Re: Settling the Score (Altamira)
OoC: Good posts come to those who wait. : P Or, more accurately, long ones. X3 (I know, good post =/= long.)
IC:
Not long after Monroe had left, her researches about Alex's origins had come to a conclusion. It was, simultaneously, the best and worst possible answer she could have imagined--at first she was in disbelief, but then...thinking back over that first moment that she had seen the girl's face, when the resemblance was so striking...she had to chide herself for not figuring it out much sooner. She wondered if the girl's family, and much family she did indeed have, knew anything about her...
It had been eight years ago. Galliard Madrigal was still in prison, where he had been for five years then, cut off from the happenings of his family. He never got to see or prevent Vivace Madrigal, his eldest daughter, from taking charge of the household then; nor did he get to stop Anton Dionne, the man he'd tried to keep apart from her, and the very person who'd landed him in prison, from stepping in. Even with Galliard out of the way, they had to elope, so the police and the other Madrigals' eyes could not follow them. From then on, Vivace would send her other sisters on assignments far from the house, or disappear at times herself. This was the situation Alessandra Dionne was born into. She and a...the documents here were unclear, Tracey found, but possibly another sister were kept with their father Anton as infants, visited as often as possible by their mother, and they knew nothing of their aunts or grandparents.
This continued until Alessandra was four. Her father had to disappear then, as he was being hounded by Cernilian scientists who wanted to study and take advantage of his abilities. Vivace was too involved in her criminal empire to take the girl in, and if her sisters knew of her marriage to Dionne, everything would be ruined. Alessandra was let out onto the streets. The documents no longer mentioned a sibling.
A year later, Anton Dionne, wearing the appearance of an enemy soldier by the name of Paris Valentia, died in the war between Cernilia and Blancwood. His daughter Alessandra was a five-year old wanderer in the desert, gathering whatever food, water, and clothing she could from anyone who took pity on her. By this time, she had met the Spirit of Lightning, who had appeared to her, as many Spirits will to their gypsies, once to give her light and guidance on a particularly dark evening when she was lost. Magic was mentioned, and now and again, she could feel electricity arcing between her fingertips.
Time flowed on like a river, getting slowed by the usual bumps and obstacles.
The documents were very vague now. As of the last year, all that could be confirmed of Alessandra Dionne was that some townspeople had seen a child wandering the deserts on clearer days. But she was here now, under a roof and in a safe home, and DNA tests had proven her to be the eight-year old daughter of Anton Dionne and his wife Vivace. She had been nicknamed "Alex", and given her own bedroom, and bought lots of clothing and other things--whatever Tracey could afford on a salary that was also going towards a house, car, and other bills.
When Monroe returned home, he and Alex built a bond slowly. It was...shaky, at first. Explosive, you could say. But now she often seemed to feel closer to him than she did with Tracey...
The smell of dinner wafted in from the kitchen. It hinted that quite a lot of food was being cooked for this particular meal--Tracey deduced that Monroe, if his past behavior could be any indication, seemed to have something he needed to talk to her about.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Have a nice dinner," was all Cadenza had said to her that evening when she had gone to get ready. It almost sounded like acceptance, if she didn't know any better. Her sister had never been comfortable with the idea of her dating Zach before, so she couldn't imagine that'd change now...
Still, that wasn't the important thing now. Tonight was her anniversary with Zach, and it was going to be a special night...
Arietta checked her bag to make sure she'd put her present for him away there, gave her hair one last look in the mirror in the foyer, and headed out. The wind carried her away towards Blancwood.