Author's Note: I don't recall the last time I posted fan fiction. I didn't get the ANs at first, but now I see it as kind of a tradition. Ellie, TLOU2, and the story I want to write for expansion and closer are all very meaningful to me. Thanks all for reading, even if you have nothing to say. I actually have a lot more written. Just trying to establish some kind of realistic upload pacing.

PS: It's 'MAY – dlinn'

The sun is at its highest point, looming South in the Jackson Winter sky, when Ellie arrives at the East gate again. She's contemplating sneaking through the crowd again, but then she sees Bald Henry waving people in in front of her. They make eye contact and the jig is up. Or is it?

He's taking the name of every entrant for security purposes, but he keeps eyeing Ellie with a you're in for it look. Finally, it's her turn.

"Pearl Hughes."

He stops and gives her a long look, which Ellie returns innocently until she can't help but smirk and smacks his shoulder, leaving him with a wink.

"I'm sending word to Maria the second I'm done here," he calls after her. "Ain't gonna be my head in the hole." Psh, he's talking about the stocks down by the old butcher shop. It's been a long-levelled threat against miscreants to get slammed in there, but Ellie had never once seen it. Now it's just something people talk about to suggest you're gonna get in trouble.

It's been about ten months since she was last in Jackson. They can wait one more day. She wants the lay of the land. Henry is going to tell Maria, and Maria is going to have her picked up immediately, so Ellie needs to slink today.

She drops off Eddie at the gate stable. "Make some friends." She pats him on the rump. He harrumphs. She thinks he's a bit nervous to be left, but he'll be okay. As soon as she's out of sight of the gate she strategically dons another ratty hoody she found in a department store. It still stinks but she didn't really have the luxury of washing it.

Now most people she sees she recognizes. She was never a socialite, so she wasn't friends with most of them. But any of them might make her. It helps that she looks a bit different. Intentionally dirty, from the road, and her hair is a lot different from the last time she was here. She weaves through the street crowd and makes her way to North Gate. It's probably almost one.

She lurks in the shadow of a high porch for no longer than ten minutes before morning patrols start coming in. She recognizes almost everyone. Elliot, Tanner, Benji, Kyle, Rosa, Meredith, James, Kassy, Joseph and Clint. Problem is, half of them were still in school when she left Jackson for Seattle. Clint was kind of a pipsqueak, actually. She can see the breadth in his shoulders, now.

Ellie decides she doesn't like being made to feel old.

Apparently Elliot's the patrol leader up North, which is fine. She'd have picked him too, likely. They all came within twenty minutes of each other, too, which is good. Seems like they opted away from having patrols double as scavengers. Ellie never liked that idea. Scavenging should be a coordinated mission. You should have redundancies, not just two people, and you never know what's gonna happen in new territory so you can't plan how long it's gonna take.

Not that it ever scared her, but. She promised herself early on as a patrol she'd do whatever she could to never see another one go toes up. A couple are experienced, like her. But most are just kids.

No injuries, either. Except a bruise on James's face that they're already teasing him about. Something about a buck? A buck would do way more damage than that…

She snorts, chuckling in the shadow of the building. No, it just spooked him.

Things are fine here. There's more to see.

Not only does she encounter no less than ten active construction projects, she overhears two of the old wall guards talking about 'the expansion.' Nuts, they're finally gonna push the walls out. That's gonna be a shit load of work. It's a good thing she won't be here when it starts.

By her estimate, probably one or two out of every five people she sees is a new face, especially on the south side of town, which used to be nearly derelict. Perfect place to get together and goof off when not on duty. If you were scared to leave the walls, anyway.

That many new faces? People have been migrating here. And why wouldn't they? She traveled around the fucking country and could count places as nice as Jackson on one hand. Her left hand.

She fingers the nubs of her left hand. To say nothing of guitar… Dina's gonna be mad. Fuck it, how could she possibly not make Dina mad at this point. She bit her lip.

Alright, she was a bit scared. She was going to see Dina. Just not yet.

