Dear sweet Leota, beloved by all

In regions beyond now, but having a ball

[misselesava]

oh benni 

[madameleonora]

art-of-psychoparadox​:

[hatchavvay-arch]

Tea For Two

🪓 || @madameleonora​

Constance stood by the ornate mirror, fussing with her hair as she admired herself like a preening peacock. Though it was just an old friend visiting, she still made an effort to look her best. Behind her, she could see the stunning parlor room, windows thrown open to let in gray light across the assortment of dark wood and black velvet furniture. A black and gold tea set and assortment of petits fours were flanked by two empty wine glasses, should tea time extend further and allow for wine and gossip.

Connie paused when she heard the dull, echoing chime of her front bell resound through the manor—peeking over her shoulder to look at the clock on the parlor’s fireplace mantle, the woman gave a little click of her tongue. “Punctual as always,” she said, smirking, before making her way across the marbled floors to the entrance of her home. She didn’t hesitate in throwing open the door, her smile wide and welcoming. “Leonora, ciao bella,” she greeted, clasping her hands together in front of her. “So glad you could make it.”

[madameleonora]

The house was familiar and foreign all the same to Leonora. She’d spent so many years inside the walls and yet, she could hardly recognize the decadent structure before her. “How could I keep you waiting, tesoro.” Leonora purred in response, removing dark sunglasses for her face. She’d developed a habit of concealing her accent when talking with people who weren’t Constance but here, in this place that had come to feel like home if not simply for the woman who lived in it, she hid nothing. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss tea with you for any spirit in the graveyard.” Red lips curled into a grin as she leaned in to kiss Constance on both cheeks. Crossing the threshold, she took stock of the sumptuous furniture, admiring the darkness of it all. “This place gets more and more beautiful every time I see it, Constance. You truly outdo yourself every day.” 

[madameleonora]

mcdigan​:

    “ So I’ve heard. “ Though, little comprehension came from the meaning. Brief wipe down of the counter, he eyes a shadow moving throughout the bar fraction of the Casino. He hears every step, sometimes proving overwhelming to the senses. Sometimes, he forgets himself. Forgets the past lives he’s trenched through. How many, he’d wonder, have had the Queen of Hearts remove their head. Yet, still survived. Some were brought back, he included. More than once. Scar still shows through if one were to look beneath his turtleneck. “ Usually, they just aid in trackin’ where I come in. “ 

She stiffened slightly at his response, quickly relaxing, and lips curling into a smile. He couldn’t see her past. Perhaps the shadows he communed with could but there were more pressing matters about her to attend to. She was greatly intrigued by the land he’d once called home and the life he once lived. Whimsical, it seemed at first look but Leonora could tell it was streaked with madness underneath it all. Madness and blood all running together, she shook the sight away. “Tracking you or the whereabouts of old friends? Or perhaps, which life you’re on?”

[madameleonora]

solipcisticflames​:

 A pity, all in all. He’s aware of how hard-set his twin sister appears to be. That, and her excessively impulsive acts (not that he doesn’t share the trait.) He could lock her away, perhaps, keep her from running off again until he gets her under control. Though, then she likely wouldn’t trust him. He already took her away from everything she knew. No, he had to play it properly. “ Impressive. “ Upward tilt returns to his lips, leaning forward on the table. “ What about the impending battle. Will this little gem prove… useful in the end? “ 

“Useful...” Leonora hummed, musing over the word in a manner that would be infuriating to her if she were on the receiving end of her own antics. “Useful, what an interesting enquiry. But useful to whom is another question entirely.” She affectionately rubbed the crystal ball before her. Not the one she’d been confined to, of course. That she kept securely hidden away. 

