsie sidled up to Violet during the post-meal lull. There wasn't much time before the others joined them, and she wanted information. "So, who won the bet?"
Violet laughed and shook her head. "Maud, of course. You'd think I'd know better by now than to bet against her. I thought I'd win for sure with weird creatures, especially with you and Jack involved."
Elsie thought about Cheetham, and Jack's propensity for adopting every stray being he happened upon. "That's fair. Are you sure you didn't win? I'd have thought Edwin would have counted."
"Thank you," Violet said, leaning closer and patting her hand. "That's what I thought too. But Maud thinks he's absolutely lovely and didn't believe me when I said he was a cryptid. Lovingly and respectfully, of course."
Elsie asked, "Wait, which bit was loving and respectful — Maud not believing you, or you calling Edwin a cryptid? And what about the cat?" They still hadn't been able to determine its exact origins, or even its vague origins.
"Both. And the cat doesn't count," Violet said, with an exaggerated sigh. "It would have if it was a transformed Walter Courcey, but Addie says it's probably not."
Elsie wasn't sure how Adelaide Morrissey would be able to tell one way or the other, but everyone had their secrets. Instead of pushing, she said, "What did Maud guess?"
Violet sighed again, and waved towards the ceiling. "Spatial anomaly."
Elsie frowned. "I don't remember any spatial anomalies." She supposed they could have encountered one of those that involved memory-wiping, or time travel, or maybe Robin had a vision that allowed them to avoid a spatial anomaly? The rules of Violet and Maud's bets were — well, they called them complicated, but Elsie thought incomprehensible was more accurate. An avoided vision might count, though.
"It's our best guess for how Addie keeps showing up places without a ship anywhere in range," Violet said with a shrug.
"I thought — magic? The fae, maybe?" Elsie guessed. "Although the idea that any sufficiently advanced magic or fae intervention would likely be interpreted as a spatial anomaly…" It was an intriguing concept. She wondered if Edwin had any research on it.