Among the new construction, the old feed store is going to be the new social space slash dance hall. The barn they were using is going back to being a stable, on account of more people means more horses. That old pet store is now going to be a full-fledged gun store, owned by Reginald, as you might guess. Guess he wasn't making enough trade from his garage. They're fixing the piping in the public restrooms down at the park, to make a public park more public. And the other seven projects were all new houses being built, renovated, or repaired, apparently by the people who hoped to live in them.

If that doesn't say Maria knows how to run a fucking town, nothing would. She hadn't caught Ellie yet, though. She smirks. She'd had her eyes peeled. She's not ready to get picked up.

Ellie spends an hour or so just sitting down at the park under the shadow of an old elm. There are a bunch of kids playing some game she doesn't recognize. Something about a ball and a bunch of hoops on the ground. Some of 'em are real small, but one of the older boys is doing a good job of refereeing. She's starting to figure out the rules of the game when she hears footfalls approaching. Her stomach drops.

"Oh. It's just you."

Dinesh plunks down next to her and leans back against the tree. "Who says Maria didn't send me?" Dinesh had not changed much. Warm skin, warm eyes. She'd always liked him. He still wears that damn goofy ear flap hat, though.

"She'd send someone more competent."

He chuckled. "You're right, she'll probably send Edna."

"She still the strongest woman in town?"

"No, she's the strongest person in town."

"Remember when Seth tried to kick her out of his bar?"

"Oh my god," his head drops into his hands. "She was so embarrassed the next day. She came back and apologized, hat in hand and everything."

"No one wanted to go near her after she broke that chair."

"You got a kick out of it, though."

"What do you mean?" Ellie says.

"I was across the bar from you when the chair broke on the counter while Seth was runnin'. Everything about your face said this is awesome."

"It was!" They laugh. It actually brings tears to the corners of her eyes. "It was. Man… I've missed Jackson."

"Took you long enough to admit it."

She's avoiding looking at him, then she bites the bullet. "Are you angry at me?"

"No," he's smiling, but there's something else there. "Worried about you, maybe." He takes a breath and looks up and the late afternoon sky. "Honestly, I didn't expect I'd ever see you again. How did you survive for this long on your own?"

Ellie rolls her head around, looking at pockets of unmelted snow in the grass. "Stubbornness."

"That sounds about right."

She looks at him again. "Am I infamous? Around here?"

"Ah," he considers. "Only to those who know you."

She nods. "So yes. Fuck me."

"Don't worry. There's only a few people really waiting up on you. Or are you gonna skip town again?"

"No." Serious this time. "Well…"

"You're not staying."

She can tell he's disappointed. She sighs. "Look, there's something I have to do. And I promise it actually matters."

"Revenge didn't matter?"

She returns his look but she keeps it level. "Between you and me? No, not a whole hell of a lot."

"But you will see Dina?"

"Of course—Dinesh, you don't—" She shakes her head. "I fucked up, alright? I get it. I needed… time. I'm gonna see them all, trust me. Jeez, did Maria send you? You could be the information agent."

"She didn't," he said, smiling, but she sensed a bittersweetness. "In fact, now I'm going to kick rocks before someone sees me and I land in the frying pan because I didn't report you." He hauls himself to his feet and points at her as he walks away. "Good to see you, kid."

She points on back.

"Oh," he says over his shoulder, "and there's a new place in town for eats, Guillermo's. You gotta hit it up." He gives her a meaningful look, "es primo."

She scrunches up her brow a bit. But come to think of it, she was getting hungry.

Guillermo's is installed in a fairly dingy old unused saloon. It does, however, have a colorful hand-painted sign with string lights around it. She pulls the heavy door open and a rush of warm air greets her. There's a Mexican flag on the wall and multicolored string lights strung all through the place. There's a little stereo playing what she assumes is Mexican music. Besides the bar there's only three tables and four booths, and it's fairly full. She takes the last open spot at a booth closer to the kitchen. There's a dirty, hand drawn menu on the table.