[madameleonora]

solipcisticflames​:

Some of the nic-nacs may not fully operate, but that wouldn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to scam those lesser capable than he. Further does the mouse step forward, a seat taken once near enough. Hardly ever been one too focused on fortunes, yet he still had the curiosity of a true spirit of Wonderland piquing at the thought. Lips twist upwards, and he looks almost longingly forward. He already knows riches and beauty are in his future– mostly because he considers himself riches and beauty, but it was something else he wanted to know entirely. “ I have a little… gem, I’m trying to keep hidden from a few thieves of another realm. What do you think the chances are that I can keep her from their influence if they were to show up here? “ 

Leonora straightened, leaning back in her own chair at the question. She stared at him meaningfully, things that had been and things that would be swirling past his face at speed. As a child, the sight had been overwhelming, too many colors and faces flashed before her eyes before she had a grip of her gift. She could almost hear the whispers and shouts of strega if she thought long enough. “A jewel you say? Precious indeed.” She smiled demurely, looking at him through thick lashes, “I’m afraid to her own wiles you will have to cede. Glittering and delicate this gem may seem to be, willful and capable is she.”

[madameleonora]

mcdigan​:

  In a way, he had. March once was the personal chef of the Queen, before his story rewrote– a new life, new career. Now, most feared him when they came to learn his name. He’s learned not to let it bother him– Mad March wasn’t even his real name. Though, his real name seems so vague to him now. Another memory lost to time, fleeting more day by day. Interest taken up when she mentions his ‘friends’. Most others didn’t know about how the shadows spoke, and if he mentioned it, they merely believed it to be a result of his isolation due to homicidal mania. Even those of a magical force hardly comprehended just what it entailed. “ That th’ fact someone else can hear them’s like a moth t’ a flame. “ 

Leonora was all too familiar with the things the shadows were probably whispering in his ears. Her own sight was constant, swirling around her in a way that she had once thought to be intrusive but would consider herself lost without. It was a great comfort, to know all and see all. Only once had someone gotten the better of her and her vision. Never again. “They whisper but they are rather loud. I have a remarkable head for... visualizing the disembodied.” A harmless reference to her past that elicited a tight smile.

[madameleonora]

mcdigan​:

          Notice taken of her grin, a grim reminder of a cat he could recall from back home. Opts to ignore it for now, though the shadows warn him against adding any magical substances to her drink. Instead, he makes it properly, prepping the absinthe-rinsed glass first and foremost. Crushed ice crinkles the further along he gets into the drink, until it’s discarded with the strainer, and the drink in full is placed in front of her, glass atop a napkin to protect the marble countertop. “ Not like it’s my money t’lose. ‘sides, you seem like a responsible broad. Sure y’know when it’d get t’be dangerous for ya. “ Decides to keep it at that, though something else plagues him, the whispers of her knowledge the shadows mention, and the skill she seems so confident with herself. “ Though, if you’re a witch or somethin’, I’m sure you could handle y’self even better than that. Couldn’t ya? “ 

Placing her elbows onto the countertop and letting her chin fall into her hands, Leonora watched carefully as he crafted her drink. Though she was almost disappointed that he knew her order, she didn’t show it. He had an almost artful dance-like way of creating her drink, fingers deftly completing the job as if he’d done it a thousand times before, even protecting the counter with a napkin. “I’d have an inkling, sure.” Leonora took a cautious sip of the drink, humming in approval before letting loose one melodic laugh “You wouldn’t be the first to call me a witch and you certainly won’t be the last. But you tell me,” she paused, leaning forward and staring at him intently, “What say your friends?”

[madameleonora]

solipcisticflames​:

        “ Good to know. “ Eyes scan round the room, a fascination with the items she had strewn about. Often as Miseris was a casual thief, he still knew better than to steal from someone who could tell the future– or, at least he assumed that was it. Chances are she could do far more than just that, just hasn’t admitted to as much. “ Your skills area already proving themselves. So, you have time for a bit of a fortune? “ 

He had quick fingers, which Leonora watched carefully as he eyed the items in her shop with interest. She did have quite the menagerie of items lining her shelves: rudimental books on how to read palms and cards, crystals, card sets, and tawdry crystal balls even she couldn’t see into next week with. But it was all in good fun, her clients, though a small group, loved it all. “Of course,” she replied, smiling and sweeping her arm across her shop to invite him to a table in the back, “I’d love the chance to prove my skills further.”