Guillermo's: A Taste of México.

She hadn't had Mexican since Boston and it… wasn't good there. Ellie's kind of craving the steak and eggs they sometimes had at Arnold's, especially her first night back in Jackson. She's thinking about getting back up when someone walks up from behind her. She has a pad in her hand and she leans over to see under Ellie's hood a little better.

"Hey there, hun. Never seen you around. Hungry?"

Ellie's honestly stunned. Standing in front of her is one of most gorgeous girls she has ever seen. She has long red hair, elegantly tied up above her neck, soft features and bright blue eyes. She's wearing a worn but lovely red dress with a little apron in front of it.

"Uh," she stumbles. She yanks her hood back. She probably looked like a criminal. "Yeah, actually."

She smiles. "That's better. Ever had Mexican? Guillermo's almost as good as he says he is."

"Oh?" A voice came from the back. The image of a portly, mustachioed Latin man enters the kitchen window. "What's that girl? You're being honest with my customers, now, yeah?" He eyes Ellie. "Ooohh, new girl. Oof, and hungry. Let's fix that."

Ellie's totally off guard at this point, and a little worried about the attention. Her eyes keep finding the redhead's face. "Uh, I'm not really sure what to order…"

"Best stick with a burrito then."

"You like spicy?" the man asks. He seems serious.

"Uh, how spicy?" She had had a dish in New Orleans she almost couldn't finish.

He waved her words away like that answered her question. "You'll love it. Real chicken today."

"What is it when it's not real chicken?"

"Goat," says the redhead to Ellie as she walked back behind the bar. Were her hips… swaying?

"Oh!" says Guillermo as if in pain, "there she goes! Lying to my customers again."

Out of Guillermo's sight, the redhead scrunches up her nose and sticks her tongue out. Ellie suppresses the urge to swallow.

When she bites into the burrito, it's rich, it's hot, and it's damn fucking good. Boston was an embarrassment compared to this. She realizes she's wolfing it and forces herself to slow down. Damn, it's spicy.

She hasn't seen the girl recently. Then it hits her why he recommended this place. Damn it, Dinesh! You couldn't have warned me? She thinks about smelling herself, but she knows she smells like trash. She rips off the gross hoody, almost literally, dumping it next to her.

"Mm, that's better."

The girl fills Ellie's vision again and she's stunned, again. This girl has a smile like a heart attack.

"How's that treating you?"

"Damn good," Ellie replies, wiping her mouth. "Spicy though." She glances suspiciously at the kitchen. "Do you think he made it extra spicy for me?"

She looks like she doesn't know how to respond, then Ellie offers her a bite. She gives up a darling little scoff. She takes it from Ellie, looking at her as she takes a bite. As she starts chewing, she starts laughing, nodding.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"Hey, hey!" Guillermo appears again. "Food is for the customers! Eh? What gives?"

"She offered." She hands it back to Ellie. "Better finish that, you're wasting away."

"I manage." Ellie doesn't spend much time worrying about food, but truth is, her muscles could probably use the meat. A meal like this would be like a gift from God on the road.

"That's a few scars on you, girl, and I can't even see that much."

Ellie hopes she's not blushing as much as she feels like she is. In the end she doesn't say anything, just nods.

"You new in town?" the redhead asks.

Ellie has a lopsided smile for that. "Old, actually. But, could you do me a favor? I'm trying to lay low tonight."

"Oh, is that a fact?" It strikes Ellie that she has a southern accent. She hadn't heard many of those until a few months ago. Other than Joel's muted drawl. The girl clasps her pad under her hands over her belly. "Are you on the good side of the law?"

Ellie's brow twitches. "Who's law?" She takes another bite.

"Hmm…" she feigns amusement. "You're really gonna make me ask your name?"

That time Ellie almost does choke. She swallows. "Sorry, don't meet many people on the road. I'm Ellie."

"Ellie, that's nice. I'm Maedlyn."