[madameleonora]

vixenofhades​:

                  ✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

It was times like these that Margaery really missed the Fates. She would have gone to them with her question if she could but their magic was too precious and they had to find a place to hide so they could do their work and be safe from anything that Tilly could unleash upon them. Then she wouldn’t have to resort to sneaking around at night while Wonderboy thought she was stuck at work.  “Sorry, I ran into some trouble on my way over here.” She stated as she walked into the shop. The trouble being that her in-laws were having dinner in a neighboring bistro and she had to wait for them to leave to be sure that she was not spotted.  “But thank you for seeing me anyways.” 

“Ran into trouble or avoided trouble?” She asked, though she already knew the answer as well as the woman did, gazing knowingly at her. Leonora carefully tucked her duster behind the item she’d been cleaning to save her spot and crossed her shop to the table situated in the back, folding herself into her chair and laying her hands on the tabletop. “Of course.” She answered genuinely, smiling genially. “Now, what is it you’re seeking?”

[madameleonora]

mcdigan​:

“The bar, then. Follow me. “ The Hare himself would be the one to slip behind the counter, lack of a main bartender aligned with the fall of certain graces. Ones Mad March had to take personally.  Nothing the girl says sparks much surprise to the Hare, shadows say more than people ever could. Eyes look up towards the woman, a faux-smile coming to his lips. “ What’d’ya like, then? Though, I will say, gamblin’ could be more fun when y’know what’s right. Quick way for riches, I’d say. “ 

Nora watched with careful eyes as he slipped behind the counter, lips drawn into a smirk. She considered his question for a pause, debating ordering a red wine but ultimately deciding it would likely be disappointing compared to her, admittedly growing vague, memories of home. “Sazerac,” she answers finally, tilting her head as she continues to size him up, “Please.” That smirk grew into an almost predatory grin, eyes sparkling, “You say but would you advise such activity in your own establishment?”

[madameleonora]

It was closing time, in fact, it was past closing time at Leonora’s shop. She was floating through her shop, lightly dusting over the knickknacks and trinkets that lined her shelves when she heard the electronic chime of her door alarm. “Late.” Leonora remarked aloud, her voice neutral and her back still to the person entering her door. “Right on time.” She turned, one corner of her mouth curling upward into a smirk. She knew, of course she knew, that they would be late.

[mcdigan]

Never the watcher when the shadows spoke more than people ever could. Little fragments into minds that made tracking all the easier. Yet, it’s not his job presently. No, he’s far busier nowadays, having to keep track of all the little oysters entering the facility. Shady folks wander regularly through the halls, but Mad March rarely had to focus too hard. His new title, a sort of pen name when others search for him, though there’s still the odd fellow who knows his real name, too. Most just refer to him as March, it’s what he opts for nowadays anyways. Who was he to question it, beyond the fact it kept his past well sealed. 

      “ Twinkle, twinkle, little bat. “ 

Another reference to a life long past, he’s not who he was. No more tea parties and friends, that all ended years ago. No, he’s far more focused now. New horizons seeping forth. Yet, still, the phrase can calm him, perhaps due to the pain it could inflict on old friends. 

      “ What’dya huntin’ for, then? Needed any chips, I can lead y’ way down to th’ hostess. “ 

[madameleonora]

“A drink.” Leonora answered before she turned to see who was speaking to her. After so many years passed her by looking from inside her ball out, she valued her freedom and found herself wandering into places she hadn’t been before. She’d heard the rumors - of course - of the Mad March that roamed the casino. A shadowy man in more ways than one, Leonora’s eyes narrowed in recognition as they settled on him. “I’m not much of a gambler, if you can imagine. No sense in it if I’m never wrong.”

[madreign]

         “I don’t do business with strangers.” She states, her eyes scanning over the other. “Either you one of them suits, a friend of a friend, or someone who ought to be afraid of my blade.”

                  “So, which are you?”

[madameleonora]

“A friend of a friend...of a friend, of a friend.” Leonora’s lips curled into that smile she had that told people she knew more about them than perhaps they knew themselves. A single, focused glance at the girl told her everything she needed to know about her - that blade really could sing. 

[misselesava]

my italian dream