"You know there are other tables in this place, young lady," Guillermo is back in view, suspicion on his face.

"I know, G, I'm on it." She favors Ellie with one more look before moving on.

It doesn't take long to finish the burrito, but Ellie is not ready to leave. She pulls out her journal and starts drawing. She has to repeatedly suppress the urge to draw Maedlyn.

It's Tuesday today—she'd had to ask someone—so folks wouldn't be out too late, and sun sets early this time of year. She glances out the window and the orange glow of sunset is evident. She doesn't have anything like a plan. She frowns, and keeps drawing.

"An artist? Not what I would have guessed."

Ellie doesn't look up this time. "This is just a hobby. Helps time pass, when it needs to." She looks up. "You're not gonna kick me out are you?"

"No." Maedlyn is leaning against the side of the booth and giving her an appraising look. "You got somewhere to stay tonight, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Ellie lies, "I'm just… taking my time."

"Just taking your time… and helping time pass, when it needs to."

Ellie pauses at that. Chagrined, she can't help but hum a little laugh.

She hears fabric on wood and looks up expecting Maedlyn to walk away, but she's sliding into the booth across from her. This time Ellie can't help but swallow.

"Wanna show me some of your drawings?"

Ellie looks around. There's only a couple tables left, also having quiet conversations. "Yeah… I'd love to, actually, but, um… I had another book for that. It's just… not here."

"What's that, then?"

Ellie wants to smack herself. Why did she pull out her journal? "It's nothing. Tell you what, I could draw you something." She turns to a new page.

"Like what?" Maedlyn asks. A few strands of hair have escaped their bonds and hang down across her lightly freckled forehead. There's no way. It's too perfect. She has to know exactly what she's doing. "Me?"

"Uh." Ellie's mind races. Would that be appropriate? Is she—

Maedlyn starts laughing and even claps her hands. "I'm just teasing you. Alright, I'll be honest. I'd really like to see some of those drawings." She inclines her head to Ellie's journal.

Ellie's torrential desire to do anything Maedlyn asks is poisoned to death by the contents of her journal.

"Here, just hold them up in front of you. I'm nearsighted, I won't be able to read. I promise."

Ellie takes a deep breath. This girl… is trouble, isn't she? She knows what she's doing a little too well.

Maedlyn's eyes are pregnant. This is a chance. Is it the last one? This girl's good at getting her way, isn't she?

Ellie throws caution to the wind, and starts turning pages, backward.

"She's pretty. Pretty young, too." Maedlyn eyes Ellie. "I like that dress."

"Dinah." Ellie doesn't feel like elaborating.

"Who are these fellows? Wow, they got character!"

"Lem and Benji. They sold me Eddie. Real good horse."

"Good people?"

Ellie shrugs. "Mostly."

"Oh," she's not pleased. "Where's that?"

"Chicago. Went bad, I guess."

"That's sad, I kinda wanted to go there."

Ellie's eyes move between her pages and Maedlyn. Maedlyn's eyes seem to mostly follow the pictures. Mostly.

"Where's that? That's a lot of buildings."

"New York."

"New York, New York?" Maedlyn is eyeing Ellie, skeptical.

"That's right."

"You did not go to New York! Is there anyone there? What's it like?"

Ellie chuckles and puts her journal down. She tries to explain her limited experience. Honestly, it was huge, and there was so much more she could have seen and done. But she got out safe and that's what counts.

Maedlyn is biting at her thumb. "Well, maybe it's not fair but I always wanted to go there and now I'm a bit miffed—by yourself?" She leans in, and Ellie blushes again.

"Yeah. It… wasn't smart." They laugh. Ellie turns the page.

"Is that… the Firefly symbol?" Maedlyn is actually confused. "Are you one of 'em?"

Ellie shakes her head. "No, but we've crossed paths before. I was sort of… reminiscing."

"Ooh, who are those guys? I don't like them."

"Yeah, I didn't either. It's why they look like that."

"Are they… still alive?

Ellie shrugs. "Who knows? Probably, they were assholes." She turns to her Georgia landscape. When she looks at Maedlyn, she distinctly sees her eyes moving side to side. "This look familiar?"

Maedlyn's eyes snap back to her. "Oh? Um, well." She has a funny little smile. "It looks like a lot of places, but…"

"It's Georgia. God it was hot."

Maedlyn's smile may as well be made of diamonds. "My mama's from Missouri but my daddy's from there."

"You live with them here now?"

"Well, no. My daddy's gone, and my mama lives across town. I got a little room out back here."

"Oh, why not together?"

"Isn't that a little personal?"

Ellie doesn't miss a beat. She looks down at her open journal and back to Maedlyn. She's doing this thing where she's nibbling at her left thumb. It must be a nervous gesture. Her eyes concede.

"Better that she and I don't live in the same house, is all. Don't worry, I visit all the time."

"Actually," Ellie chuckles, and her face sags as she thinks of Joel. "I get it." She turns another page.

"Oh, I like her. Look at that hair…"

"Bresha."

Maedlyn doesn't say anything, but gives Ellie a secretive smile that she doesn't entirely like.

"It was New Orleans. That place was… maybe the best part of the year." She tells Maedlyn about the culture and the food and the party that covers half the city. "I had a daiquiri, with shaved ice. It was incredible."

"That sounds incredible." Every once in a while, Maedlyn's mask slips and he gets a glimpse of a different side of her. "Was it expensive?"

"Yes, but I know how to forage."

"Ooh, I like it. Who's that?"

It's Marlene. Ellie frowns. She's not sure she wants to talk about Texas. This is getting pretty far back. She flips the page, then lifts the next one so only she can see it. A chill goes down her spine and she snaps the book shut.

"Was that… a baby?"

Shit, she must have seen the page with JJ. God, at least she didn't see the next page.

"Little young to be a sibling…"

"He's not mine, he—" she winces. That's sort of not true. And this isn't going how she wants.

"I don't mean to pry or anything…"

Of course you do, Maedlyn. Ellie makes a decision.

"It's JJ. Dina's boy."

"Oh!" Maedlyn sits up straight and the gears start turning.

"I was helping raise him. And I miss him sometimes. That's it." Ellie's eyes go firm. "And that's between us, ok?"

"Oh." Maedlyn is clearly caught off guard, but interested. Her act is suffering, though. "You and Dina? I didn't know. Though I did susp—" Her eyes go wide and she stops. She blushes. It's worth the whole while. She frowns. "But I thought she lived with a man."

"It was a long time ago."

"Oh." Her blush deepens. "I am acting like such a fool, I apologize—"

Ellie waves it off, smiling.

Another patron catches Maedlyn's eye, her mouth twitches. "Shoot, I—can you just give me a minute? Please don't leave." She puts her hand on Ellie's for a second, then goes to do her job.

Ellie plays with her pen, tapping it on the cover of her journal. She can't help but smile. That went pretty well, all things considered.

A few minutes later, Maedlyn slides back into her booth. "Hey, G lets me get away with a lot, since—" she rolls her eyes around but doesn't say it. You bring in business, yeah. "But he's gonna wanna close up soon. I'd like to chat with you more, though. You gonna be in Jackson long?"

Ellie purses her lips and tilts her head. Maedlyn is visibly disappointed.

"You came all the way back and you're not gonna stay?"

"I got… something that I have to do. Once I do that, maybe I'll come to Jackson for good." Ellie thinks for a minute, then she leans in. Maedlyn leans in too. "I'll tell you something I'm not gonna tell the others here in Jackson." She has Maedlyn's total attention. "I'm not sure… I fit here in Jackson anymore. I've kinda been ruined for the people that cared about me most… Except Maria, she's all good. I mean, there's a lot of memories here… but some of them are really bad."

"And Dina's here, too. And JJ."

"JJ is the number one reason I think I could stay. I…" Ellie scratches her nose and looks away. Her voice almost broke. "I just miss him."

Something's cooking in Maedlyn's mind. She takes a breath and goes to speak—

"M, girl, where are you." Guillermo wanders from behind the bar, coat in hand. "Still chatting! Of course. You would starve my customers."

"Oh G, you know it was just end of night stragglers."

"Sí, and here we have queen straggler." He looks down his nose at Ellie. "But you enjoyed, didn't you? I saw you eat."

Ellie smiles involuntarily. "Yeah, despite your best efforts." He looks almost offended. "That burrito was so spicy I'm surprised I'm not breathing fire."

"Oh!" He waves his hand. "Please! Come back tomorrow, I'll make you a spicy burrito." His smile fades. "But M, girl, you know I love you, but it's late. I have to close up."

"I know G, thanks for letting us chat so long." She gives him a hug.

"Yes, yes, now say goodbye." He wanders off to the back.

Ellie walks out onto the board walk in front of Guillermo's into frigid winds with traces of snow on them. It was going to be cold night.

"Well?"

Ellie turns, and Maedlyn is propping the door open. She has her arms crossed at her waist. "I believe this might be the last chance you have at saying something charming?"

Ellie smiles. She looks around at the dark, snowy night. Then down at herself, shrugging her hands as if to say, this is it. She walks up to Maedlyn, who gathers herself, until their faces are inches apart. The moment carries on.

"I lied about having somewhere to stay tonight."

For a moment, Maedlyn is motionless. Then her scoff is so tamped, it's inaudible.

"For the record, sugar, homelessness is not charming."

Maedlyn's 'room' is just that. A single, straight flight of stairs up to a sort of loft situation, a little kitchen/living room/bedroom section, and a bathroom. It was well decorated, though. Lots of red and orange, and embroidery that Ellie really liked. There was a big one of a rooster hanging by her stove.

"Your place is," says Ellie. "Also I'm not homeless, I travel."

"Mm, a rambler then."

"Not sure I like what that implies."

"Well I did see your journal."

"Excuse me?" Ellie drops her bag at the foot of Maedlyn's bed. Immediately, she realizes it looks a bit presumptuous, but she acts like she meant it. She's tempted to ask where Maedlyn is sleeping, but that would be pushing it. "Where am I sleeping?" There's a loveseat, but even Ellie doesn't like the idea of sleeping on that all night.

"It's a bit early, Ellie."

Ellie waits for her to explain but she doesn't. Maedlyn puts on a kettle. "Hot Toddie?"

"Absolutely." Ellie didn't realize how much she wanted that.

Maedlyn kicks a device on the kitchen floor. The electric heater turns on.

"What!? Those things use hella power! They would never give me one!"

"Well, I'm privileged. No fireplace, so they decided they'd rather I didn't freeze."

Ellie superficially examines it. The heat is already pouring off it. A lot of red-hot metal though, kind of a fire hazard. Anyway, it's good, because she can still see her breath in here.

"Gotta keep Maedlyn happy, right?"

She actually smirks at that. "If they know what's good for 'em. What are you doing over there?"

Ellie is digging through her pack. "Well, I gotta offer you something for saving the rest of my fingers, don't I?"

"Mm, okay."

Ellie hesitates. "It's kinda cheesy, but…" She pulls out a miniature Statue of Liberty. It's made out of plastic, but it's solid and has a wood base. The brass placard is illegible, but Ellie hadn't had the means or need to clean it.

"Oh that ain't cheesy at all." She takes it out of Ellie's hands and admires it. She narrows her eyes. "How big is it really?"

Ellie scratches her head, a little embarrassed. "I didn't actually see it that close. I had to be real careful in Jersey. I'd say at least ten stories, though, probably more, actually. It's really green like that, too. Supposedly it's all old copper."

Maedlyn listens patiently, then smiles. "Green, huh?" Her eyes flit from one of Ellie's to the other. "Fair tender." She puts the statue up on a shelf next to a picture of her and a girl. Ellie thinks about asking but Maedlyn shakes her head without even looking at her.

Once the Hot Toddies are done, they sit down on her bed, sipping them. It's starting to warm up a little.

"Ellie, can I ask you something personal?"

Ellie considers. "Well, you can ask."

"Do you want to be back with Dina?"

Jesus, no wonder she asked first. "Ah… between you and me?"

Maedlyn nods.

"This entire conversation?"

She nods again.

"Yes, but it won't happen." She pushes her fingers into her eyes. "Can't happen."

"What if Dina wanted it too?"

Ellie feels a flare of anger. "Don't ask me that."

"I'm sorry." Maedlyn swirls her drink in her lap. "You know Ellie—between you and me," she makes her voice sound huskier. Is that what she thinks I sound like? "—life is great here, really. But it doesn't really feel like home yet."

Ellie is just sitting there, but she can feel her breath quickening. Maedlyn's anything but skiddish. Her eye contact is… so strong. Ellie doesn't know what to say. This is starting to feel like a bad idea.

"You didn't hesitate long to show me those drawings… I really appreciated that. I don't have a lot of conversations like that. Only now I feel like…" She plays with the bunches of her bed quilt. "You're kinda holding back."

The way Maedlyn looks at her then makes her get up from the bed.

"Ellie, wait! Please don't go. Okay, I can back off. I know I'm pushy."

Ellie swallows. She's starting to slip. Fuck, why am I slipping now? She keeps seeing Joel's face. The worst face, with all the blood. Something moves in her chest and she almost throws up. She lands on a knee and spills half her drink.

Maedlyn is on her in a second but Ellie can't hear her clearly. The drink leaves her hand and Maedlyn is guiding her to the loveseat. She lays Ellie down. She's talking to her, but Ellie doesn't understand. She's gesturing to her chest. Ellie nods, closing her eyes. Slow your breathing. That's right, just slow it down.

She doesn't open her eyes for ten minutes. Long after her breathing is steady.

Maedlyn is leaning against the foot of her bed, watching, like Ellie figured she'd be. She takes a sip from her mug, and inclines her head to the little table by the loveseat, where there's another mug.

Ellies grabs it and takes a sip to find it mostly full. She had switched their mugs.

"Seems like travel has made me a terrible houseguest."

"No." It's a different voice. The fetching accent is more muted. "Can I sit?"

Ellie nods.

Maedlyn sits. Her body language is less… inviting, but Ellie can feel her against her leg. She goes to speak, but Ellie speaks first.

"I'm not much good for it, these days, I think." Her voice wavers. "What you want from me."

"Well, for what it's worth, I suspect you'll always be good for it. If you'll allow it."

Ellie shakes her head without knowing why. "Why do you want it? What do y'all see in me? I'm—"

"Maybe you'd have to be me to see it." Maedlyn just sits there. Her mug isn't steaming anymore. Ellie fully expected she'd be out of luck after that episode, but Maedlyn's being patient. "You want me to be honest?" she asks. It's a real question.

"Okay," she says, raspy.

"When you look me in the eyes, it provokes strong feelings, doesn't it?"

Ellie blinks. Who's being honest, now? "Possibly."

Maedlyn's smile is genuinely warm. "Well," she looks away with false modesty, "you might not be the only one." She puts her mug down. "But when you walked up to me, in that doorway, snowflakes in your hair and that twist on your lips… and you looked into my eyes? I felt…" Her eyes were half closed, lips just parted in a wistful smile. Then her eyes opened wide for an instant. "You don't know what you got, girl."

Ellie lips fumble, but she has nothing. She can't tear her eyes away from Maedlyn.

Maedlyn's smile broadens. "You're doing it right now." She pats her lap, standing up. "Honestly, Ellie. I don't think I've ever been made to work so hard." She lifts her hands over her back, and in one smooth motion, her dress flutters quietly to the floor.

Frozen for a moment, Ellie stops thinking, and starts moving.